NHL Best Bets: Bruins Look to Snap Cold Streak

The Bruins have slowed down a bit after their torrid start to the season, but can they snap their three-game losing streak Tuesday night against the Panthers?

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

An exciting night of NHL action lies ahead with nine games on the slate. The suddenly cold Bruins hope to end their losing streak when they face off against a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. The Sharks and Blues hope to keep their winning streaks alive. The bottom of the Western Conference goes head to head in Los Angeles. Across the country, Evgeni Malkin hopes to continue to find his groove in his fifth game back from injury in the Big Apple.

There’s plenty of action to go around and I have a pair of best bets to help you get in on the fun as well. For NHL DFS players, check out Rob Geriak’s Point Shot column over on FullTime Fantasy.

Florida Panthers vs. Boston Bruins: Bruins (-165)

The Bruins have slowed down a bit after their torrid start to the season. They’re looking for a way to bust out of their recent slump and end their three-game losing streak. Tuesday night is a great opportunity. The Panthers have really struggled in Boston, going 3-13 in their last 16 games at TD Garden.

Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been uncharacteristically poor with his new team. He has an .884 save percentage for the season and hasn’t had back-to-back games this season where he’s saved more than 90% of the shots against him. In the other crease, Tuukka Rask is the current Vezina Trophy favorite despite losing his last two games.

The Bruins have too much firepower and need to stop the bleeding. Expect them to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday night.

Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks: Over 6 Goals (-110)

I hope you’re ready to stay up late, as the puck drops at 10:30 p.m. EST for my favorite play of the night. The Oilers hope to finish up their brief two-game California trip undefeated with a visit to the Shark Tank in San Jose after a victory in Anaheim on Sunday. On the other side of the ice, the Sharks have taken the first steps in an effort to turn their season around by winning three games in a row after starting 4-10-1.

My prediction: Goals! Why? It all comes down to goaltending.

Mike Smith (Oilers) and Martin Jones (Sharks) are expected to start in net. Both have plenty of skeletons in the closet when it comes to the teams they face on Tuesday. Smith had an .881 save percentage against the Sharks last season after sporting an .816 save percentage against them the prior season. So while Smith’s numbers look really good so far this year now that he’s reunited with his old head coach Dave Tippett, they’re due to regress to his career averages.

It’s a similar story for Jones, except he’s really just struggled overall. He’s allowing more than three goals per game this season. And as bad as his .888 save percentage is, his recent numbers against the Oilers are even worse. Jones allowed eight goals in two games against Edmonton last year and nine goals in three games against them the year prior. His combined save percentage in those games is .870.

Need more encouragement? The over is 8-1 in their last nine meetings, including the last four in San Jose. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to bet on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to find the back of the net.

Season Record: 0-0