NHL Best Bets for November 8: Ovechkin To Stay Hot on Home Ice
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Eric Kelly
- November 8, 2024
Top NHL Pick: Alexander Ovechkin Anytime Goalscorer (+140) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
With such a big slate of games taking place across the board, tonight’s NHL card presents us with some nice opportunities. We have found two strong bets, so let’s break down the current NHL odds from the top-rated sportsbooks before making your pick.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Friday, November 08, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Scotiabank Arena
Leafs Dominating in Fall
The leaves might be falling off the trees but the Toronto Maple Leafs are on fire, having gone 7-5-2 overall this season and come into this game off the back of some impressive results, including a 4-0 win over the Boston Bruins. There is plenty of room for improvement but we believe the Maple Leafs have done well to start the season, currently sitting 2nd overall in the Atlantic division.
Opponents Detroit are 6th overall in the same division and come into this game having won just 6 of their previous 15. The Red Wings already faced Toronto this season, losing 3-2.
Team Trends
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have covered the -1.5 PK line in 5 of their previous 7 home games.
- Toronto has made +5.7u at the spread on home ice when betting one unit.
- Toronto has gone 3-2 ATS on home ice this season, while Detroit has gone 2-2 on the road ATS this season.
The Pick
Interestingly, this weird trend occurs when the Maple Leafs have failed to cover the -1.5 PK line in zero of their previous five home games when facing the Red Wings. Yet, they covered the same line in 4 of the previous 5 games before that.
All said and done, as weird as that is, we trust the numbers and our betting instincts. We believe Toronto is getting hot right now, and a team like Detroit can be touch and go. They could either show up or flop, so let’s hope it’s the latter.
We’ve seen how dominant Toronto can be on home ice this season (they even beat the Bruins to zero without Auston Matthews) and +125 sounds like a very generous set of odds, considering they have covered this spread in 71% of their home games this season.
NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+125) at BetOnline
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
Friday, November 08, 2024 – 07:30 PM ET at Capital One Arena
Ovechkin the Hot Hand
It might have been a slow start to the season for Alex Ovechkin last year when his goals were drying up. However, his age or goalscoring ability hasn’t dipped as fast as some might have predicted given how poor he started last season. Eventually, Ovechkin ended with a solid 31 goals in 79 games (not bad for a 39-year-old).
This season he has looked his usual self, scoring 8 times in the opening 12 games. Ovechkin is well on course to beat last season’s record of 31 goals and is projected to hit 55 goals this season should he keep up this scoring ratio (it’s unlikely, but he should still hit 40+ goals).
Ovechkin has scored for 5 games in a row and we fancy his chances of getting on the board yet again against this weak Pittsburgh Penguins defense.
Alexander Ovechkin Trends
- Ovechkin is currently the Washington Capitals’ top goalscorer with 8 goals in 11 games.
- Ovechkin has scored 860 career regular season goals (2nd most all time).
- Ovechkin has scored 44 goals and 33 assists in 76 games against the Pittsburgh Penguins throughout his career.
The Pick
With the Pittsburgh Penguins being so poor defensively this season (allowing the 3rd most amount of goals per game and unfortunately the unlucky title of having had the most shots against), Alexander Ovechkin will get plenty of chances to score in tonight’s game.
That said, +140 is a solid set of odds for a player who has scored in his previous 4 games and at least once in 6 of his previous 8 outings.
NHL Pick: Alexander Ovechkin Anytime Goalscorer (+140) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
