NHL Best Bets (10/19/23): Expert Predictions For Maple Leafs Vs. Panthers & Coyotes Vs. Blues

A monster NHL slate tonight, and Anthony Elio has you covered with two of his NHL best bets, featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs moneyline & the Arizona Coyotes moneyline

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. Florida Panthers

Auston Matthews didn’t get his third hat trick in a row on Monday night, and the Maple Leafs ended up losing a headscratching 4-1 game to the Chicago Blackhawks. However, don’t let that distract you from Toronto’s hot start with 13 goals in their first 2 games. Matthews is tied for the lead in points for the team with William Nylander and John Tavares, all of which with 6 points. Despite the Monday dud against Chicago, Toronto is second in the league in power play percentage (40%), second in shots per game (36.67), and fourth in overall goals per game (4.33). I’m expecting to see the Toronto offense of the first two games tonight.

This is an excellent revenge spot for the Maple Leafs, as they’ll be taking on the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, who knocked them out of the postseason in a 4-1 pummeling. But this is far from the same Panthers team from that series, with blue liners Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad, and center Sam Bennett on injured reserve. Florida has gotten some offensive help from new addition Evan Rodrigues (5 points already), but the defense should continue to struggle tonight without Ekblad and Montour. Plus, goalie Sergei Bobrosky seems back to his pre-playoff inconsistent ways, with a .888 SV% to go with 3.42 GAA. There are plenty of ways I’ve considered approaching this game, including totals going over, but I’m going to keep it simple and have Toronto get their revenge with a W.

Best Bet: Toronto Maple Leafs Moneyline

Arizona Coyotes @ St. Louis Blues

The Arizona Coyotes have averaged half a goal in their past 2 games, and I’m loving the value on the team tonight. Why? They just so happened to be facing off against two of the best goaltenders in the league with Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin. I like what I saw in their season opener, with a 4-3 shootout win over the high-octane New Jersey Devils. New addition Matt Dumba recorded a goal while goaltender Karol Vejmelka recorded 33 saves. I’m excited to see Clatyon Keller (3 points so far) keep the momentum from last year’s breakout, when he totaled 37 goals and 86 points.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues offense has been lifeless, averaging just 1 goal per game in regular time. The only team performing worse is Seattle, who is averaging a dismal 0.75 goals per game. The Blues will be starting Joel Hofer between the pipes, who started just 6 games last year with a .905 SV% and 3.22 GAA. Trust me, I don’t love betting Arizona on the road, considering they’re 1-10 in their past 11 games away from Mullett Arena (highly recommended spot, by the way). But tonight, I believe the team has a great opportunity to nab a divisional win over a team that’s struggling offensively and starting an inexperienced goalie.

Best Bet: Arizona Coyotes Moneyline

Best NHL Sportsbook Promo Codes