NHL Picks

The Dallas Stars received a big boost last week with the return of Mikko Rantanen to the ice. Rantanen had not played since the Olympic break, and his return makes an already dangerous Stars team even more dangerous. He recorded a 2-point effort with a goal and assist in his first game back, and his strong 200-foot game will serve Dallas well down the stretch of the regular season and into the postseason. The Stars lost 5 of 6 before his return, and have looked much more in sync with Rantanen in the lineup.

When these teams met earlier this season back on January 20, the Stars cruised to a 6-2 victory. They controlled the pace of play and puck possession, and the game was never really in doubt as Dallas held a 4-0 lead after 2 periods. The Stars out-shot Boston 37-28 in that contest, and dominated the face-off dot 39-21. It’s also worth noting that Dallas is among the best defensive teams in the league, as they rank 2nd allowing just 2.69 goals per game. The Bruins might have their hands full in this one. Look for Dallas to pickup a solid road win in this contest.

Stars vs Bruins prediction: Stars ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are set to meet on Tuesday night in what is a pivotal matchup when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Pittsburgh is 2nd in the Metropolitan division with 90 points on the season, while Detroit is 2 spots out of a playoff spot with 86 points. Detroit has stumbled lately, dropping 3 of their last 4 games. However, they have out-shot their opponents in 3 of those 4 games, and looked great in their most recent road game beating the red-hot Sabres 5-2.

In what is a huge game for their playoff chances, the Red Wings are fortunate to have a significant scheduling advantage in this one. Detroit hasn’t played since Saturday, giving them multiple days of rest between games. On the other side, the Penguins played last night against the Islanders, and this will be Pittsburgh’s 3rd game in 4 nights. The Penguins beat the Islanders convincingly by a score of 8-3, but they have won back-to-back games just once since the Olympic break. With that in mind, look for Detroit to come out aggressive in order to put the pressure on Pittsburgh early. It’s vital that the Red Wings use their rest to their advantage, and I think they get it done.

Red Wings vs Penguins prediction: Red Wings ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable to -120.

The Montreal Canadiens will be visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. This potential first-round playoff matchup will be a battle between two teams that are playing very good hockey as of late. The Canadiens come into this game riding a five-game winning streak, and they are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. The Lightning are on a 2-game winning streak, and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. These two teams are both ranked inside the top five in the NHL for offense. The Canadiens are ranked 3rd, averaging 3.51 goals per game, while the Lightning are ranked 2nd averaging 3.60 goals per game. Both teams possess some elite goal scoring talent, highlighted by the likes of Cole Caufield for the Canadiens and Nikita Kucherov on the Lightning.

The Canadiens are a below average defensive team in the NHL. They are ranked 21st, allowing 3.12 goals against per game. Given the high-flying offense at both ends of the ice and the sub-par defensive game from the Canadiens, I think we are in for a high-scoring game. Give me the over in this one.

Canadiens vs Lightning prediction: Over 6 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The New Jersey Devils head through the tunnel to Manhattan to battle the New York Rangers looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Devils need a lot of help, but they’re still mathematically alive for the postseason. The Rangers are the only team in the Eastern Conference that is eliminated from the playoff chase. New Jersey has won six of the past 10 games, but they’re still 10 points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff spot with nine games left to play. And, New Jersey is contending with the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals still ahead of them in the standings. It’s doable, but extremely unlikely they’ll be able to qualify. New Jersey simply needs to take it one game at a time, and get every point it can, starting with Tuesday at the Garden.

The Rangers have been a disaster at home this season, going 11-18-7, although, oddly enough, they’ve been showing some signs of life lately on home ice after having been eliminated. It’s the same formula we’ve seen from the Buffalo Sabres in years past. The Rangers have won the past two games, but they’re still just 4-5-1 in the past 10 outings. Look for the Devils, the lowest scoring team in the Eastern Conference, with 204 goals, and the Rangers, with 211 goals, second lowest in the East, to have a defensive battle in this somewhat important game.

Under 6 (+100) at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

The New York Islanders are looking to quickly rebound after suffering an 8-3 loss to the Penguins on Monday when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. That will be a tough task, but after such a rough defensive effort last night in Pittsburgh, I am expecting New York to put forth a much more spirited defensive effort in this one. The Islanders have been among the most sound defensive teams in the NHL this season, as they rank 4th in the league allowing just 2.83 goals per game to their opponents. Their penalty is also among the best in the league, ranking 6th with a kill percentage of 81.6%. Those numbers tell me last night’s lackluster performance was an outlier.

As good as the penalty kill has been for New York, the power play has been woeful all season long. The Islanders are scoring at just a 16.7% clip on the man advantage, which is the 3rd-worst percentage in the league. The New York power play has another tough assignment in this one, as the Sabres possess an excellent penalty kill that is operating at 82.0%. With that in mind, it would be somewhat surprising to see a high-scoring affair in this one. With a total of 6, look to the under.

Islanders vs Sabres prediction: Under 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Ottawa Senators will be looking to put an end to their two-game losing streak when they are in Florida on Tuesday taking on the Panthers. Despite the 2-game losing streak, the Senators are still only 2 points outside of a wildcard playoff spot. With so many teams still in contention for the final few spots, every point is crucial for them. They are facing off against a Panthers team that is eliminated from the race and coming into this game on a 3-game losing streak. The Senators have the edge in this game offensively; they are averaging 3.30 goals per game compared to the Panthers who average only 2.89. The Panthers are the third-most penalized team in the NHL, so expect a few powerplay opportunities for the Senators.

The Senators will be playing desperate and I expect a good performance from them starting at puck drop. I think they will take advantage of a Panthers team that is only playing for pride at this point in the season. Give me the Senators in this one.

Senators vs Panthers prediction: Senators ML (-170) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

It’s a Metropolitan Division battle on Tuesday night in the NHL as the Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals face near impossible odds to make the playoffs this season, but watch out for the Flyers who are not out of the picture yet. Here is our Flyers vs. Capitals prediction for what is a mighty-important game.

Philadelphia has been on absolute fire as of late. They are on a 3-game winning streak, have won 6 of their last 7, and are a great 12-3-1 in their last 16 games. Other than a few small depth pieces, the Flyers are fully-staffed and ready to go. As for Washington, they will be without Aliaksei Protas, who has 23 goals and 47 points on the year. Washington is a veteran team on home ice, but with little to motivate them as the season comes to a close, I am not too worried about them being at max strength. It is clear the Flyers are fully invested on achieving a miraculous playoff appearance, and for I don’t see that train stopping. For our Flyers vs. Capitals prediction, take Philadelphia as road underdogs.

Flyers vs Capitals prediction: Flyers ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets meet for an ultra-important meeting in the NHL on Tuesday. In their third of four meetings this season, these Metropolitan Division rivals are within a tight playoff race. Carolina is currently gunning for the Eastern Conference lead, while Columbus is battling to secure a playoff spot at all. Here is our Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets expert prediction.

Columbus has been one of the hottest teams over the last month, going 9-1-4 over a 14 game span and collecting 22 of a possible 28 points. However, they have cooled off with a three-game losing streak, and are 1-3-1 over their last 5 games. While they may be on home ice, this is the toughest team they have faced since the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 10th. They did take on this Hurricanes team on March 17th, but a 5-1 road victory for the Blue Jackets should have Carolina coming out looking for vengeance. Carolina has won 4 of their last 6 games, and in a 3-way tie for first in the Eastern Conference, there is still lots of work to be done. They are fully healthy and have been an excellent road team (20-11-4), so they are set up well to take down this struggling opponent. For our Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets prediction, we are siding with Carolina on the money line.

Hurricanes vs Blue Jackets prediction: Hurricanes ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

The Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks clash for a Central Division showdown on Tuesday night in the NHL. Winnipeg looks to claim the season series 3-1 in their final of the season, as they somehow hold on to playoff life. We have provided our in-depth Jets vs. Blackhawks prediction to prepare you for what’s to come.

Winnipeg has looked quite good over the past week or so, as they are 3-1-1 over their last five, including a regulation victory over the league-leading Colorado Avalanche. This is the type of play we expected from Winnipeg this season, and while it may be too late to make the playoffs, I expect this effort to continue. Chicago has just two wins since March 12th (2-5-2), and while they are home for the first time in four games, they have continually showed that their weaknesses are not better in their own building, with a 13-16-7 record. Some full-time players are banged up, with Artyom Levshunov, Andrew Magiapane, Matt Grzelcyk, and Oliver Moore all either day-to-day or out of the lineup. Chicago has a third-worst goals per game average (2.55), an eighth-worst goals against average (3.23) and eighth-worst power play (17.8%). There are many reasons they are 31st overall in the standings. For our Jets vs. Blackhawks prediction, I expect Winnipeg to win in regulation.

Jets vs. Blackhawks prediction: Winnipeg Jets 3-way money line (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-115).

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The Seattle Kraken will take on the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Kraken currently sit at 11th in the Western Conference, though they are only 2 points behind the 8th-place Nashville Predators. The Kraken have been sliding recently with losses in 5 of their last 6 games. In the span, they have scored 13 goals while allowing 19 goals. These offenses struggles have been common for the Kraken. On the season, they are scoring 2.85 goals per game on just 25.5 shots. On the defensive side, they are allowing 3.03 goals per game on 29.4 shots per game. The Kraken will look to right the ship here though they have a -18 goal differential away from home this season with only 36 points through 36 games.

For the Oilers, they rank 5th in the Western Conference and have won their last 3 games. Offense has been the most impressive for the Oilers as they rank 4th in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game and 29.7 shots per game. Through their last 3 games they have outscored their opponents 13 to 7. The defense for the Oilers seems to be improving with the playoffs approaching. The Oilers have also won the last 2 head-to-head meetings between these teams outscoring the Kraken 13-4 through those games. Overall, we have teams heading in opposite directions and the perfect opportunity for the Oilers to steal more points. I am rolling with the Oilers on the puck line.

Kraken vs Oilers prediction: Oilers -1.5 (+140) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.