NHL Picks

When the Lightning and Sabres met a little less than a month ago on March 8, the Sabres walked away with a wild 8-7 win in what was arguably the game of the year in the NHL so far this season. Both offenses were firing on all cylinders, which follows a common theme for Tampa Bay and Buffalo in their 3 meetings this season. All 3 games have gone over the total, with 7, 8, and 15 total goals being scored in those meetings. I expect that trend to continue in Monday night’s matchup at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

The Sabres have scored just 3 total goals over their last 2 games, but after playing both of those games on the road, they now return home where they rank 5th in the NHL scoring 3.50 goals per game this season. Furthermore, the Buffalo power play is clicking at a 25% clip on home ice, which is good for 6th in the league. The Lightning enter this contest rolling on offense, as they’ve potted an average of 4 goals per game over their last 10 outings. Both of these teams play with great pace and are excellent at creating Grade A scoring chances. Look for this matchup to put plenty of pressure on the goaltenders. The over is the play.

Lightning vs Sabres prediction: Over 6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Winnipeg Jets will be hosting the Seattle Kraken on Monday night. The Kraken have been struggling as of late, and they come into this game riding a four-game losing streak with only two wins in their last 10 games. The Jets are sitting three points out of the second wildcard spot with only six games remaining on their schedule. Every game is a must-win if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs. That starts on Monday against the Kraken. The Kraken are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, so it should be fairly easy for Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets to keep them off the score sheet. The Kraken are only scoring 2.79 goals per game this season. The Kraken do not have the elite offensive talent to keep pace with the goal scoring of the Jets. The leading point scorer on the Kraken is Jordan Eberle with only 52 points. There are four players on the Jets who have 52 or more points this season.

I expect the veteran lineup of the Jets to have a dominant performance on home ice and take the two points against the Kraken. Give me the Jets to get it done in regulation time.

Kraken vs. Jets prediction: Jets 3-way ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Minnesota Wild will take on the Detroit Red Wings Sunday afternoon. The Wild currently sit at 3^rd in the Western Conference and have officially advanced to the playoffs. They are riding a 2-game win streak while outscoring opponents 9-3. On the season, they are averaging 3.24 goals per game while only allowing 2.84 goals per game. The most impressive statistic for the Wild is that the lead the NHL in goaltender save percentage. Their overall defensive play has been the shining point for them and the main reason we will see them in the playoffs.

For the Red Wings, they are coming off a brutal 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers. Every game matters for the Red Wings as they currently sit at 8^th in the Eastern Conference. While this should be motivating, the Red Wings have lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Red Wings have also dropped their last 3 home games. On the season, scoring goals has been an issue for the Red Wings as they only average 2.91 goals per game and have the 27^th ranked shooting percentage in the NHL. Overall, the Red Wings seem to be the opposite of motivated and should struggle against a tough Wild defense. I am rolling with the Wild on the money line.

Wild vs. Red Wings Prediction: Minnesota Wild ML (-115) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be hosting the Florida Panthers for the second day in a row – a rare occurrence for the NHL. The Penguins laid a beating on the Panthers on Saturday as they skated to a 9-4 victory. The veteran lineup of the Penguins has been scoring at an impressive rate this season. They are averaging 3.53 goals per game on the year, which is third-best in the NHL. Evgeni Malkin is coming off a hattrick in Saturday’s game, look for him to stay hot on Sunday. The Penguins are a good team on home ice, their record is 19-12-8 at the PPG Paints Arena. On the flip side of this, the Panthers are not good on the road. Their road record is 16-21-0 on the year.

The Panthers season is over after they have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. I expect the Penguins to have another dominant game against them on home ice. The Penguins should be leading this game late into regulation time, which brings in the chance for an empty net goal if needed. Give me the Penguins on the puck line here.

Panthers vs Penguins prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It’s hard to get a read on what exactly the Boston Bruins are as we enter the stretch run of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They entered Saturday 6 points ahead of 4 teams chasing them for the wild card spots, but blew a third period lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the door for all those teams to gain ground. However, all 3 active teams also lost in regulation, which meant it was no harm, no foul for the Bruins and made it even more difficult for any of those teams to catch them with time running out in the season. The problem for the Bruins is that the fourth team, which was inactive, was waiting at home for Boston to play them on Sunday afternoon.

If the Flyers can grab a regulation win off the Bruins on Sunday afternoon, they’ll leapfrog 3 other teams and shockingly sit in the second wild card position, just 4 points behind Boston to move to first. It’s a team that not many people saw coming in the playoff race, but the struggles of all the teams ahead of them have opened the door.

The Bruins can move 8 points up on all the teams chasing them with a regulation win, which would all but clinch a playoff spot with just 5 games remaining in most of their seasons and a favorable tiebreaker number of regulation wins for Boston. The Bruins are an underdog here with their recent struggles, but they’ve been making a habit of winning games people don’t expect all season, and they aren’t going to take kindly to going 0-2 in their Florida road trip.

Bruins vs Flyers prediction: Boston Bruins ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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This weekend has the potential to be a dagger in the Ottawa Senators’ season, and while the issues clouding the team don’t help matters, the schedule makers are partly to blame with 2 Stanley Cup contenders on back-to-back nights. The Minnesota Wild dominated the Senators up and down the ice on Saturday afternoon, and it won’t get any easier against a Carolina Hurricanes team that has been on a hot run as of late.

The Hurricanes have already clinched their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and would clinch the Metropolitan Division crown with a win against the Senators on Sunday. While it feels like a time where Carolina could rest on their laurels, head coach Rod Brind’Amour isn’t going to allow his players to do that after all their years of falling short in the playoffs. It is going to be full steam ahead from April to the end of June if he has anything to say about it.

Linus Ullmark started the Wild game on Saturday, and who really knows if he’s going to be able to play on Sunday after opting out due to fatigue in a game last weekend, where he had days to rest before. Head coach Travis Green threw him out there on Saturday in hopes he would steal a win, but prime Dominik Hasek might not have found a way to win that game with the way the Wild dominated and the way his teammates played in front of him.

Now, the Senators might need to start James Reimer, who has done a commendable job in relief this season but is nowhere near Ullmark when both are at their best. The Senators’ injuries are slowly starting to dismantle the team, and even though Jake Sanderson returned on Saturday, he didn’t look at 100%. Look for the Hurricanes to take care of the Senators on Sunday and add one more nail in the proverbial coffin to their playoff push.

Hurricanes vs Senators prediction: Carolina Hurricanes ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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It’s a Metropolitan Division battle in the NHL as the New York Rangers host the Washington Capitals. This is the 3rd and final meeting between the two of the season, with Washington aiming to win the season series 3-1. Can they do so in an extremely-important game? Here is our Capitals vs. Rangers prediction.

Washington currently sits with 87 points, and are within a group a 6 teams who have 87-89 points. This is an extremely tight playoff race, and with just 5 games to go for Washington, these points are necessary. They have proven they are absolutely gunning for this playoff spot, as they have posted a 7-2-2 record in their last 11 games, which includes 4 wins in their last 5. Their offense has been purely elite as of late, scoring 27 goals in their last 5 games (5.4 per game). New York, who is in the depths of the NHL, are liable in many aspects of the game, as their goal scoring is poor at 2.83 per game, and they are middling defensively, giving up 3.07 per game. They have surprisingly stayed competitive with four wins in their last 5 games, but Washington is red-hot and fighting for their lives. When all is said and done, Washington should have this handled without any extra time needed. We are taking Washington on the regulation money line for our Capitals vs. Rangers prediction.

Capitals vs. Rangers prediction: Washington Capitals 3-way ML (+130) available at time of publishing. Playable to (+100).

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The St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche meet for a Sunday night, Central Division matchup in the NHL. These teams have played just once this season, in a 6-1 blowout win for Colorado. How will this one play out? Here is our expert Blues vs. Avalanche prediction.

Colorado continues to lead the NHL with 110 points, but some very recent play should have them striving for some cleaner play. They are 2-2-0 in their last 4 games, which also included giving up 8 goals to the NHL’s worst team in the Vancouver Canucks. They bounced back perfectly in a 2-0 win against an elite Dallas Stars team, and while they now play in their second in as many nights, they should have the legs to keep up to momentum. St. Louis is 5-1-2 in their last 8 games, but a playoff appearance this season would be miraculous at this point. Colorado is an absolute juggernaut that scores at the league’s highest rate (3.76 per game), allows the least amount of goals (2.49 per game), and own the second-best penalty kill (83.6%). They are also elite on home ice, with a 24-8-5 record. This is too tall a task for St. Louis. I expect Colorado to win in regulation for our Blues vs. Avalanche prediction.

Blues vs. Avalanche prediction: Colorado Avalanche 3-way ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-150).

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