NHL Picks

The Detroit Red Wings will take on the Nashville Predators Monday afternoon. The Red Wings are currently ranked 7^th in the Eastern Conference. They are 1-1 since the Olympic break but they faced off against the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes. Those 2 teams lead the league in fewest shots against them. This means that we should see more shots out of the Red Wings today against the Predators. The Red Wings also rank 7^th this season in power play goals with 43 total goals. This should come in handy against the Predators who rank 12 for most power play opportunities against them.

For the Predators, they are also 1-1 since the Olympic break with a win over the Chicago Blackhawks and a loss to the Dallas Stars. On the season, the Predators rank 6^th in goals allowed with 3.44 goals per game. The Predators also give up 29.2 shots per game with a 14^th ranked penalty kill. I suspect we will see the Red Wings find plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net. I think we are getting increased value because of the tough defenses they have faced, but that will not be the case today. I am rolling with the Red Wings on the money line.

Red Wings vs. Predators Prediction: Red Wings ML (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to avoid a 3-game losing streak when they visit the New York Rangers on Monday night. Columbus has been on fire since Rick Bowness took over for Dean Evason behind the bench, but they’ve struggled out of the gate following the Olympic break with back-to-back losses to the Bruins and Islanders. However, the good news is that the offense is still in a groove, as they’ve scored 5 goals over the last 2 games and out-shot Boston 40-22 and New York 30-26. Zach Werenski continues to produce at an elite level, as he enters this contest riding a career-best 9-game point streak. The Rangers have not been a solid defensive team this season, and a lot has been asked of Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. He was dynamite on Saturday against the Penguins, but the Blue Jackets should come out firing an give him all he can handle.

New York’s offensive struggles at home are well-documented, but going up against Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins could present plenty of opportunities. After Jet Greaves started for Columbus on Sunday night against the Islanders, Merzlikins is expected to be in net for this contest at Madison Square Garden. Merzlikins has essentially been regulated to Columbus’ back-up role, as he owns a 3.47 goals-against average to go along with a less-than-ideal .887 save percentage in 22 games this season. Make it a small play, but look to the over in this one.

Blue Jackets vs Rangers prediction: Over 6 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Dallas Stars enter Monday night’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks without one of the best players in the league available. Mikko Rantanen is slated to be out at least 2 weeks with a lower body injury, and it goes without saying that his absence is a big one. Dallas is still plenty capable of putting up great offensive numbers without Rantenen in the mix, but other impact players are nursing injuries as well. Roope Hintz is a game-time decision, and Tyler Seguin is out for the season with a knee injury. Those absences hurt Dallas’ forward depth, and it will be interesting to see how the Stars adjust over the next few weeks. Dallas has been stout defensively since the Olympic break, as they’ve allowed just 3 total goals in 2 games in their return to action. They seem to have another favorable matchup going up against a Vancouver offensive attack that is among the worst in the NHL.

The Canucks have struggled to score goals on a consistent basis all season long. They rank 30th in the NHL scoring 2.51 goals per game, and their power play percentage of 17.9% ranks 24th. That number may even be a bit inflated, as the power play was in much better shape earlier this season when Quinn Hughes was quarterbacking the man advantage. The Canucks have scored just 3 total goals in 2 games after the Olympic break, and the Stars are one of the toughest defensive teams to play against. This has the makings of a low-scoring affair.

Stars vs Canucks prediction: Under 5.5 (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Vegas Golden Knights make the third stop on a 5-game road trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The Golden Knights will be playing at 10 a.m. their time, so keep that in mind for this contest. Vegas suffered a 3-2 loss on Thursday as the Under cashed with Akira Schmid in between the pipes. Adin Hill is likely to be back in goal on Sunday afternoon. The loss dropped the Golden Knights to 3-4-2 in the past 9 games, and 1-4-1 in the past 6 games against Eastern Conference opponents. This is the first of 2 meetings over the next 11 days, as they also meet in Nevada on Nov. 12.

The Penguins were on the short end of a 3-2 shootout loss at Madison Square Garden behind Stuart Skinner on Saturday afternoon. Now, they face the quick turnaround at home on no rest in a day game. Pittsburgh is 3-3-4 in 10 games this season when playing on no rest, while the Over has cashed in six of the past seven games for the Penguins in the second end of a back-to-back situation. The Over is 10-4 in the past 14 games for VGK on the road, too. While it’s an early start for the Golden Knights, expect this total to get across the finish line before the dust settles.

Golden Knights vs Penguins prediction: Over 6.5 (+100) at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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The Chicago Blackhawks will be in Utah on Sunday to take on the Mammoth. The Blackhawks will be on the second half of a back-to-back as they were in Colorado on Saturday facing the Avalanche. The Mammoth were idle on Saturday which should give them a chance to jump on a tired-out team. The Mammoth are well behind the top three teams in the Central Division, so they need to keep winning to maintain their wildcard spot. They are a very good team on home ice, their record is 18-9-2 at the Delta Center. They are coming off a big win against their divisional opponent, the Minnesota Wild; look for them to keep the momentum going against the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, they are averaging 2.61 goals per game and only 24.6 shots on goal, which is ranked last in the NHL. The Mammoth average 2.76 goals against per game, which is 5th best in the NHL. I expect they will be able to shut down the lackluster offense of the Blackhawks. Give me the home team in this one.

Blackhawks vs. Mammoth prediction: Mammoth -1.5 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Winnipeg Jets will take on the San Jose Sharks in a battle of Western Conference foes on Sunday. Both teams are 1-1 since coming back from the Olympic break, and the teams have similar records on the year with the Sharks ranking 11th in the Western Conference and the Jets ranking 12th. In the Jets most recent game, they lost a 2 goal lead against the Anaheim Ducks and ended up dropping the game in overtime. This was an inspiring game for the Jets as they are averaging only 2.86 goals per game this season. While they showed they could score goals, they also showed that their defense is still a major problem. They gave up 3 goals in the 3rd period against the Ducks and it is hard to have faith they will not do that today.

As for the Sharks, they beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in their most recent game. The offense was on fire and found the back of the net with ease. This has been common at home as they have scored 3 goals in 6 of their last 8 home games. They also rank 6th in the NHL in shot percentage with them scoring on 11.8% of their shots. The Sharks also rank 13th in power play goals with 38 this season. On the defensive side, they have struggled this season giving up 3.50 goals per game. In their game against the Oilers, Yaroslav Askarov was incredible and provided the team with a spark. I have a feeling they will bring that same spark into this game. I think the Sharks offense will be too much for the Jets so I am taking San Jose to get the win at home.

Jets vs. Sharks Prediction: Sharks ML (+100) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The St. Louis Blues are starting a four-game road trip with a stop in Minnesota to face the Wild. This game is the tail end of a back-to-back, marking their third game in four nights. The Blues have struggled to generate offense, averaging just over 25 shots and 2.58 goals per game. Additionally, they have had difficulty keeping the puck out of their own net, and their penalty-killing has been equally ineffective. Overall, there isn’t much positivity in their performance this season.

On the other hand, the Wild are competing fiercely for the top spot in the Central Division. They are looking to bounce back from a recent 5-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth and return to their winning ways. The Wild’s offense has been consistent, largely thanks to their power play, which is converting at a 25.8% rate. If the Blues find themselves in penalty trouble, it could turn into a very challenging night for them. With their depth and superior overall roster, we can expect Minnesota to play at a fast pace and score goals consistently.

Blues vs Wild Prediction: Wild -1.5 (+100) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders meet for a Sunday evening showdown in the NHL. These teams have met once this season, in a dominant 4-1 win by the Panthers on home ice in December. Can they repeat that result as the road team? Here is our Panthers vs. Lightning to get you set for the action.

In their one meeting this season, we saw a total of 5 goals scored, which is a total I expect to see in this one. Neither team has shown to be an extremely-high goal scorer, as the Islanders (2.88) and Panthers (3.00) rank 22nd and 19th respectively in NHL goals per game average. On the other side of the puck, New York owns the 4th-best goals against average (2.72) and third-best save percentage (.909). On home ice riding a 2-game winning streak, I think New York will give the Florida offense issues in their efforts to score. Florida has been strong defensively in a short time span, giving up just 4 goals in their two games. This will be a hard-fought and gritty contest, one where I don’t expect a ton of goals. With that in mind, take the under 5.5 for our Panthers vs. Islanders prediction.

Panthers vs. Islanders prediction: Under 5.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number to (-110).

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