NHL Betting Picks for Monday 11/13/23: Back the Oilers After a Coaching Change?

A lot of the focus in the hockey world will be on the Hall of Fame inductions, but there are still two games on the ice that we can bet on.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

NHL Best Bets

New York Islanders at Edmonton Oilers

Oilers ML (-160)
Oilers -1.5 (+150)

The Edmonton Oilers went into the season with a ton of optimism, and that's quickly dissipated with their start to the season. They are just 3-9-1 and now will have a new coach behind the bench.

In the past, the Oilers haven't had the best underlying numbers but have won games through sheer talent, and now it's the exact opposite. They are the second-best team in expected goals percentage at five-on-five this season.

In the last few seasons when their five-on-five play was lacking, they could look to the power play to get them a goal when they needed it. This season, their PP is still ninth but hasn't been able to come up with to dominate like last season.

The Oilers have the fifth-lowest shooting percentage in the NHL. With the talent they have, this is pretty shocking. If any players in the league can outperform an expected shooting percentage, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are at the top of the list.

Edmonton got a 4-1 win on Saturday, so they appear to have steadied the ship a bit. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders are starting to sink. They haven't won in their last four games and have scored the third-fewest goals per game.

This is a bounce-back spot for the Oilers against a team that doesn't score very much. If the "new coach bump" is a real thing, they could experience it tonight. They definitely can win this game by two goals, so I don't mind getting the better price on the puck line.

Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken

Kraken ML (+130)

The Colorado Avalanche aren't too dissimilar to the Oilers to start the season. They were also expected to be cup contenders and have been somewhat disappointing.

Of course, it's not exactly the same. Colorado is 8-5-0 but has had some disappointing games that don't have them near the top of the league like they'd want to be. One of those games happened on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken. They then had an embarrassing 8-2 loss on Saturday to the St. Louis Blues.

They'll face the Kraken on the road tonight. Seattle is also not off to the best start but has been playing better lately. While they had the best five-on-five shooting percentage in the league last season, they now have the fourth-lowest this season.

Their true talent probably lies somewhere in the middle of those two numbers. They have seen better goaltending, with their five-on-five save percentage jumping from .906 to .918 to start the season. Joey Daccord has been the reason for that -- with a cool .942 save percentage at five-on-five -- and he'll be tonight's starter for Seattle.

Seattle will not be intimidated by this Colorado team after they knocked out the Avs in the playoffs last year. I'm happy to take a home underdog with a hot goalie against a team that just came off two home losses and now has to go on the road. The +130 price is definitely good enough odds to warrant consideration tonight.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.