NHL Sunday Betting Preview: Huge Game in Pittsburgh

Carolina Hurricanes vs Pittsburgh Penguins

This is the first meeting of the season and it’s a big one because both teams are tied with 70 points.

Carolina has struggled a bit, losing four of six. But, the Hurricanes did beat the Nashville Predators in their last game on Friday, which might propel Carolina out of this funk. It’s not going to be easy for the Hurricanes against a Penguins team that is strong at home and has won four of its last five games.

Pittsburgh is a slight home favorite and is the play on the moneyline.

Montreal Canadiens vs New York Islanders

Both the Islanders and Canadiens got off the schneid in their most recent games, with New York ending a three-game skid and Montreal finally cutting a 10-game losing streak short. The Islanders beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 and the Canadiens took down the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime to notch their first win in a month.

These are two points that the Islanders desperately need, especially at home. New York’s playoff hopes are really behind the 8-ball right now with the slow start and COVID issues so it’s long past time for the Islanders to take advantage of teams like Montreal. Maybe the easy win over Boston gets the dormant Islanders offense going a bit.

The Islanders are huge home favorites and should be able to cover the puckline as well.

Florida Panthers vs Chicago Blackhawks

The Panthers, as winners of six of their last seven games, shouldn’t have much trouble with a Blackhawks team that has gone 3-7-3 in its last 13 games. Chicago is coming off a rough back-to-back that featured a high-scoring loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 1-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, which kind of explains how things have been going for Chicago lately.

Meanwhile, Florida has won two in a row — over contenders in the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild — and will look to finish off a five-game road trip with four wins.

If you’re betting online, go with the heavily favored Panthers on the puckline and take the over as well since they’ll probably put up a bunch of goals.

New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators

The Senators are back in action just 24 hours after losing to the Boston Bruins as they welcome the Rangers. Ottawa has lost four straight at home and is going through an offensive slump at Canadian Tire Centre, scoring just four goals in those games. It won’t be easy to push across much against New York’s Igor Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy candidate.

New York is coming off a shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but has won three of four and is playing a lot better with Adam Fox healthy and back in the lineup. The Rangers are big favorites in this one on the BetUS sportsbook and for good reason. New York can be a risky puckline bet, though, because the Rangers don’t score a ton of goals. The under is a smart play for sure.

Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets are finally hitting their stride, particularly on offense. Columbus has won six of eight and is coming off one of its best offensive games of the season, a 7-4 win over the Blackhawks in which Patrik Laine posted a hat trick. Laine has really turned things on lately and has 10 goals in his last seven games.

Buffalo is on a rest disadvantage after losing 5-3 to the Colorado Avalanche Saturday. Craig Anderson will be back in net for the Sabres, yet that might not help a ton considering how good Columbus has been lately. The Sabres will have the goalie advantage, though, because both Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo are injured for Columbus so the Blue Jackets are turning to journeyman Jean-Francois Berube for his first NHL start since April 6th, 2018.

Even with Berube starting, the Blue Jackets are big home favorites. But, it’s a little concerning to take Columbus in that situation, even with the Sabres having played on Saturday. Buffalo on the moneyline is worth the risk considering the value there.

Dallas Stars vs Arizona Coyotes

Slowly but surely, the Stars are entrenching themselves in playoff position in the West. Dallas will look to win its third straight (and fifth in six games) against an Arizona team that lost to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and has won twice in the past month.

Dallas is coming off a 1-0 shootout win over the Blackhawks on Friday and has quietly won six road games in a row after starting the season with a terrible road record. The Stars are being led by the veteran Joe Pavelski and youngster Jason Robertson, both of whom seem to score every night.

Expectedly, Dallas is a massive favorite for this game with the rest advantage. There isn’t much value in the Stars on the puckline but it’s plus-money and is the surest bet for this matchup. The under is intriguing too, even though it’s a low total.

Minnesota Wild vs Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are on fire, having won their last five games all under interim head coach Jay Woodcroft. Edmonton finally got Mikko Koskinen back in net Saturday and he was great in a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, so Mike Smith will likely get the start on Sunday against the scuffling Wild.

Minnesota has lost two straight with Cam Talbot playing poorly in both games, which could mean that Kaapo Kahkonen will be between the pipes for the Wild.

Edmonton has looked like a completely different team since firing Dave Tippett. Still, though, Minnesota is a slight road favorite but it’s close to a pick’em. With the Oilers on the rest disadvantage and the Wild due for a bounceback, Minnesota might be the way to go here.

Vegas Golden Knights vs San Jose Sharks

Vegas has lost both of its games since Jack Eichel made his Golden Knights debut — and three in a row overall — so the pressure’s mounting on Peter DeBoer and Co. to finally get back in the win column. The good news for the Golden Knights is that the Sharks are fading fast as they’re on a five-game losing streak.

This is a great spot for Vegas to get a win with Eichel, even though backup goalie Laurent Brossoit will need to make his third-straight start with Robin Lehner sidelined with an upper-body injury.

The Golden Knights are solid road favorites and are an enticing play on the puckline.