We’ve already had a head coach firing in the NBA this season. Could an NHL firing be next? Rumors are flying that Los Angeles Kings coach John Stevens is in trouble. Stevens’ Kings have gotten off to a disastrous start to the season. Their 2-7-1 record indicates that. Their eight goals in their past six games provide further proof. Here’s a look at two intriguing NHL matchups this week. Check back for the latest NHL odds on gameday.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – October 29th
VICTORY IN VANCOUVER! The Penguins finish their road trip with a perfect 4-0 record, defeating Toronto (3-0), Edmonton (6-5), Calgary (9-1), and Vancouver (5-0). pic.twitter.com/ocJqXBlYX9
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) 28 de octubre de 2018
NY Islanders at Pittsburgh Penguins
- When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
An early candidate for NHL MVP is Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin. He has 18 points in nine games played, which is an incredible 2.00 points per game average. That obviously isn’t sustainable in the modern NHL.
Malkin has at least one point in eight of his nine games, including each of the past seven. He has six multi-point games, tied for the second in the league with Patrice Bergeron (who has played in two more games) and only one behind Auston Matthews (who has played in two more games. Malkin has three-point games, which is most in the NHL. Malkin tends to get overshadowed a bit by teammate Sidney Crosby.
Pittsburgh enters on a four-game winning streak, all on the road and all in Canada. The Pens won those four by a combined 23-6 margin. On Saturday, backup goalie Casey DeSmith made 29 saves in blanking Vancouver. The Penguins also won at Toronto, Edmonton, and Calgary. Pittsburgh has just one regulation loss all season. Phil Kessel played in his 255th consecutive game for Pittsburgh, surpassing Malkin for the franchise record. Crosby had two goals. He has registered three straight multi-point games while registering five goals, two assists and a plus-5 rating with a pair of points on the power play.
The Islanders are on a two-game winning streak, both on the road. It was 2-1 in Carolina on Sunday. Thomas Greiss made 38 saves in his fifth straight victory against the Hurricanes. Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, Ryan Pulock scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Josh Bailey had two assists for the Islanders, who have earned points in three straight games. Playing eight of their first 11 games under new coach Barry Trotz on the road, they’ve won two in a row for the first time. Bailey has points in five straight games, the longest active streak on the team.
It’s the first meeting this season between the Pens and Islanders, although they turn around and play again Thursday at the Islanders.
Latest NHL Betting Trends
- NY Islanders is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games
- NY Islanders is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Pittsburgh
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders’s last 6 games
- Pittsburgh is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks
- When: Wednesday, 10 PM ET (NHL Network)
This is oddly the only game of Wednesday night in the NHL. The Hawks will enter on a two-game skid after losing 2-1 in overtime to Edmonton on Sunday. Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime. Chicago’s leading scorer, Patrick Kane, assisted on a Brent Seabrook goal to extend his point streak to six games. Kane, who entered with an NHL-leading 11 goals, has been held without a point only once in 12 games. Cam Ward allowed two goals on 26 shots. The loss drops Ward’s record to 3-1-3 on the year with a 3.91 goals-against-average and a .889 save percentage. It should be No. 1 Corey Crawford on Wednesday. His record will fall to 3-2-0 with a 2.45 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage.
The Canucks are playing better than expected but are banged up. Defenseman Alexander Edler, who leads the team in ice time this season (22:20), was hurt in Wednesday’s shootout win against the Golden Knights and hasn’t played in the two games since. He’s going to miss 3-6 weeks with a sprained MCL.
Backup goalie Anders Nilsson will miss 2-3 weeks with a fractured finger. Nilsson was hurt when he took a shot off the hand in Saturday’s morning skate Richard Bachman was recalled from AHL-Utica. He will back up Canucks starter Jacob Markstrom.
It’s the first meeting of the season between the Canucks and Blackhawks. Vancouver swept last year. The most recent meeting was on March 22 and it was a 5-2 Canuck win in Chicago. Edler had two goals. Henrik Sedin and Bo Horvat each had a goal and an assist. Horvat leads the team in scoring this year, while Sedin and his brother Daniel, both future Hall of Famers, retired after last year. The Blackhawks played without captain Jonathan Toews.
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Score: Chicago 3.10 / Vancouver 3.30
- Shots: Chicago 34.10 / Vancouver 26.30
- Power Play Goals: Chicago 5 / Vancouver 6
- Number of Power Plays: Chicago 31 / Vancouver 25
