NHL Picks

The Montreal Canadiens will take on the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night. These are 2 very evenly matched teams with the Canadiens sitting at 4th in the Eastern Conference and the Red Wings sitting at 7th. In the past 5 games, both teams have scored 14 goals while giving up 13, the only difference is that the Canadiens have won 3 games compared to the Red Wings 2 games. Additionally, these teams have met twice this year and have split the series. The interesting thing is that the away team won both previous head-to-head matchups.

In finding an edge, I lean toward the Canadiens. On the season they are averaging 3.49 goals per game which ranks them 4th in the NHL. The Canadiens also score on 13.2% of their shots compared to the Red Wings 10.4% of shots. The Red Wings have also lost 5 of their last 6 at home. The Canadiens offense has found a way of scoring away from home with them scoring 22 goals over their last 5 away games. Overall, I trust the Canadiens offense and away form more than I trust the Red Wings. I am taking the Canadiens on the money line.

Canadiens vs Red Wings prediction: Canadiens ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Linus Ullmark has been on a great run lately for the Senators, including this past weekend when he won both games on a back-to-back. Ottawa will need its goaltending to step up if they are going to make a push to the last wildcard, but with Ullmark playing on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, it’s extremely likely that they’ll give the reins to James Reimer for the matchup with the Islanders.

Nearly every game has been a must-win for the Senators, which is why Reimer has just three starts in the past two months. Ottawa has been leaning heavily on Ullmark, and it is starting to pay off. However, you can’t look past the veteran Reimer, who has won his last two starts (which were 32 days apart) and had a 16-save shutout in his most recent start against the Vancouver Canucks. The Islanders’ goaltending situation is a bit more unclear, as Patrick Roy has been using both goalies regularly, while Ilya Sorokin stands out statistically over David Rittich.

If Sorokin stars on Thursday, the Islanders hold a clear edge in the goaltending battle. Both teams have been red hot with seven wins in their last 10 games, but the Senators having to play the second night of their back-to-back with a goaltender who played two games over the past 2 months, seem like a massive edge toward Sorokin, who is one of the top candidates for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Given their recent form on home ice, the Senators are a scary proposition, but the Islanders are the team waiting in Ottawa while the Senators fly back from Washington early Thursday morning. If the Islanders are the underdog here, the value is too good not to take them.

Islanders vs Senators prediction: Islanders ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable to (+110).

It will be a showdown between the starting goalie on gold medal-winning Team USA and his backup when the Winnipeg Jets visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Normally you would think that the smart play is on the starter, but that isn’t the case here. Connor Hellebuyck has understandably cooled off since his performance in Milan, his supporting cast is far worse than Jeremy Swayman’s and Boston is playing in the friendly confines of TD Garden. As a result, my Jets vs Bruins pick is on the home team to prevail.

Boston is an outstanding 25-9-1 at home this season compared to a disappointing 12-14-7 on the road. How good have the B’s been in front of their home crowd in recent months? Well, they have lost only once at home in regulation since December 23. Winnipeg isn’t particularly good anywhere, but it is an especially mediocre 11-15-5 as the visiting team. Hellebuyck has been decent since returning from the Olympics; he just hasn’t been incredible like he was against Canada. The Jets have lost 5 of his 9 post-Olympics starts and his save percentage in the month of March is a modest .907. Swayman has been awesome in March, sporting a 4-1-1 record in addition to a 1.96 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Just about all signs point to the Bruins winning this one.

Jets vs Bruins prediction: Boston ML (-142) available at time of publishing. Playable at that price.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild will face off for the second time in 3 days, promising an exciting matchup. Chicago has shown some improvement recently, securing two wins in its last five games, though it has gone to overtime in four of those contests. While this may not seem like a significant achievement, it does indicate that they can compete. However, the team still struggles with offensive depth and will be challenged against a Minnesota team that needs to start accumulating wins.

Minnesota managed to edge out the Blackhawks in overtime a couple of nights ago, but it has only two wins in its last five games. Currently, they are 6 points behind Dallas for second place in the division, so dropping games against lower-ranked opponents is not an option. Historically, matchups between these 2 teams have featured a lot of high-scoring action. Tonight, Minnesota must come out with urgency and set the tone from the beginning. With that in mind, let’s take the Wild to win this one by multiple goals at plus-money odds.

Blackhawks vs Wild prediction: Wild -1 (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

The Seattle Kraken will take on the Nashville Predators Thursday night. Both teams come into this one motivated as the Kraken hold the last spot in the playoffs right now and the Predators are only 2 points behind them. The Kraken have been on a steady decline, losing 5 of their last 7 games overall. In 4 of those losses, they were held to 2 or fewer goals. Scoring has been a problem all season for the Kraken as they only average 2.87 goals per game. The Kraken also rank 27th this season in shots on goal, averaging just 25.5 shots per game. This depleted form and offense does not look good for the playoff run.

As for the Predators, they have won 6 of their last 10 at home. In fact, in their last 5 home games, they have scored a whopping 23 goals. This home form can be very motivating for them with the final playoff spot within reach. Additionally, the Predators have the better power play percentage and penalty kill percentage between these teams. I suspect that it will be a tight game but that the Kraken will continue to struggle offensively with the Predators at home. I am taking the Predators on the money line.

Kraken vs Predators Prediction: Predators ML (-135) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Edmonton Oilers will be hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. The Oilers come into this game riding a two-game winning streak, however they will be without one of their horses, Leon Draisaitl. He is set to miss majority of, if not all of the Oilers remaining regular season games. Going into action on Wednesday, the Oilers are sitting tied for the lead in the Pacific Division. Winning the division is important to avoid a potential first-round matchup with the Anaheim Ducks or the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid is going to have to elevate his game even further in Draisaitl’s absence if the Oilers are going to finish this season strong. McDavid is more than capable of doing this.

Hosting the Panthers will be no easy game, but the Oilers are very good on home ice. They are 18-11-4 at Rogers Place this season. They are also capable of out scoring their defensive mistakes as they average 3.52 goals per game. This is third-best in the NHL. I expect a strong showing from the Oilers. Give me them on the money line.

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

The Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks face off for the second and final time this season. The teams previously met in Buffalo in early March, where the Sabres secured a 6-3 victory. Expectations for this game lean toward a high-scoring affair; however, there may be more value in betting on the Under.

The Sabres have shown significant improvement defensively, as evidenced by their recent performances. They have allowed only four goals in their last three games, a notable achievement. While the offence has been less explosive, there’s no need for concern as long as they continue to win. The Sharks, on the other hand, have played in several high-scoring games recently, but these have been on the road, where their performance has been subpar. Now returning home, they will need to strengthen their defensive play to increase their chances of victory. Macklin Celebrini is a consistent scoring threat, but the supporting cast lacks depth. We’ll lean slightly towards the Under and hope both goalies are prepared to perform at their best.

Sabres vs Sharks prediction: Under 6.5 (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

The Utah Mammoth hit the road for Vegas with a little swagger in their step. After all, Utah doubled up the Dallas Stars 6-3 on the road Monday as a moderate underdog as the Over cashed behind Vitek Vanecek. The Mammoth have picked up points in 6 of the past 8 games, going 4-2-2 in the span, and Utah has managed an impressive 4-1-1 mark in the previous 6 games on the road. These teams have met twice this season, both in Salt Lake City back in November, with the teams splitting the 2 games. Utah won the most recent meeting 5-1 on Nov. 24.

Vegas hasn’t exactly been locked in lately. It suffered a 2-0 home loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, and it is just 2-4-0 in the past 6 games, while going 3-7-0 across the previous 10 outings. On home ice, VGK has picked up just 4 out of a possible 10 points, going 2-3-0 in the past 5 contests. The Golden Knights have struggled against playoff-bound teams lately, and they’ve scored two or fewer goals in 4 of the past 6 games, and 7 of the previous 10 outings, averaging just 2.3 goals per game in the stretch. Let’s back Utah lightly to get it done on the road again.

Mammoth vs Golden Knights prediction: Mammoth ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.