NHL Picks

The New Jersey Devils will face the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Both teams have had difficult seasons and will most likely not be making the playoffs. The Devils come into this one winning 6 of their last 8 games. The Devils have also been scoring well with 4+ goals in 6 of their last 7. This is shocking considering they are averaging 2.63 goals per game, which ranks them 28th in the NHL. While they statistically haven’t scored many goals, they do have the 5th-most shots on target in the NHL. This makes sense considering the impressive improvement recently. All considered, the Devils will be relying on offensive production again today.

The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference even though they have won 4 of their last 5 games. On the season, they are only averaging 2.79 goals per game and 25.2 shots per game. This minimal offensive production has made it difficult for their goaltenders. This is even more prominent when we consider that they allow 29.1 shots on goal per game. Overall, I suspect the Devils’ offense will keep producing against a struggling Rangers squad. I am taking the Devils on the money line.

Devils vs Rangers prediction: New Jersey ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Pittsburgh Penguins meet the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina at 7:00 pm ET. This is the third meeting of the season, with the home team winning each of the first 2 installments. Pittsburgh won 5-1 on Dec. 30 as slight underdogs (+110), while Carolina posted a 5-4 win in a shootout last Tuesday as heavy favorites (-210), as the Pens cashed as underdogs on the puck line. The winning team in each of the past six meetings in this series has scored at least four goals, with the Over going 2-0-1 in the past three in the series, if you’re looking for same-game parlay (SGP) possibilities.

Carolina suffered a stunning 5-1 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night with rookie Brandon Bussi in between the pipes. Suddenly, the rookie has dropped three straight starts, and Carolina is just 2-3-0 in the past five outings. They’re expected to turn to veteran Frederik Andersen in the second end of the back-to-back. The Canes have won three straight starts with Andersen in between the pipes, and 4-1-0 in his past five starts since the Olympic break. Carolina is 24-9-2 on home ice, while Pittsburgh is 18-9-7 on the road. Let’s go with the Canes at home as moderate favorites, but don’t get carried away.

Penguins vs Hurricanes prediction: Carolina ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -170.

The Ottawa Senators are travelling to Washington, D.C., to face the Capitals for the third and final time this season. They currently lead the season series 2-0 and are aiming to complete the sweep. The Senators have won four of their last five games and have had no trouble finding the back of the net, scoring seven goals in two of those games. While their goaltending has improved, it remains inconsistent. With a playoff spot still within reach, the Senators cannot afford to drop many games in the coming stretch.

The Capitals are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but their path to reaching the postseason looks challenging. They have lost three of their last five games and continue to fall down the standings. While their offense is capable of scoring goals, unfortunately, their power play is struggling to produce. Alex Ovechkin can score from almost anywhere on the ice, but his effectiveness on the power play has diminished. Overall, the Senators are the stronger team, and they will need to take a high volume of shots at Logan Thompson. We’re slightly leaning towards them covering the puck line, though it may require an empty-net goal to achieve that.

Senators vs Capitals prediction: Ottawa -1.5 (+195) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are set to face off for the third time this season, with each team having won once in their previous matchups. Both games featured a combined total of nine goals, highlighting the elite offensive capabilities of both teams, despite their above-average defensive play. Colorado’s goaltending has been strong overall, but it struggled in its last game against Pittsburgh. One thing is almost certain: there will be plenty of scoring chances on Wednesday.

The over/under for total goals started at 6.5 but has since dropped to 6.0 in most sportsbooks. The expectation is that Scott Wedgewood — who is getting the start — can rein in the potent Dallas offense. However, this has not been the case for him this season. Jake Oettinger is likely to start for Dallas. Despite his 28 wins this season, he carries a poor .900 save percentage — which dips to .897 on the road. He has shown improvement in his last 3 starts, allowing only 5 goals, but against the Avalanche he has already conceded 8 goals in 2 games. Given that Colorado boasts the league’s hottest offense, we can expect it to score a few against him. Therefore, let’s take the Over and hope that neither goalie delivers an extraordinary performance.

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

The St. Louis Blues make the second stop of a 3-game road trip against the Calgary Flames. The Blues suffered a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg against the Jets on Sunday, their first game in the past 8 without a point. Still, St. Louis is 6-1-1 in the past 8 games despite the fact that it traded veteran defensemen Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn at the NHL trade deadline. Instead of falling apart, the Blues have galvanized and have played their best hockey of the season. Now they look to maintain their mastery over Calgary, as St. Louis has won 8 straight meetings since Oct. 26, 2023 — outscoring the Flames 29-15 in the span, including 3 outright victories as an underdog.

The Flames have dropped 2 straight and 4 of the past 5 games. At home they are just 1-2-0 in the past 3 outings, too — although Calgary did surprise the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 as a big underdog (+175) on March 7 in the most recent home game. Still, the Flames are just 1-4-0 in the past 5 games and 2-7-1 across the previous 10. Let’s back the Blues based on the series trends and the Flames’ recent efforts.

Blues vs Flames prediction: St. Louis ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable to -140.

The Philadelphia Flyers will be kicking off their west-coast road trip on Wednesday night when they are in Anaheim to take on the Ducks. This will be the second meeting between these two teams; the Flyers took the first meeting by a score of 5-2. These teams will be tied together for the foreseeable future due to the Cutter Gauthier and Jamie Drysdale trade. Gauthier is leading the Ducks with an impressive 34 goals and 59 points in 66 games. He is an elite goal scorer that has the Ducks winning the trade thus far. The Ducks are in a tight race for the top spot in the Pacific Division, and the top spot is very important as it would mean they could potentially avoid a first-round playoff matchup with the Edmonton Oilers or the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks are very good on home ice, so they will have the edge in this game. They are 22-10-1 at the Honda Center.

The Flyers offense has plagued them all season. They average 2.77 goals for per game, which is ranked 26^th in the NHL. This won’t be enough to keep up with the potent offense of the Ducks. Give me the Ducks in this one.

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