NHL Betting Picks: Monday 11/6/23

Tonight's four-game slate features some of the best matchups of the early season.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

NHL Best Bets

Boston Bruins at Dallas Stars

Under 5.5 Goals (-108)

Two of the best teams in the NHL will face off on Monday night between the Boston Bruins and the Dallas Stars.

The Bruins and Stars will send out two of the elite netminders in hockey; the Bruins are set to start Jeremy Swayman and the Stars will roll out Jake Oettinger.

Swayman has been playing the best hockey of his career since the start of the season. The Bruins' goaltender has gone 5-0-0 with a 1.38 goals against average (GAA) and .954 save percentage while also posting a shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks. In five starts, Swayman has also posted 8.27 goals saved above expectation (GSAx) -- third-best in the NHL.

Oettinger has been nearly just as impressive, going 5-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .938 save percentage. He's right behind Swayman in terms of GSAx, ranking fourth in the NHL (7.49 mark). With these two leading the way tonight, going with the under on the shortest total of the night (5.5) feels like the move.

To further my belief, the Bruins and Stars are both top five in goals allowed per 60 minutes, as Boston ranks first (1.88) and Dallas ranks fifth (2.45). Offensively, both teams place in the bottom half of the league in terms of Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes. The Bruins are 19th (59.58), and the Stars sit 20th (59).

numberFire's model gives this game a 52.67% likelihood of hitting the under tonight.

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks

Canucks ML (+100)

The Edmonton Oilers haven't been right this season, and the Vancouver Canucks can seemingly do no wrong.

Edmonton, who entered the 2023-24 season as a Stanley Cup favorite, has started off to an underwhelming 2-7-1 record. They're still putting up the offensive numbers you'd want in a winning team, ranking top 10 in Corsi For and Corsi Against at 65.48 (8th) and 51.96 (4th), respectively.

Those numbers haven't translated to goals or stops; they rank 23rd in goals for per 60 (2.68) and 30th in goals against (4.07). The struggles shouldn't let up tonight by any stretch, but the offensive numbers should at the very least help Over 6.5 (-160) in this tilt.

The Canucks are 21st in Corsi For (57.22) but first in goals for (4.34), showing they've had the luck of getting the puck in the net. On the defensive end, Vancouver does rank 11th with a 58.03 Corsi Against per 60. Unlike the Oilers, that has led to a second-best goals allowed per 60 minutes mark (1.99) -- only trailing Boston.

The major difference between these two teams is the goaltending. Stuart Skinner is expected to get the start for Edmonton while Thatcher Demko will be between the pipes for Vancouver.

Skinner has had a rough start to the campaign. His -5.51 GSAx rank as the third-worst in the NHL. On the other hand, Demko has been sensational for the Canucks over his first eight starts. The 27-year-old has gone 6-2-0 with a 1.55 GAA and .947 save percentage -- including two shutouts. His 13.46 GSAx leads the NHL -- by a stunning 4.58 goals at that. There's been no one better, and he's why we're siding with the Canucks tonight.

At +100 odds, it's hard to not go with the Canucks' defense and their current hot streak in British Columbia.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.