In this article, we’ll provide you with our top betting picks on Wednesday night’s matchups in Week 2 of the NHL schedule. The slate is headlined by the Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres & New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers matchups. We study the odds, betting lines, teams, and players to give you our recommended betting picks to beat the New Jersey bookies.
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres (ML: -115) – O/U: 6
Wednesday, October 9th, 2019 – 7:00 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Over 6
Two Atlantic Division teams face off against one another, as the Montreal Canadiens travel to take on the Buffalo Sabres. Neither team has lost a game in regulation yet this season. However, they both have done so in either overtime or a shootout. That doesn’t necessarily drive our pick in one direction, but our top hockey betting pick of the night is for the total to go over six goals. Let’s look at the facts and figures to show our hand.
Canadiens Betting Form
We talked about the Canadiens losing a game in a shootout. However, that’s also how they notched their first win of the season – a 6-5 win on the road against the Maple Leafs.
Most of the team’s players have done their job offensively to start the season, with Brandan Gallagher leading the way with three points (one goal, two assists). Guys like Sea Weber, Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi and a couple of others all have two points.
Keith Kinkaid will get his first start between the pipes for the Canadiens. Head coach Claude Julien said he’ll save regular starter Carey Price for the team’s home opener the following night against the Red Wings. While Kinkaid does have a 3-0-1 lifetime record against the Sabres, this is a much different team that he’ll be facing. If Price was manning the net, we might have more confidence in Montreal’s defensive effort.
Sabres Betting Form
The Sabres had a great start to this season, posting wins in their first two games before dropping the last one in overtime. In that loss against the Blue Jackets, the Sabres trailed by two goals twice before finally tying it up late in the third period.
Surprisingly, it’s been defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leading the team with five points. Forwards Sam Reinhart (two goals, two assists) and Victor Olafsson (three goals, one assist) aren’t too far behind with four points apiece. Buffalo will look for the same type of success some of its players had against Montreal last season. Jeff Skinner, who has scored in each of the last two games, had seven points (four goals, three assists) and Jack Eichel had six points (one goal, five assists) against the Canadiens a year ago.
Carter Hutton will likely get the start in this game, as he’s 2-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Hutton has turned away 46 of 49 shots in his two starts this season, and it’s been a great start for a guy that was 18-25-5 last season. However, the Canadiens have a potent offense that can strike hot at any given time. Tonight could very well be one of those nights.
Betting Pick: Over 6
Each of the team’s last two games has gone over the total. With two less-than-stellar goalies between the pipes, we expect the same to happen once again.
Bettors can get these great odds on the six-goal total at BetMGM. New customers can get a bonus of up to $500 on this match when they create a new account.
New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers (ML: -125) – O/U: 6
Wednesday, October 9th, 2019 – 7:35 p.m. EST
Betting Pick: Over 6
Two Metropolitan Division rivals will meet on Wednesday, as the New Jersey Devils hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. There are a few factors that’ll lead us to this decision, but our top betting pick is the total to go over six goals in this matchup. Let’s take a dive into the numbers to see why we’re heading in that direction.
Devils Betting Form
The Devils have opened the 2019-20 season with two losses of the crushing variety. On Friday, they held a 4-0 lead before allowing four consecutive goals to the Jets and eventually losing in the shootout. That loss was heartbreaking, considering the Jets played the night before against the Rangers. A day later, the Devils were dismantled by the Sabres in a 7-2 rout. Now, it appears there’s nowhere to go but up.
It hasn’t necessarily been the offense that has looked bad, rather the defense getting torn apart over the last four periods. The Devils have a loaded team with guys Taylor Hall, Jack Hughes and P.K. Subban that can do big things on offense and we should expect them to come up big tonight. This team has had a ton of bad vibes to open the season, so look for the big guns to produce whether this team wins or not. After all, they’ve had three days off to sit and stew about this start to the season.
According to head coach John Hynes, it’s Corey Schneider that’ll get the start in goal for New Jersey. He was injured after allowing the second goal of the season opener against Winnipeg; Mackenzie Blackwood was left to fend for himself the following night against Buffalo. As a team, the Devils have allowed 10 goals over those last four periods.
Flyers Betting Form
The Flyers got their season off to a good start with a 4-3 win on Friday over the Blackhawks in Prague, Czech Republic. There are two schools of thought in relation to how they’ll play tonight. One, being that it’s the Flyers’ home opener, and two, it the country-to-country travel could present a fatigue factor. Granted, that game was on Friday, but these are human beings; long-distance travel is never easy on anyone.
With all of that being said about long-distance travel, you would believe defense is the factor that takes a hit. Look for the Flyers to play more of a free-wheeling type of game that has an open feel to it. Travis Konecky had two goals in the season-opening win, but this is a team that has some more known names on the roster. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Kevin Hayes are a formidable trio on the top line while Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere are two of the better offensive defenseman in the sport.
Carter Hart will get the start between the pipes for Philly on Wednesday night. In the season opener, he stopped 28 of 31 shots. Last season, Hart was 16-13-1 with a 2.83 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
Betting Pick: Over 6
These two teams might be nasty division rivals but we think we’ll see more of an offensive game so early in the season. The long-distance travel that Philly endured early this week probably won’t be great for the defense, and Jersey just hasn’t shown anything at that end this season in general.
Bettors can get a great payout on this six-goal total through the points betting market at PointsBet. New customers get two risk-free bets up to $1000 on this game when they create a new account.
