NHL Parlays

Linus Ullmark has been on a great run lately for the Senators, including this past weekend when he won both games on a back-to-back. Ottawa will need its goaltending to step up if they are going to make a push to the last wildcard, but with Ullmark playing on Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, it’s extremely likely that they’ll give the reins to James Reimer for the matchup with the Islanders.

Nearly every game has been a must-win for the Senators, which is why Reimer has just three starts in the past two months. Ottawa has been leaning heavily on Ullmark, and it is starting to pay off. However, you can’t look past the veteran Reimer, who has won his last two starts (which were 32 days apart) and had a 16-save shutout in his most recent start against the Vancouver Canucks. The Islanders’ goaltending situation is a bit more unclear, as Patrick Roy has been using both goalies regularly, while Ilya Sorokin stands out statistically over David Rittich.

If Sorokin stars on Thursday, the Islanders hold a clear edge in the goaltending battle. Both teams have been red hot with seven wins in their last 10 games, but the Senators having to play the second night of their back-to-back with a goaltender who played two games over the past 2 months, seem like a massive edge toward Sorokin, who is one of the top candidates for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Given their recent form on home ice, the Senators are a scary proposition, but the Islanders are the team waiting in Ottawa while the Senators fly back from Washington early Thursday morning. If the Islanders are the underdog here, the value is too good not to take them.

Islanders vs Senators prediction: Islanders ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable to (+110).

The Montreal Canadiens will take on the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night. These are 2 very evenly matched teams with the Canadiens sitting at 4th in the Eastern Conference and the Red Wings sitting at 7th. In the past 5 games, both teams have scored 14 goals while giving up 13, the only difference is that the Canadiens have won 3 games compared to the Red Wings 2 games. Additionally, these teams have met twice this year and have split the series. The interesting thing is that the away team won both previous head-to-head matchups.

In finding an edge, I lean toward the Canadiens. On the season they are averaging 3.49 goals per game which ranks them 4th in the NHL. The Canadiens also score on 13.2% of their shots compared to the Red Wings 10.4% of shots. The Red Wings have also lost 5 of their last 6 at home. The Canadiens offense has found a way of scoring away from home with them scoring 22 goals over their last 5 away games. Overall, I trust the Canadiens offense and away form more than I trust the Red Wings. I am taking the Canadiens on the money line.

Canadiens vs Red Wings prediction: Canadiens ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Edmonton Oilers will be hosting the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. The Oilers come into this game riding a two-game winning streak, however they will be without one of their horses, Leon Draisaitl. He is set to miss majority of, if not all of the Oilers remaining regular season games. Going into action on Wednesday, the Oilers are sitting tied for the lead in the Pacific Division. Winning the division is important to avoid a potential first-round matchup with the Anaheim Ducks or the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid is going to have to elevate his game even further in Draisaitl’s absence if the Oilers are going to finish this season strong. McDavid is more than capable of doing this.

Hosting the Panthers will be no easy game, but the Oilers are very good on home ice. They are 18-11-4 at Rogers Place this season. They are also capable of out scoring their defensive mistakes as they average 3.52 goals per game. This is third-best in the NHL. I expect a strong showing from the Oilers. Give me them on the money line.

Panthers vs Oilers prediction: Oilers ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.