NHL Picks

The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night at KeyBank Center. The Blue Jackets held a playoff spot not too long ago, but a 3-6-1 stretch over their last 10 games now has them on the outside looking in. Columbus is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over Detroit on Tuesday, but the Red Wings are also spiraling. Going on the road to face the Sabres presents a much tougher challenge for Rick Bowness’ squad. The Sabres are a strong 25-10-4 at home this season, and now that a playoff spot is secured, the fans in Buffalo are sure to create a raucous environment for this contest.

The Blue Jackets have scored just 2 power play goals over their last 10 games, which doesn’t create a whole lot of confidence in their ability to take advantage of their chances on the man advantage. The Sabres seem to have the advantage on the power play, as their conversion rate of 24.% at home this season is good for 7th in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have won the previous 2 matchups between these teams this season, but the last meeting came back on January 3. The Sabres have reached another gear and are much-improved since then, while the Blue Jackets are trending in the wrong direction. Playing on home ice, look for the Sabres to find the win column in this one.

Blue Jackets vs Sabres prediction: Buffalo Sabres ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will be visiting the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night in what could be a potential first round playoff matchup in only a few weeks time. Heading into action on Wednesday night, the Canadiens, Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres are all tied at the top of the Atlantic Division with 102 points. With only 4 games remaining, winning this game is crucial for winning the division or finishing in 2nd and securing home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

This is a battle between 2 high-flying offensive teams. The Canadiens are 6th in the NHL, averaging 3.45 goals for per game, and the Lightning are 2nd in the league, averaging 3.55 goals per game. There is no shortage of skill in this game, highlighted by Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel for the Lightning, and Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for the Canadiens. There is solid goaltending at both ends of the ice, but there is too much offensive talent out there for a low-scoring game.

I am anticipating a high-scoring, exciting game between these talented teams as they battle it out for an important 2 points. Give me the over in this one.

Lightning vs. Canadiens prediction: Over 6.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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An intriguing matchup awaits on Thursday night when the Minnesota Wild face the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Both teams have cleared the 100-point mark on the season, as Minnesota enters this contest with 102 points and Dallas enters with 104. Plus, it’s already known that these teams will face each other in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. That should make for a thrilling series, but each team has to finish out the regular season first.

Both of these offenses are capable of lighting the lamp early and often, but both teams possess strong defensive units that are capable of providing some resistance. On the season, Dallas ranks 2nd in the NHL allowing 2.69 goals per game, while Minnesota isn’t far behind ranking 4th allowing 2.82 goals per game. Both penalty kills have been effective as well, and the Wild enter this matchup having allowed just a single power play goal over their last 6 games. On the other side, the Stars are killing off over 82% of opposing power plays over their last 10 games. Furthermore, with their playoff matchup already locked in, it would be a bit surprising to see extreme offensive urgency from either side in this one. With a total of 6, the under is the play.

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

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The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have played 3 games this season against one another, and all 3 have been high-scoring one-goal games. Anaheim won 7-6 in overtime back on October 11, while San Jose won 5-4 on December 29 and 4-3 on April 1. All of those games went over the listed total, but the total number of goals scored decreased from one game to the next. It’s clear these teams are figuring each other out, which could lead to a lower-scoring game in this Thursday night matchup.

The Ducks are especially struggling on offense right now, as they are scoring just 2.3 goals per game over their current 6-game losing streak. Furthermore, the power plays for the Sharks and Ducks are in a bit of a rut. San Jose is 0-for-8 on the man advantage over its last 3 games, while Anaheim is just 1-for-15 on the power play over its last 4 contests. Without strong special teams production, it’s tough to see this one going over the listed total of 6.5. Make it a small play considering the previous matchups between these teams this season, but consider the under.

Sharks vs Ducks prediction: Under 6.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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The Buffalo Sabres are travelling to Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers for the final time this season. Buffalo is currently tied with Tampa Bay and Montreal for the top spot in the division, making every remaining game feel like a must-win. They have shown some strong performances lately, but the consistency we saw after the change in General Manager hasn’t been as sharp. Coming off a significant win against the Lightning, they will want to build on that momentum.

The Rangers, on the other hand, are situated at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. However, they have won 4 of their last 5 games, all on home ice—something they struggled with during the first month of the season. Notably, they have allowed just 4 goals in those victories, and in their one loss to Montreal, they only conceded 3. Their strong defensive play is largely thanks to Igor Shesterkin, who continues to post impressive numbers. There’s enough confidence to support New York in this matchup, but it won’t be easy. We’ll take a slight lean on the money line and hope they can secure another 2 points.

Sabres vs Rangers prediction: Rangers ML (+120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Washington Capitals will be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive when they are on the road in Toronto taking on the Maple Leafs. The Capitals will enter Wednesday nights action sitting five points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining on their schedule. Needless to say, this is a must win game for them. They will be going up against a Maple Leafs team that is eliminated from the playoff race and playing for pride at this point in the season. The Maple Leafs are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, which should give the Capitals an easier time to capitalize on their opportunities. The Maple Leafs are allowing 3.52 goals against per game, which is fourth-worst in the NHL.

The Capitals will be playing with desperation on Wednesday knowing they need every point from here on out. A little extra motivation will be provided from the fact that it may be Alex Ovechkin’s final season. Give me the hungry Capitals in this one.

Capitals vs Maple Leafs prediction: Capitals ML (-155) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Edmonton Oilers continue their road trip with a stop in San Jose to face the Sharks. They are coming off a tough 6-5 overtime loss to Utah. The Oilers were leading 3-1 after the first period, but Tristan Jarry and the team fell apart in the second half. With no playoff spot secured yet, the Oilers need to find a way to end their losing streak quickly.

On the other hand, San Jose is still looking for a chance to get into the playoff race, but they’ve made significant progress in the last ten days, winning four of their last five games. Macklin Celebrini is clearly the best player on the Sharks, and the Oilers know that if they can shut him down, they can effectively limit San Jose’s offense. Expect the Oilers to pay close attention to the 19-year-old star.

Conversely, the Sharks are well aware that Connor McDavid is the player to watch for Edmonton. They cannot afford to get into a high-scoring battle with him and the Oilers, so they need to tighten up their defence. The previous three matchups between these teams have seen at least 7 goals scored, but given the significance of this game, it’s possible both teams will focus on limiting scoring chances. If the goaltending holds up, this could turn into a low-scoring affair.

Oilers vs Sharks prediction: Under 6.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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