Zero to Hero: Dominating the NHL Season with Smart Bets – November 8
Can feel the anticipation of Thanksgiving…and I’m thankful for such a good start to the hockey season.
The premise of each article in this series is to feature a few “safe” foundational plays to build some strong cash lines around as well as to offer any props or straight bets that have some solid potential. We’re looking for players and teams that have a solid floor and are in a good spot matchup-wise; these will be the building blocks of a booming bankroll. (Yeah, I alliterized…deal with it.) I will also provide a recap from the day before and rewind to see if we were on the right plays. Keep in mind that just like a regular season, the building of a solid bankroll is a grind – it requires patience, mental fortitude, and discipline to weather the cold streaks until things turn around and you go on a heater.
Recap from 11/7
Player builder: Kucherov (goal and assist; six shots) ✅
Stack builder: TB PP1 (one goal and two assists on the power play; additional two goals and four assists at even strength) ✅
Bet builder: CAR/PHI ML parlay (Sharks win their first game of the season) ❌
Builder Record: 14-9; +6.45 units
THE BUILDER – NOVEMBER 8
The Player Builder: Auston Matthews ($DK / $FD)
Matthews has a great floor and such a high ceiling. One fewer goal than than the Sharks…not sure what that speaks more to. Always want some exposure to him as his ceiling is sky high. The Leafs play the Senators who allow a fairly high amount of shots, so there should be good volume here for Matthews.
The Stack Builder: TOR PP1 (Matthews/Marner/Nylander/Tavares)
Offensive explosion the other night (six goals in an OT win). Leafs are averaging over three goals per game and have a power play right around 27%. Nylander and Tavares actually have a stronger correlation than Matthews and Marner, but the latter half is producing better; however, you want exposure to all four as they split evenly between L1 and L2 so you can get all situations covered. Mix in Rielly and Bertuzzi. Senators give up three and a half goals per game and kill penalties at just a 75% clip, both of which play right into the Leafs’ hands.
The Bet Builder: William Nylander O 3.5 SOG / Matthew Tkachuk O 3.5 SOG
Nylander is averaging four and a half shots per game 54 shots in 12 games), and the Leafs as a team shoot 33 times per contest. Ottawa gives up a little over 31 shots per game, and their penalty kill is only 75%, which favors Toronto and its 26.8% power play. This line can be found around -150.
Tkachuk has 54 shots in 11 games, and he and the Panthers are facing the Capitals who while only giving up 30 shots per game have a -11 goal differential, which bodes well for the Panther offense. This line can be found around -130.
Apr 26, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) celebrates after scoring his 60th goal of the season during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
