NHL Betting Odds, Trends for Saturday, Oct. 31: Crosby loves to torch the Habs at the Bell Centre
The NHL returns with a busy Saturday schedule on Halloween.
The spooky action begins with an Original Six matchup in Boston. Elsewhere, Connor McDavid and the Oilers are headed to the East Coast, Sidney Crosby takes the ice at the Bell Centre and it’s an all-Canadian matchup in Vancouver between the Canucks and Maple Leafs.
Let’s get into it with some NHL betting tips for Saturday, Oct. 31.
Stanley Cup Final Winner
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Blackhawks at Bruins
It’s an early afternoon start for the Bruins and Blackhawks on Saturday, who kick off the day’s NHL action at 1 p.m. ET.
This is a pretty easy pick for me between the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins and the Central Division basement-dweller Blackhawks. Boston has been elite at home, going 5-1-0 at TD Garden, while Chicago is winless in four road games.
In addition, the Bruins have the second-best goal differential in the NHL (+18) while the Hawks rank 30th (-21).
Best bet: Bruins -1.5 puckline (+105)
Spread (including overtime and shoot-outs)
Oilers at Islanders
It’s a matinee worth seeing on Long Island on Saturday as Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers visit the New York Islanders.
This is the first of a three-game New York area road trip for the Oilers, who will also visit the Rangers and Devils. That suits Edmonton just fine as the team is a perfect 5-0-0 on the road this season.
The Islanders, however, have been no push over at home as they are 4-1-1 at UBS Arena.
One stat breaks the tie for me. The Oil have a 6-1-1 record this season in games when their opponent commits more penalties. That’s key considering the Isles averaging two penalty minutes more per game than Edmonton, while the Oilers boast the best power play in the NHL (35.7 per cent).
Best bet: Oilers moneyline (-135)
Penguins at Canadiens
It’s always a treat at the Bell Centre when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Montreal Canadiens.
These teams are clearly in different spots as the rebuilding Pens are just 1-5-1 on the road this season, while the Habs are 8-3-2 overall.
However, Crosby always comes to play against his childhood team, especially on the road. Sid the Kid has 73 points (26G, 47A) in 56 career regular season games against Montreal and he’s averaged over a point per game at the Bell Centre specifically.
Overall, the Penguins’ record against the Habs is 39-28 when Crosby plays (counting 11 playoff games). I’ll keep riding with Crosby.
Best bet: Penguins moneyline (+125)
Maple Leafs at Canucks
The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their four-game Western Conference road trip with a huge 7-2 win over Edmonton before falling flat in back-to-back efforts against Calgary and Seattle. Luckily, the cure for those poor performances is a visit to the lowly Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks are easily the worst team in the NHL with just three wins on the year and they’ve posted a 1-5-0 record on home ice. They have the worst goal differential in the league at minus-23 and their power play and penalty kill both rank near the bottom.
I’m targeting the Over/Under in this game. The Leafs are averaging 3.73 goals per game, third-best in the NHL, while Vancouver is giving up a league-high 4.53 goals per game. This is a ‘get right’ spot for Toronto.
Best bet: Game total Over 6.5 (-130)
Totals (including overtime and shoot-outs)
Flames at Avalanche
It’s a tough test for the Calgary Flames on Saturday as they finish a back-to-back in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
This has been a lopsided head-to-head series, with the Avs winning nine of the last 10 meetings, including a 7-3 decision in Calgary in early October.
The schedule also favours Colorado as they’ve been off since Wednesday’s 5-2 home win over New Jersey, while the Flames just hosted Seattle on Friday.
Best bet: Avalanche -2.5 puckline (-102)