1. #1
    Hman
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    Best NHL Bets For The 2018-19 Season

    Best NHL bets for the 2018-19 season

    Greg Wyshnyski & Ben Arledge
    ESPN PLUS ($ MATERIAL)


    • The hockey season is upon us, and now is the time to strike on value at the sportsbooks. Our NHL guys -- Greg Wyshynski and Ben Arledge -- look at their best bets to make on 2019 Stanley Cup futures, win total over/unders, playoff props and Rocket Richard Award winners for most goals during the regular season.


      Odds courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

      Win the Stanley Cup

      Winnipeg Jets (12-1)


      The Jets made the leap last season, with that great mix of in-their-prime stars and great young players buoyed by the best goaltending they've received since relocating to Winnipeg. But I like their Cup chances this season for another reason: Kevin Cheveldayoff, who has shown he'll aggressively upgrade this team in-season when necessary, which calms my fears a bit about their center spot. -- Wyshynski


      I love everything about this team, and I like them to emerge out of the West this season. Even with all the firepower up front, a stout defense and a Vezina finalist in the crease, the Jets have just the seventh-best odds to win the Cup. I expect a huge season from Patrik Laine, and if Mark Scheifele can stay healthy, that first line (which also includes Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor) has a chance to be the best in hockey. They are also worth a look to win the West at 6-1. -- Arledge




      San Jose Sharks (12-1)
      The addition of Erik Karlsson makes the Sharks good value at 12-1, giving them a 1a-1b punch on the point. Martin Jones will have to be more consistent in goal, and San Jose will have to hope for better health up front, but I think this is the best team in the Pacific Division. -- Arledge



      Dallas Stars (25-1)
      Folks seem to be sleeping on Dallas a bit, but the potential for tons of offense remains. The big questions will be whether Ben Bishop can stay healthy and how Jim Montgomery adjusts to the NHL bench boss gig. But at 25-1, I really like this team. The Stars are also 12-1 to win the Central Division, which is good value. -- Arledge



      St. Louis Blues (30-1)
      The Blues bolstered their center spot significantly with the additions of Ryan O'Reilly and Tyler Bozak. They have a couple of elite scorers on the wings. They have a couple of elite defensemen on the blueline. What they don't have, currently, is goaltending they can count on for a Stanley Cup run. This wager would be made with the hope that Jake Allen becomes that guy, or that the Blues aggressively add that guy before the trade deadline. -- Wyshynski



      Philadelphia Flyers (30-1)
      More of a long shot than the others mentioned here, the Flyers have a chance to score a ton of goals this season. They averaged over three per game last season and added James van Riemsdyk to the mix. Yes, there's a lot of reason to be concerned about the goaltending, but if Brian Elliott is adequate this season, there is opportunity to run through the Metropolitan. -- Arledge



      Florida Panthers (30-1)
      The stealthest of stealth Cup contenders. They have two great lines, a slightly above-average defense, and Roberto Luongo and James Reimer in the crease. They're also emerging from the weakest division in the weaker of the two conference. If you're looking for a long shot, here be a long shot. -- Wyshynski


      Total points


      Florida Panthers: Over 94.5
      I'm all in on Florida this season as a playoff team, which means I have to also be all in on them hitting the over here because 94 points probably isn't punching your ticket to the postseason in the East. They've been north of this number in two of the last three seasons. -- Wyshynski



      Washington Capitals: Over 97.5 points
      They won the Cup and had 105 points last season. Maybe a little regression should be expected in the point department, but the regular season was never Washington's problem. The 3-1 odds to win the Metropolitan Division aren't bad, either. -- Arledge



      Anaheim Ducks: Under 95.5
      The Ducks are heading the wrong way, and now Corey Perry is out five months. There's not a ton of depth here, and it is one of the older rosters in the league. -- Arledge



      Edmonton Oilers: Over 90.5
      There used to be this theory that every even-numbered "Star Trek" movie was good, while the odd ones were underwhelming, and it was an airtight theory until those back-to-back "Next Generation" clunkers "Insurrection" and "Nemesis." Well, I think the theory will apply to Connor McDavid's Oilers teams. They managed less than 80 points in his first and third seasons; I think with a resurgent Cam Talbot that the Oil get back in with a total higher than 91 points. So let's enjoy this until next season. -- Wyshynski



      Dallas Stars: Over 94.5
      As noted above, the Stars are primed to put up a good deal of offense this season. They had 92 points last season, and if Bishop is healthy, they'll get by 95-plus this turn around. -- Arledge



      New York Rangers: Under 76.5
      There are only two teams in the NHL right now in a self-declared rebuild: The Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers. Bad hockey teams with big name goaltenders always give me pause in the over/under department -- I still remember Cory Schneider's .924 save percentage costing the Devils a better shot at Auston Matthews -- but the diminishing returns of Henrik Lundqvist won't be enough to salvage a season in which the Rangers should be bad, by design. -- Wyshynski



      Montreal Canadiens: Under 81.5
      Uh, the Habs only had 71 points last season, and then they shipped Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk out of town. -- Arledge



      Detroit Red Wings: Under 75.5
      The youth is coming, but not yet. Filip Zadina isn't starting the season with the team, and the defensive side of the ice will probably remain a concern. The Wings will struggle this season. -- Arledge

      Most regular-season goals (Maurice Richard Trophy)


      Patrik Laine (8-1)
      He has 80 goals in two seasons, trailing only Alex Ovechkin league-wide over that time. I think he has a good chance to hit the 50 mark this season. -- Arledge



      Tyler Seguin (15-1)
      Seguin hit 40 goals for the first time in his career last season, skating on a dominant line with Jamie Benn and Alex Radulov despite playing on a Ken Hitchcock team. Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid and Patrik Laine all have lower odds to win the NHL goal-scoring title, but Seguin has that singular combination of value and plausibility -- that he can be several goals better, given how good his line combination works and a more offensively encouraging system from coach Jim Montgomery. -- Wyshynski



      Nikita Kucherov (10-1)
      Kucherov narrowly missed his second straight 40-goal season. Skating with Steven Stamkos on a deep, offensively loaded team with a tremendous power play, there's no reason to think he won't be in the mix. -- Arledge



      David Pastrnak (50-1)
      He's averaged 0.44 goals per game over the past two seasons and skates with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. He scored 35 last season even as the Bruins' power play and top line was missing key pieces to injury. -- Arledge



      Brock Boeser (80-1)
      This is a long shot. I mean, a real long shot. But among players with at least 70 games over the past two seasons, his 0.46 goals per game is tied for seventh-best in the NHL -- with Sidney Crosby. Yes, that Canucks team will be bad, but if Boeser is healthy, it wouldn't be impossible for him to lead the pack. -- Arledge

      Props


      Columbus Blue Jackets to miss the playoffs (+230)
      Seth Jones is hurt. Artemi Panarin is going to be a free agent. Sergei Bobrovsky is being weirdly cagey about his future and has played 128 regular-season games in the last two seasons. Their points share dropped to .591 last season. There's something a little off -- a little impending doom here -- and I don't like it. -- Wyshynski



      Los Angeles Kings to miss the playoffs (+140)
      Yes, a full season of Jeff Carter helps, and adding Ilya Kovalchuk to your power play will pay dividends. But I can't foresee Anze Kopitar putting up another 92-point season, and I can't see the Kings winning a second straight Jennings. The West is a meat grinder. As good as they can look at times, the Kings are going to end up as ground chuck. -- Wyshynski





  2. #2
    2daBank
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    I think Allen is calable of being a cup winning goaltender, he was fantastic during last playoff run blues had, it just rest of team that sucked!! Being a blues fan is starting to feel like what it must have been to be a cubs fan before they finally won. Go blues!! Lol

  3. #3
    packerd_00
    packerd_00's Avatar SBR PRO
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    I like the Bruins to win the Atlantic Division at 3/1

  4. #4
    jjgold
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    San Jose the team to beat

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