NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Monday, March 17:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning (-260, 5.5)
7 p.m. ET
These two teams will meet for the second time in five days. The Flyers have an opportunity to sweep all three games from the Lightning. Philadelphia has won both meetings this season with shootout victories, most recently a 4-3 win five days ago in Philadelphia. Tampa followed up their loss to Philadelphia with a 6-2 win over Boston on Saturday. That game featured a second period where the Bolts outshot the Bruins 21-0. The Flyers followed up their win over Tampa, getting blanked by Carolina, 5-0.
The Flyers now fit our system play to wager on a goal to be scored in the first ten minutes of the game (GIFT) in the game after they’ve been shut out. For the season, the system is 80-42. Flyers games have had a goal scored in the opening ten minutes in ten of their last 12 games. Tampa has yet to score four or more goals this season against Philly in either of the losses this season. However, Tampa has scored four or more goals in their six previous wins against the Flyers. I don’t see the Lightning losing for a third time to the Flyers this season. Tampa has scored four or more goals in 30 of their 38 wins this season.
NHL Predictions: 1st period GIFT/Yes (-150) – 1 unit
Tampa Bay Lightning TT over 3.5 (-118) – 1 unit
New Jersey Devils (-130, 6.5) at Columbus Blue Jackets
7 p.m. ET
To say that goals have been hard to come by for the Columbus Blue Jackets would be an understatement. Columbus has been shut out in back-to-back games and three of their last five. The Blue Jackets have lost three straight overall and five of their last six, outscored 22-5 in the five losses. For the record, Columbus has gone 129:31 without scoring a goal. If you have access to BetMGM, I would play the Jackets team total Over 1 goal (+170). Tonight’s opposition, the New Jersey Devils, had their three-game winning streak on Saturday, giving up seven to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 7-3 setback.
This is the sixth time (this season) that Columbus is in the system play (next game following a shutout- see Flyers/Tampa), and in the previous five games, a goal has been scored in the first 10 minutes of the Jackets games. In the last two Columbus games, Jackets goalies have given up a goal on the first shot on goal that came their way.
With Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins still unavailable for personal reasons, it will either be Danill Tarasov or Jet Greaves starting tonight for Columbus. Tarasov faced the Devils once in his career, giving up five goals in a loss back in December of 2023.
The Devils’ Luke Hughes has two goals and four points this season against the Jackets and five points in six career games versus Columbus.
NHL Predictions: GIFT/Yes (-160) – 1 unit
Columbus Blue Jackets 1st period team total Over 1 (+170) – ½ unit
Luke Hughes Over ½ point (-111) – ½ unitBest of the Rest:
Toronto Maple Leafs team total over 3.5 (-104) – 1 unit
Quinton Byfield any time goal (+340 at FanDuel) – ¼ unit
