The NHL takes a back seat once again on Friday night with just eight of the league’s 32 teams in action.
The New York Islanders host the Minnesota Wild to open the slate at 7 p.m. et, with the Winnipeg Jets in San Jose to take on the Sharks to close things out at 10 p.m.
My best bets for Friday night are targeting a high-scoring game on Long Island, the Rangers on the road, and the Sharks as home underdogs.
Let’s get right into the best bets – and their odds at the best betting sites – for Friday, Nov. 7.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Wild vs. Islanders OVER 6.5 (-115)
The Minnesota Wild lost 4-3 in Carolina on Thursday night and now head up to New York to face off against the Islanders tonight. Filip Gustavsson was in net for that one, so it should be backup Jesper Wallstedt getting the start.
Wallstedt has allowed 11 goals on 80 shots this season for a .863 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average. The former first-round pick hasn’t quite lived up to that potential yet in the NHL, and the Islanders should take advantage tonight.
The Islanders have gone over in 10 of 13 games to start the season, averaging 3.31 goals for and 3.38 goals against. The Wild have only scored 2.8 goals per game, but they’ve picked it up recently with 11 goals in their last three contests.
The New York Rangers have been one of the most interesting teams to start the season. They’re 0-5-1 at home, but 6-1-1 on the road. They head into Detroit on Friday night to play a Red Wings team that is coming off a long road trip.
Detroit lost two of its final three games on the road trip, and despite having two days off, still might be a little fatigued after playing eight games in 14 days.
The Rangers have been great at 5-on-5 this season with the third-best expected goals share (55.32%), per Natural Stat Trick, so it’s only a matter of time before they turn things around. They’ve also got one of the best goalies in the league in Igor Shesterkin, who can steal a game at any time.
The San Jose Sharks have been a sneaky team so far this season at 5-6-3, while the Winnipeg Jets have overperformed at 9-4-0.
The Sharks’ 5-on-5 numbers are towards the bottom of the league, but that’s to be expected for a rebuilding team. However, the Jets are at the bottom with a league-low 42.1% expected goals share at 5-on-5 this season.
San Jose has won three of its last four games with the loss coming on a back-to-back in overtime. I’ll take them here as big home underdogs against the Jets.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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