Drake Batherson Lifts Senators Over Ducks, Habs Push Bruins to Limit in Sunday Best Bets
Sunday offers a more condensed slate of NHL action but still gives us plenty of opportunities and hit it big heading into the week. We had a couple close calls Saturday that could've easily gone our way but we did hit on Flyers and Blues under in goals while going against the public. We look to add onto the win Sunday with more correct picks to get us back in the green.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Canadiens Bruins Under 5.5 goals (+100), Canadiens +1.5 (-135)
The Habs are coming off a very tight 4-3 loss against the Rangers on Saturday and surprised many when they covered the puck line. Montreal has been quite underwhelming this year with an 8-12-3 record that is slightly improved upon to 12-11 if you examine their record against the spread.
They've covered the spread in six of their last eight games but will have the tough task of having to face off against a Bruins team that may be turning a corner. Boston has won three of their last five games since hiring Joe Sacco as their new head coach and during that span, they've allowed just eight goals against.
Montreal has their scoring struggles this season with the 21st-best goals per game average this season at 2.83 but this surprisingly does improve on the road as it goes up to 3.00 which has them tied with the Flyers and Golden Knights for 13-best in the league.
I think the Habs will come out swinging in this one and should keep it close if not win the game outright. They will need to be opportunistic as this should be a very low-scoring game.
Bet: Senators -1.5 (+150), Drake Batherson Over 0.5 points (-155)
Ottawa has been second-worst team in the NHL over their last 12 games with a 4-7-1 record and a 3.58 goals against average. Anaheim on the other hand, is heating up with a 4-2-1 record with a 2.57 goals against average over their last seven games.
Considering the different directions both teams are going, most of the public money on the puck line for this game is riding with the Ducks and this makes sense especially if you look into their history against each other.
The Ducks have won six of their last eight matchups against the Senators, who may be fatigued after a 5-2 loss to the Kings on Saturday. Most signs are pointing to the Ducks and with that in mind I believe the Senators will find a way to get things done and avoided their second loss in two days.
They will certainly be desperate and Drake Batherson should help his team find the scoresheet. The 26-year-old finished 12 points in 14 games during the month of November and has a decent history in this matchup with a goal and three assists for five career games against the Ducks.