This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks: Expert NHL Bets for Monday, October 23
We've got one tilt tonight in the NHL to sink our teeth into. It's an Atlantic Division battle in Buffalo with the Sabres hosting the Canadiens. Two passionate franchises, two passionate fanbases, and two rosters loaded with young talent. The Sabres have just one regulation win in their five games so far this season, but are coming off an impressive 3-1 win over the Islanders win which they peppered 42 shots on goal. The Habs also have just one regulation win through their first four games too, and all but 1 contest has been a 1-goal affair. Should be a spunky kinda night to bet the pucks. Let's dive into the action, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
I expect a shot factory tonight from these teams. Here are their shot totals from last year's meetings:
- Sabres 45, Canadiens 34
- Sabres 38, Canadiens 31
- Sabres 33, Canadiens 41
The Habs gave up 6 to the Maple Leafs and 5 to the Wild, and the Sabres at least 3 goals in 3 of their 5 games so far. I like the Sabres to come out firing on home ice and for the Canadiens to sneak a couple past Eric Comrie too. Let's light the lamp!
- Over 6.5 -130
The Canadiens have surrendered 42, 30, 35, and 33 shots against in their first 4 outings this season. I think the Sabres are going to come in somewhere around the 35 mark with a handful of goals on the board, so I like the saves line for the Habs' netminder tonight.
- Jake Allen over 29.5 saves -120
Montreal's offense is essentially built around Cole Caufield, who they hope can become the next Martin St. Louis. Caufield has been productive with St. Louis behind the bench, and he's gotten on the scoresheet in all 4 games. He's hit his shots on goal prop in his last 3 games and has 6+ shot attempts in each game too. The scoring streak may come to an end tonight, but not without Cole getting his fair share of chances.
- Cole Caufield over 3.5 shots on goal –125
Last year, folks were comparing Tage Thompson to Mario Lemieux. That's a BOLD statement, and that hype carried into this season. So far, Thompson's got just 1 point in 5 games, a goal scored against Calgary on October 19. He's registered 24 total shots on goal and tallied a whopping 10 in his last outing. It's just a matter of time for this guy, but for now, we'll ride his shots prop.
- Tage Thompson over 3.5 shots on goal -145
I already called this tilt a potential shot factory. Rasmus Dahlin is the workhorse on the blue line for Buffalo, and he's chipping in on offense to the tune of 5 assists so far. He's hit 3+ shots on goal in all of his games except for the last outing against the Islanders, and they're a tough team to get pucks through. There's a little bit of juice on this prop for him, so I'm taking it.
- Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 shots on goal -110
