NHL Picks

The Washington Capitals are set to host the Minnesota Wild in a Friday night battle at Capital One Arena. The Capitals are riding a 3-game win streak, while the Wild are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Stars. This is a series the Wild have dominated in recent seasons. Minnesota won both matchups against Washington last season, and has won 8 of the last 10 meetings going back to 2019. Washington’s 2 wins in that span came by one goal apiece, with one coming in a shootout.

The Wild have alternated wins and losses through 4 games this season. Consistency with defense and goaltending has been tricky, but with Kirill Kaprizov, offense isn’t hard to come by for Minnesota. Kaprizov is off to a tremendous start this season, as he’s already racked up 9 points on 4 goals and 5 assists through 4 games. Matt Boldy is also off to a great start with 8 points, and rookie defenseman Zeeb Buium hsa been impressive with 5 points on a goal and 4 assists. In what should be a closely-contested matchup, back the Wild with plus-money on the moneyline.

Wild vs Capitals prediction: Wild ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings meet for a Friday night, Atlantic Division battle. This kicks off the first of four matchups this season, and we are in for an intriguing game. The Red Wings are off to an excellent start of 3-1-0, which has them in second place in the division. Tampa Bay meanwhile sits at 1-2-1 in the seventh place position. A Red Wings win could have them in first place in the division, and a strong gap away from the Lightning. It is extremely early, but an interesting storyline nonetheless. Here are our Lightning vs. Red Wings predictions.

A key reason to Tampa Bay’s little success has been their inability to keep the puck out of the net. In just 4 games, they have given up 16 goals. This is not an average I expect to continue, but playing a red hot team in Detroit may not be helpful in this situation. I think the Red Wings should get numerous tellies against the Lightning. They are on home ice, they team has looked excellent, morale is high, and they are getting contributions from a large number of players, especially their key contributors (Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat all with 5+ points). While Detroit’s defensive efforts have been great as well, I think Tampa Bay will join the scoring as well. The Lightning has always been known as an offensive threat, and the same can be said this year as they are averaging over 3 goals per game. The over has hit in 3/4 Tampa Bay games, and I expect it to hit yet again for these Lightning vs. Red Wings predictions.

Lightning vs. Red Wings prediction: Over 6.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that total to (-115).

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The Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are set for a Friday night battle in the Windy City. This could turn into a low-scoring affair. The Canucks are playing the second half of a back-to-back with travel after defeating the Stars in Dallas on Thursday night by a score of 5-2. Offensive consistency continues to be a struggle for Vancouver, who has scored 5 goals in each of its 2 wins this season, and has just 3 combined goals in its 2 losses. Elias Pettersson hasn’t gotten back on track this season, and nobody on the Canucks is averaging more than a point per game. Chicago doesn’t present the most intimidating defensive matchup, but after scoring 5 goals on Thursday, playing on back-to-back nights could yield a lower-scoring effort from the Canucks in this one.

The Blackhawks have looked better so far in 2025, but it’s still tough to get a read on this team at this point in time. The Blackhawks are coming off an 8-goal effort against the Blues, as Connor Bedard (3 assists) and Lukas Reichel (1 goal, 2 assists) led the way with 3 points apiece. Bedard is playing well, but the depth around him remains a concern. Look for the Blackhawks to come back down to Earth after their offensive explosion on Wednesday against St. Louis. Consider the under in this matchup.

Canucks vs Blackhawks prediction: Under 6 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Colorado Avalanche head to Ohio’s capital city to battle the Columbus Blue Jackets, looking to stay unbeaten. Colorado has picked up at least 1 point in all 4 games, collecting 7 out of a possible 8 points. The Avalanche have outscored the opposition 7-2 in 2 road games to date, including a 3-1 victory in Buffalo to kick off the 2-game road trip Monday night. The under has cashed in 3 of 4 games, too, just in case you’re interested in same-game parlays. Scott Wedgewood has done a tremendous job holding down the fort while started MacKenzie Blackwood is sidelined due to injury.

For the Blue Jackets, they’ve dropped 2 of 3 games to date, including a 3-2 loss in the home opener against the New Jersey Devils Monday night as the under cashed behind Jet Greaves. While Greaves has played well, with the Jackets allowing just 5 total goals in his 2 starts, they have managed just 3 goals of offensive support in those outings. The best order of business is backing the Avalanche straight up, as it is the safest play, especially if you’re a bit on the conservative side, but don’t forget to also play the under if you’re an SGP player.

Avalanche vs Blue Jackets prediction: Avalanche ML (-165) at time of publishing. Playable to -175.

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The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers make the 3rd stop on a 5-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Thursday night. Florida has been a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team so far, outscoring the opposition 11-5 in 3 home victories, while losing a pair of road games, getting outscored 9-3. It was especially shocking to see Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers fall 4-1 in Detroit last time out Wednesday night. Now, the Panthers turn to Daniil Tarasov in the second end of the back-to-back against the Devils.

This is the Devils’ home opener after playing their first 3 games on the road. The Devils have won 2 of 3 games to date, scoring 11 goals, and allowing 11 goals. Jacob Markstrom is expected to make his 4th consecutive start, and he always seems to get up for playing the champs. Last season, Markstrom went 1-0-1 with a 0.96 goals-against average (GAA) and sparkling .968 save percentage in 2 starts. Look for New Jersey to fare well against Florida, a team which has struggled badly on the road so far this season. The Panthers are also dropping like flies, as D Dmitry Kulikov is out indefinitely due to an upper-body injury, joining C Sasha Barkov, LW Tomas Nosek and LW Matthew Tkachuk on the shelf.

Panthers vs Devils prediction: Devils ML (-160) at time of publishing. Playable to -170.

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The Nashville Predators make the third start of a four-game Canadian road trip on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens. The results have been mixed, winning 4-1 in Ottawa behind the red-hot Juuse Saros, while falling 7-4 in Toronto against Justus Annunen. The Preds turn back to Saros, so it might be rather challenging for the Canadiens to light the lamp. However, the way Montreal has been going, it should be just fine.

The Canadiens have won three in a row since a 5-2 loss at Toronto to open the season. Both Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault have been hot, while Les Habitants are producing timely goals. The Habs are coming off a 5-4 overtime victory against the Seattle Kraken, their second consecutive one-goal victory. That win over Seattle was in the home opener, as the previous three games were each on the road to open the season. Montreal has dominated this series in recent seasons, going 4-1 in the past five meetings, including a 3-0 victory last season as short ‘dogs at home on Dec. 5 as Jake Evans had a shorthanded goal, Patrik Laine had a power-play goal and Joel Armia notched an empty-net marker, while Montembeault stopped all 29 shots he faced. Look for the Canadiens to get the job done at home again.

Predators vs Canadiens prediction: Canadiens ML (-165) at time of publishing. Playable to -175.

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The New York Rangers have already set a record this season. The Rangers became the first team to be shutout in each of their first 3 home games to start the season. The Rangers have yet to score a goal in front of their fans at Madison Square Garden, but the good news is that Thursday’s contest against the Maple Leafs is on the road. New York has scored 10 goals through 2 road games, potting 4 at Buffalo and 6 at Pittsburgh. Toronto has allowed 15 goals through 4 games this season, which is the 5th-most in the league. Despite their home struggles, look for the Rangers to put forth a better offensive output on the road in this one.

While the Maple Leafs have allowed plenty of goals, they have also scored plenty of goals. In fact, Toronto’s 17 goals are the most in the league so far this season. The Maple Leaf superstars are off to hot starts, as William Nylander has 7 points already and Auston Matthews has potted a trio of goals. The Rangers haven’t given up many goals thanks to the stellar play of Igor Shesterkin, but going on the road to Toronto is a tough task. Look to the over in this one.

Rangers vs Maple Leafs prediction: Over 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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The Ottawa Senators are looking to rebound after an 8-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. Ottawa won the season opener against Tampa Bay, but things have gone down hill since then. The Senators have dropped 3 straight games and are now playing without Brady Tkachuk, who will be sidelined for at least 4 weeks. The good news is that it’s likely that Ottawa faces Seattle backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer in this one after Joey Daccord got the start in Seattle’s first 3 games. Grubauer posted a less-than-ideal 3.49 GAA and .875 save percentage over 26 games last season.

The Kraken have scored 9 goals through 3 games, and are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Canadiens on Tuesday. Jared McCann and Vince Dunn are leading the way with 4 points each so far this season. The Kraken don’t necessarily have a superstar forward, but they have solid depth and added a great piece in Mason Marchment over the offseason. Both teams should be able to generate enough scoring chances to take this one over the total. Make it a small play, but look to the over.

Kraken vs Senators prediction: Over 5.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Winnipeg Jets wrap up a quick 2-game road trip in Philadelphia against the Flyers. The Jets picked up a 5-2 victory against the New York Islanders to win the front end of the trip behind backup tendy Eric Comrie. A well-rested Connor Hellebuyck, the 2-time Vezina Trophy winner, will be back in the crease tonight. In his most recent start, he bounced back from a shaky loss to Dallas in the opener, topping the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Saturday night as he outdueled Darcy Kuemper.

The road team has won 5 of the past 6 meetings in this series since Jan. 22, 2023. While Winnipeg posted a 4-1 win in the most recent meeting in Philadelphia on March 6, the Flyers have inexplicably won 4 of the past 5 meetings in the series — including a pair of shutout wins. The Flyers have allowed 1 or no goals in those 4 victories, too. Samuel Ersson is expected to go, and as crazy as it sounds, the home team is worth a roll of the dice against last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winning team and their Vezina Trophy winning goaltender. Take Philadelphia at plus-money, as it is a solid value.

Jets vs Flyers prediction: Flyers ML (+120) at time of publishing. Playable to +110.

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The Edmonton Oilers are riding a 2-game winning streak and are coming off a 2-0 shutout victory against the New York Rangers. They will head to Long Island next to take on the New York Islanders. The Oilers should be undefeated on the season if it weren’t for a mental error by netminder Stuart Skinner. We have yet to see the true offensive power that this Oilers team possesses, but going up against the Islanders provides a good opportunity for it to be on full display. The Islanders are struggling defensively to begin the season, allowing 4.33 goals per game. Their penalty kill operates at 70.0%, which simply won’t be good enough to keep the lethal Oilers powerplay off the scoresheet if they get on the man advantage.

To combine with their extremely poor defensive play, their offense has been struggling, which seems to be the usual for the Islanders in recent years. They have scored just 2.33 goals per game to begin the season. Their defense is not good enough to keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off of the scoresheet long enough for themselves to score. I am going to ride with the veteran Oilers lineup in this one and take them on the three-way money line.

Oilers vs. Islanders prediction: Oilers 3-way ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars hit the ice as part of an 11-game slate in the NHL on Thursday. Dallas has shown pure perfection to start their season, boasting a 3-0-0 record. Vancouver, on the other hand, has not been so hot — going 1-2-0 to kick things off. It is the first of 3 meetings this season and should bring us great hockey action. Here are our Canucks vs. Stars predictions.

The Canucks have an extra day of rest compared to the Stars, but I don’t see it mattering much. They enter an extremely tough building in which Dallas will play its 2nd-straight game, and they are playing one of the NHL’s true powerhouses. All 3 of Dallas’ wins have come against significant threats (Colorado, Winnipeg, Minnesota), which shows they are taking care of their biggest challenges. Vancouver has good potential to be a breakout team this season, but this is a major test as they just don’t match in depth or star talent. Take the Dallas Stars to win in regulation for our Canucks vs. Stars prediction, as I expect them to keep up their momentum.

Canucks vs. Stars prediction: Dallas Stars 3-way money line (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-140).

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Thursday in the NHL brings us a matchup between the Boston Bruins (3-1-0) and Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-2). It is an important 2 points in the standings for each, and should be a great game. This is Boston’s 2nd road game of the season after a 3-game homestead, and it certainly won’t be an easy one. To get you set for the action, here are our Bruins vs. Golden Knights predictions.

The season is early, but Boston has already been a surprise with their exceptional play. Their most surprising facet has been their defensive results. They have given up just 9 goals in 4 games, which also includes an overtime matchup. Vegas has scored 14 goals in 4 games, with 3 of those having extra time — so they haven’t necessarily been filling the net. Neither has Boston, who has scored 13 goals in 4 games. I think the current trends of low-scoring will continue in this matchup until each team finds their offensive stride. Both teams have played very well early on, so this should be a tight finish that requires high effort. For our Bruins vs. Golden Knights prediction, take the under 6.0 goals.

Bruins vs. Golden Knights prediction: Under 6.0 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-115) at that total.

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The Carolina Hurricanes continue their 6-game Western Conference road-trip with a stop to take on the Anaheim Ducks. Carolina has looked incredible to start the season, posting a 3-0-0 record, including a dominating win (5-1 against the San Jose Sharks) to start this major road trip. The Ducks (2-1-0) are on a 2-game winning streak, but have a tough task here. We have provided some insight with our Hurricanes vs. Ducks prediction.

Both teams may be on respective winning streaks, but it is evident that the strengths of these teams are much different. Carolina has built a usual playoff contender, as its organization has made it past the first round of the playoffs in 5 straight years, and has made the playoffs overall in 7 straight. The same expectation is here this season, as they continue to bolster their lineup and make necessary roster changes. They are deep with a mix of veterans and young guns, and can beat you in all aspects of the game, including with strong coaching. Anaheim is on their way to this strength and consistency, but are currently in the thick of a rebuild. Their 2 wins have come against middling teams (Pittsburgh and San Jose), and they may get a rude awakening here. Take the Hurricanes puck line for our Hurricanes vs. Ducks prediction.

Hurricanes vs. Ducks prediction: Carolina Hurricanes money line -1.5 (+135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that line to (+120).

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After falling to the Ducks by allowing a late 3rd period goal on Tuesday, the Penguins are set to continue their 4-game west coast road trip with a tilt against the Kings on Thursday night. The Penguins started the 2025 season with a pair of wins, but have dropped 2 consecutive games since then. Pittsburgh’s 2-0 start was a bit surprising, as the Penguins are expected to endure a long 2025-26 campaign. In this matchup, the Penguins simply don’t have the offensive depth that the Kings possess. Even with Anze Kopitar sidelined, the likes of Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield give Los Angeles the edge offensively in this one.

Pittsburgh’s goaltending situation is also a bit worrisome. Artus Silvos and Tristan Jarry both have 2 starts on the season, and both have GAA’s north of 3.00 with save percentages lower than .895. The defensive unit isn’t great in front of them either, which only makes life more difficult. The Kings dropped their season opener at home to the Avalanche by a score of 4-1, and are coming off a 3-game road trip. Returning back home to Los Angeles, look for the Kings to take care of the Penguins in regulation.

Penguins vs Kings prediction: Kings 3-Way ML (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable to -140.

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