NHL Best Bet of the Week
After a crazy NHL trade deadline this week, teams are looking to make their final playoff push which means teams that are contending are going to be playing every game like their last. For teams that sold at the deadline, their teams became a lot weaker, making it easier to bet on these games.
Best Bet of the Week: Under 6 for MIN/VAN
The Minnesota Wild are a defensive-focused team that relies a little too much on Kiril Kaprizov to drive scoring. The Vancouver Canucks are pretty much out of playoff contention and have been stagnant on offense as of late.
The Minnesota Wild have been under six total goals in their last five games as well as eight of their last nine games. The Canucks have been under six total goals in two of their last three as well.
The Minnesota Wild have very physical lines that slow down the pace of play and a goaltender in Filip Gustavsson, who is having a career year with a .930 save percentage. The strength of their team is also the defensive group headlined by Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, and Matt Dumba.
The Canucks do favor a more offensive style of hockey, but with them out of the playoff race and the Wild being four points away from first place in the west and seven points away from missing the playoffs, every game is going to matter for them.
Minnesota will be making the trip to Vancouver which is something to note that this could be a trap game; however, because of their style of play, I wouldn’t worry about this game going over six goals.
Minnesota has been in three consecutive overtime games, so expect the added goal at the end, either empty net, overtime, or in a shootout, but it should, at most, be 3-2 either in favor of the Wild or in favor of the Canucks.
Another area of concern is that Thatcher Demko currently has a brutal .884 save percentage. The Canucks also have offensive-minded defensemen, but with the lack of offense shown by the Wild this year, the concern shouldn’t change your mind.
The under is the correct play here, so go to your sportsbook and take under six goals in the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks game to make some extra cash to start your weekend.
Sports Betting on Track to Legalization in Missouri … But VLT’s are Putting up a Roadblock
