There was an action-packed nine-game NHL slate last night but we have just four games to choose from tonight. Luckily, zero teams are operating with zero rest and some competitive matchups featuring top talent are on tap. That said, here are my favorite bets for tonight’s betting card on DraftKings Sportsbook.
2024-25 NHL Record: 11-6
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Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche
BOS Bruins Moneyline (+100)
It’s likely going to be Jeremy Swayman versus Alexandar Georgiev in between the pipes tonight, and I’ll take my chances with Swayman despite his rough start to the season. Swayman has posted just a .893 save percentage and allowed 2.98 goals per game in three starts so far this season, which doesn’t look great but wait until you see how truly awful Georgiev has been. The Avalanche are 0-3 and Georgiev is to blame for it –– posting just a .787 save percentage and a whopping 6.58 goals per game. Even if Georgiev gets sent to the bench, 24-year-old Justus Annunen isn’t a much better alternative. He entered Saturday’s game versus Columbus and allowed two goals on just 13 shots after Georgiev was benched for allowing three goals on only nine shots.
The Bruins should be able to get the puck in the net rather easily tonight, but they have also fared well against the Avalanche recently, having won four of the last five matchups and outscoring them, 22 to 8, in that span. It’s such a small sample size because the season has just begun but the Bruins have been registering high-quality chances often, ranking fifth in goals per game (3.75) and second in goals above expected (3.06). Due to Colorado’s goaltending issues, it ranks first in both goals against per game (6.67) and goals against above expected (8.53) by a rather large margin, too.
Los Angeles Kings at Toronto Maple Leafs
TOR Maple Leafs Over 3.5 Goals (-110)
Editor’s Note: G Darcy Kuemper is not starting for Los Angeles tonight –– G David Rittich will draw the start. He was a very serviceable backup last season with a .921 save percentage but he hasn’t faced this Maple Leafs squad since the 2020-21 season. Let’s bank on a rude awakening for him.
The Maple Leafs get to face off against Darcy Kuemper tonight, a goaltender they have found success against in past seasons. Kuemper was acquired by Los Angeles via trade back in June after spending two seasons with Washington. In his last three starts against Toronto, Kuemper has been flat-out bad, allowing 6.09 goals per game and posting a save percentage of .756. He has also not gotten off to a good start this season, allowing 3.59 goals per game to go along with a .890 save percentage.
Toronto has netted four goals in back-to-back games and should be able to continue the trend against a Los Angeles squad that has started the season off a bit out of character. Last season, the Kings were a top-5 team in terms of shots allowed per game (28.0) but they’ve allowed the second-most this season through three games (33.3). This matches up well as the Maple Leafs have registered the second-most shots per game (34.3) and also rank first in expected goal percentage (65.03%) so far this season.
The Maple Leafs have won three of the last five matchups versus the Kings and cleared this line in two of those games. As long as they get 30+ shots on net per usual, history suggests that Kuemper is going to let a few of them slip past him.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
