Expert NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Wednesday, March 20

NHL Best Bets

Last night was probably the least I’ve had to sweat all season long. It was a beautiful 2-0 evening. We’re looking to ride that momentum into what might be a bit of a quieter evening, but there are still some nice NHL best bets.

There are only three games across the board tonight, but two of them are pretty significant matchups. The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the second night of a back-to-back against the Washington Capitals, who are on the prowl to remain a playoff team in the standings. 

Later in the evening, the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings are also playing the second night of a back-to-back. The Wild are playing catch up as they’re seeking a playoff spot in the West while the Kings are trying to hold on to the third spot in the Pacific Division. 

These matchups are tonight’s TNT doubleheader and it should be very entertaining. 

Toronto at Washington (+114, 6.5)

The Toronto Maple Leafs played really well for about 20 minutes last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. They looked sluggish for the first two periods in their 4-3 loss, so I expect to see a little more jump from this group,t even though they’re playing for the second night in a row. That said, the Maple Leafs have been in a slump over their last eight games. They have skated to a record of 4-3-1 in that span. 

A major concern for Toronto over those eight games is their power play, which has only clicked at a disastrous 8% rate. Their penalty kill hasn’t been much better. Their man down has been at 73.1%. 

The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, have been a very pleasant surprise. Alexander Ovechkin has turned it up by notching five goals and five assists in the team’s last 10 games. The biggest contributor for the Caps has been their goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who has a record of 5-1-0 with a 1.34 goals against average and a .956 save percentage. Lindgren has been lights out. In that span, he has an NHL-high 8.3 goals saved above expected. 

As a team, the Caps have gone 6-3-0 in their last nine games and have been averaging 3.11 goals per contest. 

To me, they have been the better team as of late. This is a great opportunity to get them as a home underdog against a Leafs team on the second night of a back-to-back. 

I love Washington in this spot. 

NHL Best Bet: Washington Capitals ML +114 (play to +100)

Minnesota at Los Angeles (-156, 5.5)

The Minnesota Wild have been one of the best teams in the NHL as of late, largely due to the play of Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov is third in the NHL in scoring since February 1st. He has tallied 17 goals with 15 assists for 32 points in only 20 games. The Wild skated to a relatively easy victory last night on the road in Anaheim and are now just three points out of a playoff spot. They have been playing desperate hockey for the past few weeks. Tonight is another opportunity for them to inch closer. 

The Los Angeles Kings have had a pretty decent stretch. They’ve gone 5-3-1 in their last nine games, but they have had a pretty inconsistent second half of the season. 

Both teams have been averaging 3.00 goals per game in March, but they will each have a tough task tonight due to some strong goaltending performances from Marc-Andre Fleury and David Rittich. 

Fleury has gone 4-1-1 in his last six starts while skating 1.63 goals against and a .936 save percentage. 

Rittich has had a strong previous two starts, going 1-1-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. 

The total for tonight’s game is currently set at 5.5, but I think both teams have some offensive upside despite the strong goaltending. 

This game should have an intense playoff atmosphere, but I still want to see some goals. 

NHL Best Bet: Over 5.5 -118 (play to -130)

March Record: 18-14 (+1.44 units)

2023-24 record: 118–125 (-31.52 units)