NHL Picks

The recipe is simple for the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night – win against the Carolina Hurricanes and they are in the playoffs. It won’t be easy going up against a Hurricanes team that is the second-best offensive team and eighth-best defensive team in the NHL. The Hurricanes don’t have too much left to play for as they more or less have the top spot in the Eastern conference locked up. Netminder Dan Vladar is projected to get the start in goal for the Flyers. He has been very good recently, with a 4-1 record in his last five starts and he only allowed one goal against in each of those four wins. Head coach Rick Tocchet will have the Flyers fired up and ready to go right from puck drop. I expect the home crowd to have the building rocking as well.

This game means a lot more for the flyers and I expect them to get it done and punch their ticket to the playoffs. There is some good value on the Flyers in a must-win game with home ice advantage on their side. Give me the Flyers in this one.

Hurricanes vs. Flyers prediction: Flyers ML (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Detroit Red Wings will be missing the playoffs once again as they were officially eliminated from contention on Saturday. They will be in Tampa Bay on Monday to take on the Lightning. The Lightning are still battling it out for first place in the Atlantic Division, so this game still means something for them. The Lightning are a far better team than the Red Wings both offensively and defensively. The Lightning are averaging 3.50 goals for per game, while the Red Wings are averaging only 2.94 goals per game. On the defensive side of things, the Lightning are third-best in the NHL, averaging 2.78 goals against per game. The Red Wings are averaging 3.03 goals against per game. The Lightning are also a very good team when playing on home ice. Their record is 25-13-1 at the Benchmark International Arena this season.

The Lightning have won two of the three previous meetings between these two teams this season, and I expect them to be playing desperate on Monday which should allow them to take three of the four meetings this season. Give me the Lightning in this one.

Red Wings vs. Lightning prediction: Lightning 3-way ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs both already know their playoff fate when they face one another on Monday night. Dallas is set to face Minnesota in the first round, while Toronto is nowhere near a playoff spot and has been eliminated from postseason contention for over a week. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both teams play this game with a bit more relaxed sense of urgency. Dallas just wants to get through this week fully healthy and gear up to take on the Wild in what should be a tremendous series to watch unfold. On the other side, the Toronto’s 78 points are the 2nd-fewest in the Eastern Conference and they enter this contest riding a 5-game losing streak.

The Maple Leafs have struggled to find consistent goal-scoring in recent weeks with Auston Matthews sidelined, and things won’t get any easier going up against a Dallas team that ranks 2nd in the NHL allowing just 2.58 goals per game. While it’s been a tough season in Toronto, the Maple Leaf penalty kill has been effective, ranking 4th in the league with a kill percentage of 82.1%. That could be the difference in keeping this one a lower-scoring game. With a total of 6, the under is the play in this Monday night matchup.

Stars vs Maple Leafs prediction: Under 6 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Not long ago, the Seattle Kraken were in the thick of the Western Conference playoff battle. However, they have stumbled down the stretch and are now eliminated from playoff contention. Seattle is just 6-12-2 since the beginning of March, and is now 3-5-2 over its last 10 games. On the other side, the Kings continue to surge and enter this matchup holding the 2nd wild card spot in the west. Los Angeles has just 21 regulation wins on the season, which is truly a bizarre sight to see for a playoff team. Nonetheless, the Kings continue to find a way under interim head coach D.J. Smith.

LA enters this game riding a 4-game win streak and has won 5 of its last 6 games. The lone loss came in a shootout against Nashville on April 2. The Kings have revenge on their minds in this matchup, as the Kraken have won all 3 of the previous meetings between these teams this season. All 3 games have been close, with Seattle winning by scores of 3-2 (OT), 3-2, and 4-2. It’s tough to beat a division rival 4 times in a row in a season, especially when that team is still playing with a high sense of urgency fighting for a playoff spot. Despite their struggles against the Kraken this season, I expect the Kings to win this matchup.

Kings vs Kraken prediction: Kings ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.