Hockey fans are still riding high from a thrilling Tuesday night that featured a few high-scoring games plus some exciting comebacks.
There are five games on the NHL schedule tonight, including three involving Canadian teams.
This week’s featured Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey matchup sees the Winnipeg Jets host a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-3 home win over the Bruins.
Winnipeg-Detroit can be seen on Sportsnet followed by the Calgary Flames facing the Anaheim Ducks on SN1 and the Vancouver Canucks visiting the Vegas Golden Knights on Sportsnet Pacific and Sportsnet 360.
This week marks the first week in Ontario that sports fans could legally place a single-game wager. Since neither the Maple Leafs nor Ottawa Senators are in action tonight, let’s instead highlight a few Ontario-born players in action.
CAN SCHEIFELE STAY HOT?
The Jets are poised to snap their two-game losing streak according to their -275 moneyline odds. Even their -1.5 puckline is a chalky -115, implying oddsmakers are projecting a multi-goal Winnipeg win over Detroit. The total for this game is set at 6.5 with a slight lean on the under but Thomas Greiss and his 3.76 GAA are expected to get the nod for the Red Wings. Does that mean it could end up being a decent night for Winnipeg’s offensive stars?
Kitchener, Ont.’s Mark Scheifele has 12 points in his past eight outings and could be a player to ride this evening.
Scheifele’s betting odds vs. Red Wings:
Anytime goal +135 | First goal +1100 | Last goal +1100
Over 2.5 shots +120 | UNDER 2.5 shots -150
Over 1.5 points +165 | UNDER 1.5 points -215
OVER 0.5 assists -140 | UNDER 0.5 assists +110
OVER 0.5 PP points +150 | UNDER 0.5 PP points -190
Scheifele is one of three Jets players in the game whose points total was set at 1.5 instead of 0.5 – Kyle Connor (+130) and Blake Wheeler (+180) are the others. Scheifele has 18 multipoint outings this season, including six two-point nights during his past 10 games.
While there are certainly some tempting plus-money Scheifele lines listed, the best bet might be that anytime assist. Scheifele has averaged an assist per game for the past month.
Scheifele has two goals and 10 assists in 13 games against the Red Wings during his career, although he went scoreless with two shots on goal when the two teams met in January.
IS TOFFOLI DUE?
Tyler Toffoli has nine goals and nine assists in his 24 games since being acquired by the Calgary Flames in February yet the Scarborough, Ont., native is pointless in three straight and has only one goal in his past 11 appearances despite carving out a top-six role on a line with Mikael Backlund and Andrew Mangiapane.
Toffoli’s betting odds vs. Ducks:
Anytime goal +150 | First goal +1100 | Last goal +1100
Over 2.5 shots -125 | UNDER 2.5 shots +100
Over 0.5 points -140 | UNDER 1.5 points +110
OVER 0.5 assists +155 | UNDER 0.5 assists -200
OVER 0.5 PP points +245 | UNDER 0.5 PP points -330
The -125 line on his modest shots total is a tempting play here considering he has at least three shots on goal in four consecutive games and in 15 of his 24 games with Calgary. Anaheim allows the eighth-most shots on goal per game in the league. Also, seven of Toffoli’s 18 points with the Flames have been on the power play so there’s intriguing value on that +245 power-play point prop as well.
WILL PIETRANGELO, GOLDEN KNIGHTS KEEP ROLLING?
The Vegas Golden Knights are gaining steam, nipping at the heels of Dallas and Nashville for the final wild-card spot in the West, and Alex Pietrangelo has been a key point-per-game player on his team’s active five-game winning streak.
The King City, Ont., native has 17 points in 32 career games against Vancouver, a team Vegas holds a six-point cushion on in the Pacific Division standings.
Pietrangelo’s betting odds vs. Canucks:
Anytime goal +390 | First goal +2500 | Last goal +2500
Over 0.5 points +105 | UNDER 1.5 points -130
OVER 0.5 assists +175 | UNDER 0.5 assists -225
OVER 0.5 PP points +475 | UNDER 0.5 PP points -750
Vancouver is 3-5-4 over their past dozen games and Pietrangelo has had two productive games against the Canucks this season. A two-assist effort in November and he scored the opening goal in Sunday’s 3-2 Vegas win, so that plus-money anytime point could be a popular play.
Pietrangelo averages more than 2.8 shots per game this season, but his shots total was not listed at the time of this writing.
There are two other games on the Wednesday slate. The Lightning visit the Capitals and Blues host the Kraken with both games available to watch on SN NOW Premium.
Betting odds list above via the DraftKings sportsbook as of Wednesday morning.
