Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – November 14th, 2022

We saw history in the NHL over the weekend as Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin scored his 787th goal, which is the most by a player with one franchise, breaking the previous mark held by Gordie Howe. Ovechkin has spent all 18 years of his NHL career with the Capitals, who drafted him first overall in 2004. Here’s a look at two intriguing early-week matchups in the league.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week (November 14th, 2022)

Already ONE MONTH into the new @NHL season, the @Canes are sweeping our team social rankings, coming in at #1 for engagement rate on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Close behind, the @NYRangers, @SeattleKraken, red-hot @GoldenKnights and @BuffaloSabres filled in the top five. pic.twitter.com/wNDp8knC49

— Zoomph (@Zoomph) November 11, 2022

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

• When: Tuesday, November 15, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
• TV: TVAS, ATTSN-PT, TSN4
• Radio: TSN Radio 1050 (Maple Leafs) // 105.9 The X (Penguins)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: TBA

These teams just met on Friday in Toronto and the Penguins won 4-2. Brock McGinn and Jake Guentzel scored in the third period to lead the Pens. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh. Jason Zucker also scored, and Casey DeSmith made 28 stops. William Nylander and Zach Aston-Reese scored for Toronto in its second straight loss. Erik Kallgren made 19 saves. The Maple Leafs pulled their goaltender with under two minutes left in regulation, but Guentzel got an empty-netter with 12.1 seconds left. Evgeni Malkin had a goal and assist and has 67 career points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 41 games against Toronto.

Some good and bad injury news for the Leafs. Jake Muzzin is out indefinitely because of a cervical spine injury. The defenseman will be reevaluated in late February. He is on long-term injured reserve.

Muzzin has one assist in four games this season. He last played Oct. 17, when he left a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes at 11:03 of the second period following a collision with Coyotes forward Clayton Keller. General manager Kyle Dubas said the Maple Leafs are prioritizing Muzzin’s long-term health.

“It’s a really tough one for me to answer because we haven’t dealt with this type of injury all too often in my experience, with it being a cervical spine injury,” Dubas said. “He’s had two notable incidents on the ice, against Columbus in 2020 at the end of Game 2 in that [Stanley Cup Qualifier] series and this one here against Arizona. It’s not something you really want to mess around with, so unless he’s 100 percent sure that this recovery time is going to allow that to settle and not be an issue, we have to do what’s right for his long-term health.

The Leafs will get back goalie Matt Murray on Tuesday. The 28-year-old was a full participant for a third consecutive practice Monday. He sustained an adductor injury during the morning skate Oct. 15.

“Matt Murray, that’s the plan that he is preparing for that,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I haven’t spoken to anybody since practice ended but based on what I observed in practice, he very much looks ready to go.”

Murray has played one game for the Maple Leafs this season, a 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 12. He is 0-1-0 with a 4.05 goals-against average and .826 save percentage after being traded to Toronto by the Ottawa Senators on July 11.

“The progress has been really good,” Murray said. “(The medical staff) does a heck of a job here. We’re doing things the right way, so I’m happy with the progress.”

NHL Betting Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

• When: Thursday, November 17, 2022, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
• TV: BSOH, TSN2, RDS
• Radio: TSN 690 (Canadiens) // 97.1 The Fan WQAM (Blue Jackets)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: TBA

Tough news for Columbus as star winger Patrik Laine is expected to miss 3-4 weeks because of a sprained ankle. The forward was injured during a 4-3 loss at the New York Islanders on Saturday. He played 22:29 and was on the ice when Islanders forward Zach Parise scored 39 seconds into overtime.

Laine has four points (two goals, two assists) in eight games. He missed six games earlier this season after sustaining a sprained right elbow against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 12 that was expected to keep him out 3-4 weeks.

“It’s a tough situation, adversity is going to happen,” said teammate Boone Jenner. “Obviously, very unfortunate for him just coming back from an injury, and it happens again. You can’t plan for that. It’s just unfortunate, but it’s time for us to get even tighter as a group. It’s an opportunity for some guys to step up, and everyone needs to play better in his absence.”

The Blue Jackets are also missing their top defense pair in Zach Werenski, who is out for the season because of a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum, and Nick Blankenburg, who is expected to be out 6-8 weeks because of a fractured ankle and high ankle sprain. Each was injured during a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 10.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these teams. The one matchup in Columbus last year saw the Jackets win 5-1. Jack Roslovic scored twice, and Laine had a goal and two assists. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 20 shots to help lead the Blue Jackets over Montreal for the seventh time in eight home meetings.

NHL Betting Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets

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READ MORE: Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – November 21st, 2022