NHL Picks

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals will play the 2nd half of a home-and-home on Sunday afternoon, with the Capitals taking an unsurprising 6-3 win on Saturday. While the Penguins have been a much better team than the Capitals overall this season, Pittsburgh’s place in the standings allowed them to sit nearly all their top players in the first matchup. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang headlined the group that sat and watched their team take on Alexander Ovechkin in what could be his last game in Pittsburgh.

It is unclear whether the Penguins will dress any of those players on Sunday, but with them failing to do it at home, it’s hard to see them go on the road and play 24 hours later. The decision wouldn’t be a popular one for hockey fans who want to see a Crosby vs Ovechkin matchup one more time, but if the cards fall correctly for the Capitals, we could see it in the first round of the playoffs.

The Capitals’ fate is in the Philadelphia Flyers’ hands, as they’d need the Flyers to record just one of a possible 4 points over their final 2 games, with the Capitals needing to win both games. Given the circumstances of the game Sunday in Pittsburgh, I’m going to take Washington to continue to take care of their own business on Sunday afternoon.

Penguins vs Capitals prediction: Capitals ML (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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The Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets hit the ice on Sunday night in the NHL. Boston has defeated Columbus twice this season, and will look to sweep the season series as they look to tune up for the playoffs. To get you set for all the action, here is our Bruins vs. Blue Jackets prediction.

Columbus is in do-or-die territory. Each game is must-win as they have just two remaining and are in a tight race for a playoff spot. They did the right thing last night in a strong 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, and I see them on the winning side yet again. Both teams are playing in their second game in as many nights and were forced to travel overnight, but Columbus will have home ice advantage in this one. Boston is 0-3-2 in their last five games, showing they have taken their foot off the gas after clinching a playoff spot. As for Columbus, each game should be their absolute top effort to stay alive. Winning two of their last three show they are taking things serious. Take Columbus on the money line and to answer the bell and keep their playoff hopes alive for our Bruins vs. Blue Jackets prediction.

Bruins vs. Blue Jackets prediction: Columbus Blue Jackets money line (-150) available at time of publication. Playable to (-165).

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The Montral Canadiens will take on the New York Islanders Sunday night. These teams have faced off twice this year, with each team collecting a victory. The Canadiens currently sit at 4^th place in the Eastern Conference. On the season, they are averaging 3.43 goals per game on just 26.4 shots per game. The Canadiens rank 2^nd in shotting percentage, scoring on 13% of their shots. The Canadiens are coming off a tough loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets but have won 8 of their last 10 overall. Additionally, the Canadiens have won 5 straight away games.

For the Islanders, they currently sit at 12^th in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders are hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive in this one. A loss here would officially eliminate them from playoff contention. The issue is that the Islanders are slumping. They have lost 5 of their last 6 overall and 3 of their last 4 at home. The Islanders rank 24^th in the NHL with 2.87 goals per game. The Islanders also give up 2.87 goals per game. Overall, the motivation is high for both teams, but I think the Canadiens will look to improve their playoff spot. I am taking the Canadiens on the money line.

Canadiens vs. Islanders Prediction: Montreal Canadiens ML (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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On Sunday night in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils clash. At this point in the season, both teams know their fate, after Ottawa claimed a playoff spot yesterday, and New Jersey was eliminated from playoff contention less than a week ago. Here is our Senators vs. Devils prediction to see how this may play out.

Ottawa’s offensive efforts have been excellent as of late, scoring 20 goals over their last four games (5.00 per game). This adds to their overall strong offense this season, where they rank 8th at 3.36 per game. They now hit the road to face a team whose defense has been poor, allowing 13 goals in their last three games (4.33 per game). New Jersey allows 3.08 goals per game and has a penalty kill below 80%, so Ottawa may have some ease in their offensive pursuit. I do see the Devils joining in on the offense on home ice against the second-worst save percentage in the NHL (.881). For our Senators vs. Devils prediction, we expect a high-scoring result, so take the over 6.0.

Senators vs. Devils prediction: Over 6.0 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that total to (-135).

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The Vancouver Canucks conclude their California road trip with a game against the Anaheim Ducks. They recently secured a 4-3 overtime victory against the San Jose Sharks, but this game follows a back-to-back situation and is the 3rd game in 4 nights, which may lead to fatigue. This young team is also dealing with a significant number of injuries, and, with not much left to play for, it may be challenging to motivate them.

On the other hand, Anaheim still has an outside chance of winning the division, but they need to string together some wins. They are coming off an impressive 6-1 victory against the Sharks and may welcome back Cutter Gauthier, who has been sidelined due to injury. The Ducks have no trouble scoring, but they struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Fortunately for them, the Canucks are among the worst offensive teams, so goaltender Lukas Dostal may not be very busy. However, the Ducks need to come out strong and take control of the game. Given what’s at stake, expect the Ducks to secure the win and cover the puck line.

Canucks vs Ducks Prediction: Anaheim Ducks -1.5 (-125) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Calgary Flames are set to host the Utah Mammoth for their final meeting of the season. Utah has already secured a playoff spot and, since it cannot catch the teams ahead of it in the standings, may choose to rest some players. As this will be their last road game of the season, resting players could be a viable option. Vitek Vanecek is expected to start in goal for Utah, although his overall performance this season has not been impressive.

Meanwhile, the Flames are returning home after another disappointing road trip. They have 3 games left to finish the year, all on home ice. The Flames have performed better in front of their fans, boasting a home record of 21-12-5. Dustin Wolf is likely to start in goal for Calgary. Although he has struggled this season, his home performances have been significantly better than his road performances.

Given the circumstances, this matchup is likely to be a low-scoring affair, which plays to Calgary’s advantage. We believe the Flames have a slight edge in this game.

Mammoth vs Flames Prediction: Calgary Flames ML (+135) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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