This Canadian Thanksgiving offers an exciting five-game NHL slate for hockey fans, which is headlined by a primetime showdown between Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Montreal Canadiens.
As families gather for the holiday, enjoy thrilling matchups starting at 1 PM, featuring the red-hot Utah Hockey Club facing off against the New Jersey Devils, the Kings will take on the Senators, and the Panthers will battle the Bruins in a tough matchup in Beantown.
Our Best Bets made a comeback Sunday with a 3-2 record that improved our season numbers to 14-10 with a 6-1 record on player props. The Pad Stacking Challenge will return today and we hope our Thanksgiving selections enhance the joyful spirit of the holiday even further.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Pavel Zacha Over 0.5 points (+100), Bruins ML (-125)
The Panthers pounced on the Bruins in their first matchup of the season where Boston was forced to start backup netminder Joonas Korpisalo due to normal starter Jeremy Swayman’s contract dispute with the team. Florida made them pay for it as they score four goals in the first period which they rode to a 6-4 victory. This time around the Bruins will have Swayman and should be more competitive in this game.
In their first matchup earlier this season, we explained how you can tap into superstar David Pastrnak’s point production by using his winger Pavel Zacha as a discounted sidebet. We predicted Zacha to find the scoresheet but he did one better and scored on Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky.
It kept Zacha’s record perfect in our best bets and improved it to 5-0 with us. We see no reason now to stray from what’s been working for us and Zacha has a solid track record against Florida, scoring in two consecutive games and totaling eight points in their last nine matchups.
Bet: Canadiens ML (+110), Nick Suzuki anytime goal (+)
The Habs offence has been high-flying while the Penguins have gotten in their own way at times like their 4-2 loss versus the Maple Leafs. These two teams are going in different directions with the young Montreal team scoring 11 goals in their first three games while the older Penguins are searching for an answer for their bleeding defence that has allowed 16 goals in three games so far this season.
This one shouldn’t be overcomplicated as Sidney Crosby and his veteran teammates may keep this game close but the young Habs have shown to be impactful against tougher defences like scoring four goals on the Boston Bruins.
Captain Nick Suzuki has seen a slow start to the season with just an assist through the first three games of the season and should turn things around in a favourable matchup versus Pittsburgh. In his last six games against the Penguins, Suzuki has scored two goals and recorded four assists, totaling six points.
Bet: Nathan MacKinnon anytime goal (-), Avalanche Over 3.5 goals (), Avalanche ML (-160)
The Avalanche were surprised in what was supposed to be their bounce-back game versus the Blue Jackets when Columbus scored two early goals in the first period. The Avalanche couldn’t catch up and eventually lost 6-4 as a heavy favourite. Superstar Nathan MacKinnon was frustrated at moments in the game and was even given a ten-minute misconduct penalty for talking back to the officials.
It has been a very rough start to the season for the Avalanche as they’ve allowed 14 goals over their first two games. The offence hasn’t been able to keep up but they should see a favourable matchup versus an older Islanders team.
New York was competitive in their matchup versus Utah before being beat by their youthful speed in overtime. They followed it up with no goals versus the Stars and will look to bounce back again but have the oldest team in the NHL with an average age of roughly 30 years old.
They may push the Avalanche with a pair of goals but MacKinnon should use his anger expressed at the end of their Columbus game towards finding the scoresheet multiple times. In his last six games versus the Islanders, he has four goals and eight assists for 12 points, including goals in four of their last five games.
