NHL Picks

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers continue a hard-fought first round series in the NHL. After taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Flyers have now dropped 2-straight games, allowing the Penguins right back into it. How will a dramatic Game 6 play out? Here is our Penguins vs. Flyers prediction.

This has been a relatively low-scoring series, averaging just 5.4 goals per game, and seeing the over hit in 2 of 5 games. I expect us to see a high-scoring affair in Game 6. In net, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar has certainly cooled off. He has been great overall, but during this two-game skid, he has posted back-to-back .857 save percentages. It looks like he is coming back to Earth, allowing Pittsburgh to stay hot. Multiple key players (Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Kris Letang) had early-series offensive droughts, but over the past few games, we have seen increased levels of production. This increased confidence now bolsters a Penguins group that scored 3.54 goals per game this season, which was third-best. As for the Flyers, their impress run to end the season and early in the series has shown that they are not to be taken lightly, and their team is sneakily filled with offensive skill and chemistry. Penguins goaltender Arturs Silvos has been excellent since entering the series in Game 4, but I don’t yet trust him to fully stop what will be a hungry Flyers squad. This will be a fun one, and we are taking the over 5.5 for our Penguins vs. Flyers prediction.

Penguins vs Flyers Game 5 prediction: Over 5.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that total to -140.

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The Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights hit the ice for Game 5 in their first-round NHL series. This has been a back and forth series where both teams have shown promise, but Game 5 is all-important where one may be able to finally take control of the series. It is time for our Mammoth vs. Golden Knights prediction to get you prepared.

Vegas is coming off a massive overtime road win in a very tough building to avoid a 3-1 series deficit. Now, they return to their home ice and are riding a ton of momentum after that emotional victory. Some key players in Vegas had a very slow start to the series, but as it progresses, more begin to make their mark and find themselves on the scoresheet. Vegas is a veteran group led by a veteran coach, and as the young and high-flying Mammoth now hit the road for a crucial game, I believe some pressure will now be felt within the dressing room. Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka is coming off a poor game, posting a .861 save percentage. The jury is still out on Vejmelka, as this is his first playoff series of his career, and Vegas has only taken 4 high-danger shots, which is the second-least amount in the entire playoffs. His play is a major factor in this game, and against an accelerating Vegas team, he could be in for yet another tough challenge. On home ice, I expect Vegas to get the job done. Side with them on the money line for our Mammoth vs. Golden Knights prediction.

Mammoth vs Golden Knights Game 5 prediction: Golden Knights ML (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable to -180.

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The Dallas Stars are facing elimination on Thursday night when they face the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 at Grand Casino Arena. The Stars have leaned on their power play significantly so far in this series. In fact, 9 of the 13 goals Dallas has scored in Games 1-5 have come on the man advantage. While it’s certainly a strong sign to see the power play operating at such a high clip, Dallas may be leaning too much on the man advantage. The Stars have not been able to find any offensive momentum playing at even strength, which is a big reason why they find themselves in a 3-2 hole. Without strong 5-on-5 scoring prowess, it’s tough to trust the Dallas offensive attack to light the lamp at a high rate in Game 6.

Instead, look for Dallas to lean on a strong defensive game plan to limit the scoring chances from Kirill Kaprizov and company. That is a tough task, but after an embarrassing defensive showing in Game 1, the Stars have bounced back nicely and made things much more difficult for the Wild. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger is also in fine form, as he owns a solid .916 save percentage since that Game 1 dud. These elimination games tend to result in more conservative play on both ends of the ice, and this Game 6 matchups has the makings of a low-scoring affair. Look to the under.

Stars vs Wild prediction: Under 5.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will contest a crucial Game 5 in their Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night in Tampa. With all to play for at 2-2, my Canadiens vs Lighting pick is Under 5.5. To say that this has been a defensive-minded series would be an understatement. There have not been any shutouts — not even close — but there also haven’t been any scoring binges. Three consecutive matchups have ended with 3-2 scorelines, including 2 that went into overtime at 2-2. Only Game 1 produced more than 5 goals, and the 7 scored in Montreal’s 4-3 series-opening win were largely due to powerplays. A whopping 5 came with the man advantage. In fact, just 13 goals have been scored at 5-on-5 through 4 games; that’s 3.25 per game. If the 2 sides can stay out of the sin bin, another low-scoring affair should be in the cards.

Montreal’s defense has been outstanding in front of goalie Jakub Dobes. Only once has the 24-year-old Czech seen more than 23 shots, and Tampa Bay has put a total of just 37 shots on net over the past 2 contests. Similarly, the Canadiens’ attack has been reduced to fewer than 20 shots on 2 of the 4 occasions. Bolts veteran goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been stellar, which is nothing new for him in the playoffs. The 2-time Stanley Cup winner has allowed just 6 regulation goals over the last 3 games. This comes on the heels of a regular season in which Vasilevskiy went 39-15-4 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He is a big reason why Habs star Cole Caufield, who was responsible for 51 goals and 37 points this season, has been held to only 1 goal in this series and just 2 total points in the past 3 outings.

Canadiens vs Lightning Game 5 prediction: Under 5.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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