Maple Leafs Limit Blackhawks, Dylan Guenther Lifts Utah Over Dallas for Shocking Upset in Monday Best Bets

The NHL offers a condensed slate of games on Monday but the matchups we do get will be a premium with some of the best faceoffs of the week.

Connor Bedard and Blackhawks travel to Toronto to take on Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs in a star-studded showdown while an age old rivalry reignites as the Devils take a short trip to the Big Apple to take on the Rangers. It'll be an exciting night of action and we have the picks that should enhance your viewing experience.

All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

Bet: Ryan Donato Over 0.5 points (+145), Blackhawks Maple Leafs Under 6.5 goals (-125)

There is little doubt the Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, having scored just 60 goals this season—the third-lowest total in the league. Much of their offense relies on superstar Connor Bedard, who was points on 19 of their goals.

It's never good to rely so much of their offence on one player and it may be even more challenging when they take on a Leafs team that has turned into a defensive powerhouse this season. Toronto is tied for the third-best goal against average this season at 2.61 which only improves when at home, dropping to a league-best 2.00 average.

Chicago can hardly score on the road with a 2.29 goals per game average that is heavily carried by Bedard's winger Ryan Donato, who has nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 13 road games this season.

The Blackhawks will probably score just a goal or two in a rout by the Maple Leafs but count on Donato making his presence felt and likely being in on the goal.

Bet: Devils Rangers Under 6.5 goals (-105)

The news cycle as of late has been filled with tidbits about the Rangers and what is going on within the organization as they've dropped five of their last six games. They did finally snap their lengthy losing streak but even in the 4-3 victory over the Habs on Saturday they still couldn't play strong defensively.

This is far from a Blueshirts team that finished with the seventh-best goals against average at 2.76 last season. Over their last 12 games, they've allowed the fourth-most goals at 41 tied with the likes of the Senators and Blue Jackets during that span.

They are coming off a Presidents Trophy win last season and are in the same conversation as teams that missed the playoffs and were at that point considered to be in the basement of the league.

New York is long overdue for a couple of wins where they tighten up defensively but it will be a tough challenge do so against a Devils team that has won 11 of their last 16 games.

This matchup is one the Rangers normally like to see on their schedule as they've won five of their last six meetings against the Devils. This is in large part due to New York exploiting the New Jersey backend for four or more goals in all but one of their five wins.

This time should be different as the Devils now have Jacob Markstrom in net, who reps a 2.62 goals against average that improves to 2.43 in 16 career games against the Rangers. This should be a tight contest with Markstrom playing the difference in terms of the total as it should go under seven goals.

Bet: Utah HC ML (+120), Dylan Guenther Over 0.5 points (-125)

The brand new Hockey Club started their inaugural season with a lot of hype that has quickly cooled off as they've dropped three straight home games and have won just six of their last 18 games.

They are heavily doubted entering Monday night as they go against a Stars team that is coming off a griddy, tough win over the first place Winnipeg Jets on Saturday and will look to ride the momentum the very next day on the road.

The public has no faith in Utah HC with 81 per cent of the moneyline bets being placed on the Stars to win their second straight game in two days. The travel from Texas up to Utah should play more of a role than people expect plus Utah hasn't played since Saturday while the Stars had to scratch and claw for their 3-1 win over the Jets on Sunday.

The turnover I think will be too much for the Stars as Utah is due for a win here with their home crowd having not seen a win since November 13th when they beat the Hurricanes. It'll be tough considering the former Arizona Coyotes haven't beat the Stars since 2022 and have lost seven straight in the process.

I expect a big game out of Dylan Guenther, who has been red hot lately with three goals and four assists for seven points in his last five games. The Edmonton native has routinely hit his stride at home this season with seven points in ten games this season. He'll get to take shots against Dallas's backup netminder Casey DeSmith after starter Jake Oettinger started Sunday.