The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues will be shorthanded for about a month as forward Alexander Steen will miss at least that much time due to a high-ankle sprain – not an injury you hear much about in hockey.
The Blues are already without top-line winger Vladimir Tarasenko for the rest of the regular season following right shoulder surgery. Steen had zero goals and five assists in 17 games this season. Here’s a look at two early-week intriguing NHL matchups. Check back for Mybookie NHL odds.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – November 11th Edition
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers
- When: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET
- TV: NBC Sports Network
Pittsburgh won its second in a row Saturday 3-2 in a shootout over Chicago. Matt Murray picked up the shootout win as he stopped 29 shots as well as two-of-three in the shootout. Murray record improved to 9-3-1.
Sidney Crosby suffered a lower-body injury in the game and it seems likely he’s going to miss a bit of time. Crosby leads the Penguins in points with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) after he had 100 points last season.
Crosby has missed just three games over the past three seasons, all coming in 2018-19. After injures plagued the early part of his career, he has played in 490 of the Penguins’ 509 games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Why the Rangers should be your NHL Betting pick?
New York is off a 6-5 shootout loss to Florida on Sunday. Vincent Trocheck recorded the shootout winner. Henrik Lundqvist allowed five goals on 35 shots. He’s now 4-3-1 on the year. Artemi Panarin had two assists in the loss. Panarin had a hand in goals by Ryan Lindgren and Chris Kreider (power play) in the contest. He stretched his point streak to eight consecutive games in the process. Panarin has four goals and eight helpers during that span. He has generated 18 points in 15 contests this year.
Lindgren scored his first NHL goal in the loss. The 21-year-old defenseman was recalled a couple of weeks ago from the minors and opened the scoring on a nice pass from Ryan Strome. “I’ve seen a level of confidence that I think he didn’t have last year,” coach David Quinn said about Lindgren. “He’s in great shape. He’s a little bit leaner and quicker. … I think he’s done a really good job on breakouts — losing the first forechecker, making the first pass. He’s very decisive in what he does. He’s really come on in the last six months.” Lindgren was punished in the third period by a Brian Boyle hit but he eventually returned to the ice after spending some time in the dressing room.
Recent History
First meeting of the season between these rivals. The Rangers avoided a sweep by the Penguins in last year’s series by winning the regular-season finale 4-3 in overtime in Pittsburgh. It was a meaningless game for the Rangers since they were out of the playoffs. Ryan Strome scored 2:09 into overtime to win it. The point actually was important for the Penguins as it prevented them from dropping into the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. It earned them a date with the Islanders in the first round of the postseason, but that didn’t go well for Pittsburgh.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Las Vegas Golden Knights
- When: Wednesday, 10 PM ET
- TV: NBC Sports Network
- Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Could be more Chicago fans in the stands than Vegas fans because this time of year, a ton of people from the Chicago area head to Las Vegas to spend the winter – snowbirds.
The Hawks are a disappointment at 6-7-4 but come off a home upset of Toronto on Sunday, 5-4. Robin Lehner allowed four goals on 57 shots. The 53 shots tied a career best. He was injured midway through the game, taking a shot up near the neck area, but he was able to stay in the game after meeting with the training staff. It’s a good thing he did, too, as he was on point. Lehner improved to 4-3-2 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. He has been markedly better than Corey Crawford, who is just 2-4-2 with a 3.27 GAA and .905 save percentage.
Alex DeBrincat picked up three assists in the loss. After a slow start with two goals and four points over his first nine games, DeBrincat has rolled up three goals and eight points across the past eight contests. Patrick Kane posted two goals with an assist. Since Nov. 2 he is working on a six-game point streak, posting five goals with 11 points.
Why the Golden Knights should be your NHL Betting pick?
Vegas enters on a three-game skid after losing 3-2 in Detroit on Sunday. Max Pacioretty scored for the third game in a row. Pacioretty has six goals and 16 points in 19 games this season. Malcolm Subban got the start in net but it should be Marc-Andre Fleury back in there for this one. Fleury is 9-4-1 thus far with a 2.49 GAA and a .920 save percentage.
It’s the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Chicago lost 2-1 at home to Vegas in a shootout on Oct. 22. Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves through overtime and two more stops in the shootout. Fleury was beaten by Jonathan Toews in the first round of the tiebreaker, and then turned away attempts by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Nick Holden sent the game into OT for Vegas with a goal at 18:27 of the third. The Knights are 7-0-0 since entering the NHL against the Blackhawks, which is why they are NHL Betting favorites.
Expert NHL Betting Picks
Back both home teams.
