NHL Picks

It has been an ugly week for the Boston Bruins offense, as three consecutive games with only one goal have them in a losing skid, with the only saving grace being that all the teams chasing them have also been losing crucial games. The Bruins’ lack of talent up front hasn’t been an issue all season, and it looks like it could finally be catching up to them at the worst time.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ offense hasn’t been a problem for them, and the first-place team in the Metropolitan Division is peaking at the right time as the playoffs approach. The team has largely underachieved in past postseasons under Rod Brind’Amour, but a wide-open Eastern Conference has the coach believing this could be the year they finally break through. If they can get some goaltending, which might depend on Frederik Andersen staying healthy, it’s hard to bet against them.

Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo have been doing much of the heavy lifting with the Bruins’ push to the playoffs, and that isn’t likely to change in this game. Carolina’s game plan is to suppress their opponents’ shots and throw everything they can at the net on offense. Swayman is up to the task to have a 35-save game, but the Bruins might not generate much to help him if Carolina only allows 20 shots like most nights. It has all the makings of another low-scoring game for the Bruins, and what could be a wake-up call for a potential first-round matchup.

Bruins vs Hurricanes prediction: Under 6.5 (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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Tuesday night’s matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings truly feels like a loser-goes-home affair, as both teams have fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff race due to poor stretches of play. The Blue Jackets were playing with house money after they sat near the bottom of the league before the hiring of Rick Bowness, so missing the playoffs will be disappointing but franchise-altering. However, the Red Wings were once the top team in the Atlantic Division, but yet another March meltdown has raised all kinds of questions about the roster and management. The Blue Jackets were becoming fan favorites because of their strength in an improbable run back to the playoff picture. Bowness was even getting Jack Adams Trophy recognition at one point, until a recent 3-6-1 stretch has the team in a free-fall and the interim head coach questioning their compete in post-game pressers. Columbus feels like a team falling apart, but the Red Wings have a similar outlook.

Detroit has a similar 4-6-0 stretch, but their most demoralizing loss came on Sunday when they were down 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild, mounted a furious three-goal comeback in the third period, but choked it away after a brutal penalty from Patrick Kane in the dying minutes set up Kirill Kaprizov to score his hat-trick goal on the powerplay. It wasn’t a great way for the Red Wings’ playoff chances to potentially end, but it could become a rallying point if they can dust themselves off and grab a win against the Blue Jackets at home. It’s hard to feel overly confident in either of these teams, but the Blue Jackets getting called out by Bowness recently and the Red Wings having home-ice advantage here makes me lean toward Detroit.

Blue Jackets vs Red Wings prediction: Detroit ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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The Florida Panthers head to Bell Centre to tangle with the Montreal Canadiens, and my how the roles have reversed since the past couple of seasons. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers have just 77 points through 77 games, and they’ve been eliminated from the playoffs, while the Montreal Canadiens are jockeying for position at the top of the Atlantic Division, just 2 points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres with 100 points. Montreal is one of just four teams in the Eastern Conference with triple digits, and a big part of its success has been a 23-8-8 road record. The Habs have been a little more beatable at home, but they still have a respectable 22-14-2 mark at Bell Centre, while the Panthers are a dismal 16-22-0 on the road with a minus-32 goal differential overall.

Montreal has won eight of its past 10 games, as it has surged into position for a possible home-ice advantage situation in the first round of the playoffs. But, it still has work to do. Surprisingly, even when the Panthers were winning, they’ve dropped seven in a row in the series to the Canadiens, including four straight trips to Montreal. The Habs have won three of the past four home games by at least two goals. As such, play the puck line, rather than risking more than two times your potential return on the money line.

Panthers vs Canadiens prediction: Montreal -1.5 (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable to +105.

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The Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils will battle in an absolutely crucial contest for Eastern Conference playoff positioning on Tuesday night in New Jersey. Philadelphia occupies the #3 spot in the Metropolitan Division and is just 1 point inside the current playoff cut line. As for the Devils, it’s just about over for them — 7 points behind the Flyers in the standings. That’s not to say New Jersey has waived the white flag, but urgency is greater for Philly — and that team is playing like it. The Flyers are 14-5-1 in their last 20 games and come into this one on a 2-game winning streak after defeating the Bruins 2-1 in overtime on Sunday. Dan Vladar is expected to make his third straight start for Philadelphia. He is 26-13-7 this season with a 2.43 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.

This marks the third head-to-head meeting between these 2 teams in 2025-26. Philly has absolutely dominated the matchup so far, prevailing 6-3 at home on November 22 and 5-3 in New Jersey on November 29. There is no sign of the Devils turning the tide, as they have alternated wins and losses over their past 7 contests. They have not won back-to-back games since March 24-26 — a feat they are looking to accomplish after beating Montreal 3-0 this past weekend. New Jersey is likely sending Jakob Markstrom to the net on Tuesday. Markstrom has lost 2 of his last 3 starts and comes in with a 23-18-1 record in addition to a 3.04 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. It’s also worth noting that Philadelphia is better on the road (21-13-4) than it is at home (18-13-8). The Flyers are playing inspired hockey regardless of the venue these days, so look for their momentum — and their recent head-to-head dominance of the Devils — to continue.

Flyers vs Devils prediction: Philadelphia ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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The Dallas Stars will be hosting the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Although the Stars first round playoff matchup has been determined for much of the season already, they still have something to play for. They are sitting two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for second place in the Central Division. Second place in the division would give them home ice advantage in their first-round matchup with the Wild. The Stars will have this game against the Flames circled on their calendar as a must win. The Flames are the second-worst offensive team in the league, averaging 2.57 goals per game, and will have difficulty keeping up with the scoring of the Stars. The Flames are also brutal on the road. They are 11-24-3 away from the Saddledome this season.

The veteran lineup of the Stars should dominate this game with home ice in the first round of the playoffs on their mind. I expect them to be leading this game late into regulation time, bringing in the chance for an empty net goal if needed. Give me the Stars on the puck line.

Flames vs Stars prediction: Dalls -1.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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For the second time in three days, the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues hit the ice in the NHL. These Central Division opponents played on Sunday in a 3-2 Blues win, which went a long way for their slim but alive playoff hopes. How will this one shake out? Here is an Avalanche vs Blues prediction to help find out.

It is well-known that Colorado is a front runner for this year’s Stanley Cup, but they need to regain some momentum as the season closes. They are now 2-3-0 in their last five games, which includes three regulation losses on home ice to teams not currently clinched in the playoffs. I expect a better effort from this team who can typically score 3+ goals, and return the favour of a loss as a road team. They have also been elite on the road at 26-7-5. St. Louis is now 6-1-2 in their last nine games, but not many teams could beat Colorado in 2 straight games. I’m siding with Colorado for my Avalanche vs Blues prediction.

Avalanche vs Blues prediction: Colorado ML (-155) available at time of publishing. Playable to -170.

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The Seattle Kraken will take on the Minnesota Wild Tuesday night. The Kraken are coming off a brutal 6-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Kraken have now lost 9 of their last 10 games. At one point the Kraken were in the running for the playoffs but then hit this slump. On the season, they are only averaging 2.79 goals per game on 25.5 shots. This shot average ranks them 31st in the NHL while only scoring on 10.9% of their shots this season. These offensive struggles have been present over the past 10 games as they have only scored 21 goals in that time. Making matters worse, they have given up 44 goals over the last 10 games. The Kraken are on a downhill slope that does not seem to be slowing down.

For the Wild, they have officially advanced to the playoffs. They currently rank third in the Western Conference though they are only 2 points behind the Dallas Stars. On the season the most impressive play for the Wild has been on defense. The Wild defense ranks fourth in the NHL only giving up 2.83 goals per game. The goaltenders rank second in the NHL with a saver percentage of .904 this season. Overall, the Wild are motivated and have an elite defense while the Kraken are sliding and struggle to score. I am taking the Wild on the puck line.

Kraken vs Wild prediction: Minnesota -1.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Utah Mammoth are set to meet for the third and final time this season on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. Edmonton won the first 2 meetings 6-3 and 5-2, but this matchup could produce a different results. The Oilers reeled off 5 straight wins last week but enter this contest coming off a 5-1 loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday. The Oilers have made a habit of being a bit boom-or-bust this season, and this road matchup presents a tough challenge for Connor McDavid and company to get back on track.

The Mammoth have been great on home ice all season long, but they have lost their last 2 games at Delta Center. The good news is that they are coming off a 3-game road trip that resulted in 3 straight wins. The Utah offense is firing on all cylinders, having scored 19 total goals over those 3 games. Goaltending continues to be an issue for Edmonton, so the Utah offense appears to have a solid advantage in this one. This will also be Edmonton’s first road game since March 26, so it could be a bit out of sorts early on. Playing on home ice, look for the Mammoth to find the win column.

Oilers vs Mammoth prediction: Utah ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

On Tuesday night in the NHL, the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks square up. Neither team has clinched a playoff spot, but both are highly-involved in a nine-team race within the Western Conference. We are here to provide our expert Predators vs. Ducks prediction for this very influential matchup.

Nashville is playing in their second road game in as many nights. They battled hard in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and are now facing a quick turnaround and a matchup against a tougher team. While the are fighting for their lives, Anaheim could officially punch their ticket tonight if things go their way. They should be fully motivated and ready to pounds on their opponent who may not have their legs. This is especially true as Anaheim is struggling (0-4-1 run), and are absolutely desperate for a win. Nashville has been poor on the road at 16-16-6, giving Anaheim a great chance to improve on their 23-12-3 home record. The Ducks have already beat the Predators this season in a commanding 5-2 win in October, and while we may not see another blowout, I expect the same team to come out on top. Take Anaheim on the money line for our Predators vs. Ducks prediction.

Predators vs Ducks prediction: Ducks ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to -160.