NHL Picks

The Olympic break is finally over and tonight we will see the Buffalo Sabres take on the New Jersy Devils. The Sabres currently sit at 6^th place in the Easten Conference. They also rank 8^th in the NHL with 3.37 goals per game. This is wild consider the Sabres ranked 14^th in the Eastern Conference last year. Part of this shift is due to an increase in productive goaltending. This season the Sabres have a goalie save percentage of .897, ranking them 8^th in the NHL. This is a stark improvement that they will look to build on following the break.

For the Devils, they have been on a downward slide this season. They currently rank 15^th in the Eastern Conference when they ended last season at 7^th with a playoff spot. This downhill spiral can be contributed to their inability to score goals. On the season, they rank 31^st in goals per game with only 2.51 goals. This lack of scoring is partly due to the poor shots they take. On the season they have only scored on 8.6% of their shots. Making matters worse, they rank in the bottom half of the NHL in penalty kill percentage and the Sabres have scored 34 power play goals this season. Given this difficulty to score and the Sabres improved goaltending this season, I am rolling with the Sabres to get the win Wednesday night.

Sabres vs. Devils Prediction: Sabres ML (-105) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The NHL is back and brings us eight exciting matchups, including a battle between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. These Atlantic Division teams have played just once this season, in a 2-0 Toronto win. How will this one play out? Here is our Maple Leafs vs. Lightning prediction.

This is a star-studded matchup, but key pieces to Toronto’s lineup is in question. While he is expected to play, Auston Matthews’ availability is in question due to a busy schedule and possible rest requirements after his Olympic gold medal win on Sunday. John Tavares (illness) could also see himself out of the lineup. Meanwhile, Brayden Point returns to the Lightning lineup, along with Victor Hedman who was injured during the Olympics. While Tampa Bay boasts the better roster regardless if Matthews and Tavares suit up, Toronto was on an absolute heater before the Olympics, with a three-game winning streak. Make no mistake, the Maple Leafs will have a tough time securing a victory on the road  against this powerhouse, but their momentum and playoff desire should propel a good effort. The time is now if Toronto wants to salvage their season, and with a win against the Lightning already this season, they should be able to at least keep this one close. For our Maple Leafs vs. Lightning prediction, take Toronto’s +1.5 puck line.

Maple Leafs vs. Lightning prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs +1.5 (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable at that line to (-150).

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The Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings kick off their post-Olympics stretch with a major division rivalry. The Pacific Division opponents meet for the fourth and final time this season, as Vegas looks to win their third-straight against Los Angeles. Here is our Golden Knights vs. Kings prediction to get you set for the action.

While the Olympics generated a regular season-ending injury to key forward Kevin Fiala, the Kings have yet to see newly-acquired star Artemi Panarin in the lineup, but they will here. I expect a big buzz from the crowd as this team makes a major push towards the playoffs, and what a better way to start than taking down the division leaders. This is no easy task, but I expect the Kings to have fresh legs, and their roster should match up well as Vegas will be without USA gold medal winners in Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. This is an opportunity for Los Angeles to pounce, and I say they do so. For our Golden Knights vs. Kings prediction, we are siding with the home team in Los Angeles on the money line.

Golden Knights vs. Kings prediction: Los Angeles Kings money line (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-165).

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The Winnipeg Jets are set to begin the post-Olympic slate on the road against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night. Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck won Gold with Team USA in Italy, with Hellebuyck putting together an unforgettable performance between the pipes through the tournament and in the Gold medal game against Canada. Not surprisingly, Hellebuyck will get Wednesday night off in Vancouver, as Jets head coach Scott Arniel has already announced that Eric Comrie will get the starting nod in net. Comrie has won just 9 of his 19 starts on the season, and he has struggled on the road. More specifically, Comrie’s save percentage drops from .903 at home to .880 on the road, and his goals-against average goes from 2.62 to 3.64.

Vancouver’s offensive attack is among the lowest-scoring in the NHL, but they seem to have a much more favorable matchup going up against Comrie as opposed to Hellebuyck. Winnipeg defensemen Josh Morrissey will also be unavailable for this contest, as he suffered an upper body injury in the first game of the Olympics and never returned to the ice the rest of the tournament. Morrissey is a bonafide star No. 1 defenseman, and his absence is a big loss for a Winnipeg team that was already struggling mightily this season. Make it a small play, but consider fading the Jets on the road and backing the Canucks in this Western Conference matchup.

Jets vs Canucks prediction: Canucks ML (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.