NHL Picks

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens are set for an Eastern Conference battle on Thursday night at Bell Centre. Both of these teams would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today, and the Blue Jackets have been on an absolute heater since hiring Rick Bowness. However, they have scored just 3 total goals over their last 3 games. The good news is that Montreal allows plenty of goals, ranking 25th in the NHL allowing 3.21 goals per game. Montreal’s team save percentage of .889 is near the bottom of the league as well, so don’t be surprised if the Blue Jackets’ offense bounces back in a big way in this one.

The Canadiens may give up plenty of goals, but they score plenty of goals as well. Montreal ranks 3rd in the league scoring 3.53 goals per game, and have scored 12 total goals over their last 2 games. Those matchups came against the Hurricanes and Islanders – a pair of strong defensive teams with solid goaltending. The Blue Jackets are not as strong defensively, and they present a favorable matchup for the Canadiens. Both teams play and open style of hockey that encourages driving the net and being creative in the offensive zone. Both teams also have offensive-minded defensemen in Zach Werenski and Lane Hutson. That formula could make for a high-scoring affair.

Blue Jackets vs Canadiens prediction: Over 6.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The New York Islanders are set for a pivotal matchup against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Pretty much every game down the stretch will be a pivotal one for the Isles, as they are directly in the middle of a tightly-contested playoff race in the Eastern Conference. New York and Ottawa are tied with 85 points apiece, with Detroit just a single point behind with 84. The Islanders are in desperate need of a win, as they have dropped 3 of their last 4 games at the most crucial time of the season. The good news is that Patrick Roy’s team has the home ice advantage in this one, and the Islanders are a strong 19-12-2 at UBS Arena this season.

Furthermore, the Dallas Stars also enter this matchup stumbling a bit. Dallas has lost 3 games in a row and 4 of its last 5. The Stars were initially fine without superstar Mikko Rantanen in the lineup following the Olympics, but his absence may now be catching up to them. Dallas has scored 2 goals or fewer in 3 of its last 4 games, and it’s worth mentioning that Roope Hintz continues to be sidelined as well. Both Rantanen and Hintz provide strong 200-foot play for Dallas, and they both possess great size. With Dallas in a dry spell and without a pair of key contributors, I am backing the Islanders to find the win column on home ice.

Stars vs Islanders prediction: Islanders ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

It has been a tale of 2 seasons for these teams, as the Minnesota Wild have their sights set on the Stanley Cup if they can make it out of the Central Division gauntlet, and the Florida Panthers are going to hope for some draft lottery luck after a down season. The Panthers, with all their injuries, may not look like back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, but they’ve been playing a bit better recently, winning 2 of their past 3 games with a loss to the Calgary Flames in between. It has been the opposite recently for the Wild, as they’ve lost 2 of their past 3 games, but the win was an important one, and an overtime victory over the team they are chasing in the standings, the Dallas Stars.

The big difference for these teams over the past 3 games has been the strength of the schedule. Florida was on the West Coast playing against the “pillow fight” division with two of their victories, while one of the Wild’s losses was against the other half of the Florida trip, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was disappointing for Minnesota to lose a potential Stanley Cup Final preview. Still, it should only motivate them more to shake off their recent losing ways with a win over Florida.

Filip Gustavsson took the loss for the Wild on Tuesday, and with the way he has been playing lately and the way that rookie Jesper Wallstedt has been playing, Bill Guerin is thankful that he didn’t pull the trigger on a deal after all the trade deadline rumors surrounding The Great Wall of St. Paul. Wallstedt has been lights out over his past 5 starts, allowing just 9 goals and owning a .922 save percentage. Sergei Bobrovsky has been a better overall performer lately than earlier in the season, including a shutout against the Edmonton Oilers on the West Coast trip, but he also allowed five and four goals against the Vancouver Canucks and the Kraken.

The Wild will be looking to shake off the losses and secure 2 points here, while the Panthers are still just trying to run out the season despite a couple of wins lately.

Wild vs Panthers prediction: Minnesota Wild ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

The Ottawa Senators further gave off “team of destiny” vibes on Tuesday night when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a game they weren’t really supposed to win. After Thomas Chabot left Monday night’s game with an arm injury that will keep him out for a while, and Lassi Thompson also got knocked out by an injury, the Senators were left with 4 defensemen for the remainder of the game before playing again 24 hours later. Even with a full complement of defensemen the next night, it was still a far cry from their usual depth, with Jake Sanderson also out of the lineup. If the Senators could win a big game with that lineup, then they may not lose another game for the remainder of the year.

Well, that isn’t realistic, and while they were able to beat a flailing Red Wings team on Tuesday night, they’ll be in for a much tougher test when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins roll into town. With the Penguins sitting in 3rd place but trying to hold off the New York Islanders, who are 1 point behind them, Pittsburgh will be desperate to end its 2-game losing streak. With how tight the standings are, a Penguins loss and an Islanders win would actually have Pittsburgh go from 3rd in the Atlantic Division to outside the playoffs, as the Senators winning this game would help them pass the Penguins in the wild card standings.

The Penguins are coming off 2 ugly efforts, but it isn’t as if they were losing to non-playoff teams. The 2 blowouts came at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche, who are currently 1st in their respective conferences. Playing against a defensive group led by Tyler Kleven and Artem Zub should be a welcome change of pace for the Penguins after those matchups.

It’s understandable after everything we’ve seen from the Senators over the past couple of weeks that they’d still be favorites. However, after the surprising rookie performances of defensemen Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan and a massive win on Tuesday, this feels like a great letdown spot for the young defensemen and the rest of the makeshift group, and a perfect opportunity to get the Penguins at plus money.

Penguins vs Senators prediction: Ottawa Senators ML (+125) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

The Winnipeg Jets will be hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The Jets are sitting 5 points out of a wildcard playoff spot with on 11 games remaining on their schedule. They can’t afford to lose any games from here on out. They have a tough test ahead of them with the Avalanche coming to town. They are both the best offensive and defensive team in the NHL. On the bright side, the Jets are much better on home ice than on the road, boasting a 18-13-6 record on home ice. They will have Connor Hellebuyck starting in goal, and he will need a Hart Trophy caliber performance each and every game until the end of the regular season if the Jets have any hopes of making the playoffs.

I expect to see a veteran Jets lineup play with desperation against one of the leagues best teams. The are underdogs on home ice where they do most of their winning and I like the value. Give me the Jets in this one.

Avalanche vs. Jets prediction: Winnipeg Jets ML (+160) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Calgary Flames have endured a rough season, but they enter this Thursday night matchup against the Anaheim Ducks riding a 4-game win streak. They key to Calgary’s recent success has been locking down defensively. The Flames have allowed just 7 total goals over those 4 games, and the penalty kill is a perfect 7-for-7 in that stretch. Furthermore, the under has cashed in 3 of those 4 games, with the lone exception coming in a 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning on March 22. It’s clear that Calgary’s best tactic right now is to focus heavily on the defensive end, and I expect that trend to continue in this matchup against Anaheim.

The Anaheim offense has struggled away from Honda Center this season. More specifically, Anaheim’s goals per game average drops from 3.51 at home to 3.03 when playing on the road. Going up against a Calgary team that is dialed in defensively right now, look for the Ducks to struggle to find the back of the net. The Flames have been among the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL all season long, and they enter this matchup ranked dead last in the league scoring a measly 2.48 goals per game. They’ve been slightly better lately, but the offensive ceiling of this team is still severely limited after trading away their best contributors at the deadline. With a total of 6.5, look to the under.

Ducks vs Flames prediction: Under 6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Washington Capitals will take on the Utah Mammoth Thursday night. The Capitals have had a rough season with slim hopes of making the playoffs. The Capitals currently sit 6 points out of the playoffs and have lost 3 of their last 5 games. On the season, they have the worst away form in the Eastern Conference. Through their 34 away games, they have a record of 13-17-4. Through their last 6 away games, they have given up 21 total goals while only scoring 8. This lack of offense and struggles are defense are not great against a tough Mammoth team.

For the Mammoth, they rank 5^th in the Western Conference and have won 3 of their last 5 games, though they have hit a slump recently at home. They have dropped 5 of their last 6 home games, which has put them back in heat of the playoff race. On the season, they average 3.13 goals per game while allowing 2.82 goals per game. The positive thing for the Mammoth is that they are able to limit opposing teams shots, as they give up the 7th-fewest shots to opposing teams. Overall, the Mammoth should be more motivated in this game and should find their form again. I am taking the Mammoth on the money line.

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

The Edmonton Oilers will be visiting the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. The Golden Knights have been playing some of their worst hockey in years in this last recent stretch. They are only sitting 4 points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the final playoff spot in the NHL’s weakest division – the Pacific Division. They can leap frog the Oilers in the standings with a win, so I expect a playoff atmosphere. The Oilers are without Connor McDavid’s running mate, Leon Draisaitl. Without him, this team is not nearly as dangerous. If the Golden Knights can focus on shutting down McDavid (easier said than done), they should be able to handle the rest of the Oilers lineup with ease.

With playoff looming, I expect the Golden Knights to turn things around and head into the post-season with some momentum. That all starts on Thursday with a win against their potential first round opponent. Give me the Golden Knights in this one.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights prediction: Vegas Golden Knights ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.