Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (Predictions for Panthers-Sabres, Senators-Devils, and More)

It's a holiday Monday for both the United States and Canada today, which means we have some afternoon hockey to watch and bet on!

The Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres will face each other at 1 pm ET, and then we have two more games to watch tonight. If you're looking to get in on some bets for today's slate, you're in the right place. Let's dive into three of my favorites.

Best NHL Bets Today

Sabres -105 vs. Panthers via Caesars
Devils -130 vs. Senators via FanDuel
Golden Knights vs. Wild OVER 6 (-106) via Caesars

Panthers vs. Sabres Prediction

The box scores in Sabres' games this season haven't looked good, but their underlying metrics show they've played far better than the final scores indicate. Ahead of today's matinee, they're fourth in the NHL in expected goal differential per 60 minutes at +0.97. They have also created 12.62 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes while only allowing 9.27. With numbers like that, things are going to turn around for them sooner or later.

The Panthers, who I was low on heading into this year, rank around the middle of the pack in those metrics, so with this game being set as a near coin-flip, I'm going to back the home team at -105.

Pick: Sabres -105

Senators vs. Devils Prediction

The Senators are in the opposite situation to the Sabres. They're 4-1 to begin the season, but their underlying metrics are concerning. They have an expected goal differential of -0.06 per 60 minutes of play, far worse than the Devils, who are sixth in that metric at +0.93.

The Senators' record is making the odds for this closer than they should be. I'll back the Devils as home favorites.

Pick: Devils -130

Golden Knights vs. Wild Prediction

The Golden Knights and Wild have had two of the best offenses in the NHL so far this season. They rank fifth and sixth in expected goals for, and the Golden Knights are second in high-danger scoring chances.

That could lead to a high-scoring game tonight.

Pick: OVER 6 (-106)

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