NHL Picks

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The Anaheim Ducks make the third stop on a 4-game road trip against the Ottawa Senators. Remember, with a 1:00 pm ET puck drop, that’s 10:00 am PT local time for the Ducks — so they could get off to a sluggish start. The Ducks opened the trip fine, topping the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Tuesday — but they were beaten 6-4 by the skidding Toronto Maple Leafs. They also lost Radko Gudas to a 5-game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on Toronto captain Auston Matthews — so perhaps that’s a bit of a distraction for the Ducks, who will have a little less sandpaper in the next week or 2.

The Senators topped the Ducks 3-2 in Anaheim on Nov. 20 as a moderate favorite (-145) in the first meeting, and Ottawa has won 4 of the past 7 in the series — including 2 of the past 3 at home. The Under has a 6-2-1 edge in the previous 9 meetings, including the first meeting this season, just in case you were looking for a Same Game Parlay possibility. Ottawa has won 3 of the past 4 games, while picking up at least one point in 11 of the past 13 and going 9-2-2 — with 20 out of a possible 26 points. Let’s roll with the Sens, especially with the early puck drop time.

Ducks vs Senators prediction: Ottawa ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -170.

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The Boston Bruins have been cooling off a little bit lately, including a 4-2 loss against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. They are 1-2-1 in the past 4 games, but that lone victory for Boston is a 3-1 win at TD Garden against the Capitals — as Jeremy Swayman bested Logan Thompson. While the B’s are 0-1-1 in the past 2 games, including a regulation loss to the Sharks, the Bruins haven’t lost back-to-back games in regulation since losing 3 in a row from Dec. 21-27. Swayman and the B’s have won each of the first 2 meetings with the Caps this season by 3-1 scores, including the regular-season opener on Oct. 8 in Washington, D.C.

Washington just scratched out a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on the road. In the past, that might not have been a big deal — but the Sabres are in first place in the Atlantic Division. The Caps have won 2 of the past 3 games, and the Under is 4-1 in the past 5 and 9-2 across the previous 11 contests. The Under is 7-1 in the past 8 in the series, too. The Under is 5-2 in the past 7 games for the Bruins. With the early puck drop, let’s look for the goals to be at a premium — especially early in the game.

Bruins vs Capitals prediction: Under 6 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets clash on Saturday afternoon for a Central Division battle. These opponents have met just once this season in a 3-2 Avalanche win, and now get set for their second matchup and first of three in an eight-game span. To get you set for this upcoming NHL action, we have provided our Avalanche vs. Jets prediction.

Colorado has been playing strong NHL teams for a prolonged period, as 11 of their past 12 games have been against teams who are currently on in the playoffs, or extremely close. They are fully battle-tested, and now they take on a team in Winnipeg that has been out of the playoff hunt all season. Any swagger gained from a nice 4-0-2 run has quickly vanished for Winnipeg, as they have lost 2 straight games and have been outscored 10-4. Things won’t get easier hosting arguably the NHL’s best team. Colorado is well-versed on the road, and have shown full confidence with a 20-6-5 record away from their building. Not only does Colorado lead the NHL in scoring (3.80 goals per game), but they also lead in defending (2.42 goals against per game). Home ice advantage and any strong play from elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will not be enough for Winnipeg. For our Avalanche vs. Jets prediction, take Colorado to win in regulation.

Avalanche vs Jets prediction: Colorado 3-way ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -140.

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The New York Rangers are in Minnesota to take on the Wild on Saturday night. After struggling to score goals throughout the season, New York has found a groove offensively in the month of March. Through 6 games so far this month, the Rangers have scored 29 total goals — which equates to a strong per-game average of 4.83. Mika Zibanejad has picked up the slack with Artemi Panarin now in Los Angeles, as Zibanejad has 9 points on 3 goals and 6 assists in March. New York has also gotten strong depth scoring from the second and third lines, and those contributions will be needed when going up against a high-flying Minnesota team.

The Wild already had an extremely potent offense with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, but the move to bring in superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes made the Wild immediate Stanley Cup contenders. Hughes has been stellar with his new team, as he has racked up 43 points in 34 games with Minnesota. He is riding a 6-game point streak entering this matchup, and his efforts are a big reason why Minnesota now ranks third in the NHL with a powerplay percentage of 28.3%. The Rangers are also a top-10 powerplay team, ranking eighth in the league with a conversion rate of 24.1% on the man advantage. Given the way both of these offenses are rolling, the over is the play.

Rangers vs Wild prediction: Over 6.5 (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Calgary Flames continue their road trip with a stop in New York to face the Islanders. Currently, Calgary is 1-2-0 on this trip and is coming off a 5-4 victory. However, they have been outscored overall, 15-8, and are dealing with a variety of injuries. The Flames average just under 2.50 goals per game, and their goaltending has not lived up to expectations. Once they fall behind in a game, it feels nearly impossible for them to mount a comeback and secure a win.

The Islanders are playing their second game in as many nights and are looking to move past their 3-2 loss to the Kings. David Rittich is confirmed to start in goal for this match. Although he has not performed at the same elite level as teammate Ilya Sorokin, Rittich is a significant reason why the Islanders are contending for a playoff spot. Like Calgary, New York struggles to generate offensive output, and their power play has been lacking as well.

We likely won’t see a high-scoring affair in this matchup. The Flames have failed to cover the Puck Line in their last three losses, which presents an opportunity for us to exploit. If they find themselves trailing in the third period, don’t be surprised if the coach pulls the goalie early in an effort to tie the game; they need all the offensive help they can get.

Flames vs Islanders Prediction: Islanders -1.5 (+160) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Los Angeles Kings will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back situation when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Los Angeles is coming off a 3-2 victory over the Islanders on Friday, marking the fourth time in the last 5 contests that this team has scored at least 3 goals. With L.A.’s offense in decent form and New Jersey having emerged from its power outage, my Kings vs Devils pick is Over 5.5. Darcy Kuemper was the Kings’ goalie on Friday, which means Anton Forsberg will almost certainly get the nod on Saturday. Forsberg’s season save percentage of .904 is nothing special and 4 of his last 5 appearances have resulted in at least 6 goals being scored — including 2 games with 9 goals and another with 10 (a 6-4 setback against Las Vegas on February 25).

Another relatively high-scoring affair for Anton and company should be in store against New Jersey. The Devils returned from the Winter Olympics break and scored 1 goal in each of their first 2 games — both losses. Heading into Saturday, however, they have lit the lamp at least 4 times in 4 of their last 5 outings. Gold-medal hero Jack Hughes has scored 4 goals (including a hat trick) and dished out 2 assists in the past 3 contests. Luke Hughes has delivered an assist in 3 of the last 4 games and he also scored once during Thursday’s 5-4 loss to Calgary. Count on both teams contributing to the over in this matchup.

Kings vs Devils prediction: Over 5.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Montreal Canadiens welcome the San Jose Sharks to the Bell Centre for their only matchup of the season. These two teams faced off in early March in a high-scoring game, with 12 goals, and the Sharks emerged victorious with a 7-5 win. We can expect a good amount of offence from both sides, but probably not at the same level as their previous meeting. This game will likely come down to goaltending, an area where both teams have struggled throughout the year.

The Canadiens are averaging 3.53 goals per game, placing them in the top five in the league. While their defensive play is still a work in progress, their goaltending has improved in recent games. Jakob Dobes is confirmed to start, and although his overall numbers aren’t elite, he boasts a record of 21-6-4 for the season. The Sharks are a strong offensive team, but have been less effective on the road. The Canadiens sit just four points behind Buffalo for the top spot in their division, so they need to secure wins, especially against weaker opponents. There is a possibility that this game could go into overtime, something the Canadiens are no strangers to. Hopefully, Montreal can handle business in regulation time.

Sharks vs Canadiens Prediction: Canadiens 3-Way ML (-120) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars are set for a Saturday night showdown at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Stars have been rolling offensively of late, but are still playing without Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz. They still have plenty of strong scoring depth to lean on, but not having Rantanen, Hintz and Tyler Seguin in the lineup due to their respective injuries makes it difficult to expect the Stars to keep scoring at such a high clip. Detroit’s John Gibson has been a steady force between the pipes this season, and he is more than capable of slowing Dallas down.

On the other side, Dylan Larkin’s injury looms large for Detroit. Larkin will be out at least two weeks after suffering a lower-body injury on March 6 against the Panthers, and his absence is a crucial one. Not only is Larkin Detroit’s captain and emotional leader, but he is also among the most consistent offensive players in the league. Larkin is second on the Red Wings with 28 goals and 3rd with 55 points this season. That kind of production will certainly loom large against a Dallas team that is solid defensively. This has the makings of a lower-scoring game, which makes the under the play.

Red Wings vs Stars prediction: Under 5.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will take on the Utah Mammoth Saturday night. The Penguins come into this one dropping 6 of their last 8 games. On the season, they rank 5^th in the Easter Conference but it is a tight race for the playoffs. The issue for the Penguins is that they have given up 24 goals over the past 5 games. Their defensive play has been below average and without Sydney Crosby their offense seems to be lacking. Additionally, they are projected to start Stuart Skinner, who has lost his last 5 starts with the opposing teams scoring 3+ goals in 4 of those games.

For the Mammoth, they are riding a 3-game losing streak but 2 of those losses came in overtime. This season they rank 5^th in the Western Conference. While the 3 losses is discouraging, the Mammoth are better at home. At home, they have 39 points through 31 games while scoring 104 goals and only allowing 83 goals. On the season, they are scoring 3.11 goals per game while only allowing 2.79 goals. Overall, I believe that the Mammoth at home will get the best of the struggling Penguins defense. Give me the Mammoth on the money line.

Penguins vs. Mammoth Prediction: Mammoth ML (-150) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Vegas Golden Knights will be hosting the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Golden Knights are right in the thick of a very tight playoff race in the Pacific Division, and I would imagine they have this game circled as a must win against a much weaker opponent. They will be looking to build off of their last game where they won 6-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that game, we saw their top offensive players come alive and take over the game. If they want to claim the top spot in the division, they are going to need these players to carry them to finish line. The top end of their lineup is lethal, and I believe is what separates them from the Blackhawks by a wide margin. The Blackhawks lack the elite scoring talent, aside from Connor Bedard, to keep up with the Golden Knights.

Considering the stakes in play here for the Golden Knights, I like their chances of getting it done on home ice. Give me the Golden Knights to win this one in regulation time.

Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights prediction: Golden Knights 3-way ml (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks are set to meet for the fourth and final time this season on Saturday night. The Canucks claimed the first meeting back on December 29, with the Kraken winning the next 2 matchups on January 2 and February 28. Heading into the series finale between these Pacific Division teams, the Kraken have dropped 4 games in a row and have been bumped from the Western Conference playoff picture. Trailing the Kings by 2 points for the final wild-card spot in the West, look for the Kraken to enter this matchup with a heightened sense of urgency. They handled the Canucks easily 5-1 in their last meeting — and despite their recent skid, they should enter this matchup with confidence.

Neither of these teams light up the scoreboard offensively, but the Kraken own the edge defensively. The Canucks are allowing an NHL-high 3.68 goals per game, whereas the Kraken are 12th by giving up 2.98. Seattle plays a much more stingy defensive style of play, which should be able to stymie a Vancouver team that is scoring the second-fewest goals per game in the league at 2.52. Furthermore, the Canucks have struggled on home ice all season. They are just 7-20-5 at Rogers Arena and have just 1 win over their last 6 home games. With so much more to play for, let’s back the Kraken on the road.

Kraken vs Canucks prediction: Seattle ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable to -135.