NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Saturday, April 12:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers (-180, 5.5)
6 p.m. ET
The Panthers have made it clear that they will be resting players, and their focus is on the playoffs. Sasha Barkov, Sam Bennett, Dmitry Kulikov, Matthew Tkachuk (injured) and Aaron Ekblad (suspended) will all be out today. Vitek Vanecek gets the start in goal. Sergei Bobrovsky gets to sit on the bench and wear a baseball cap. The Sabres have been one of the best first period Over teams on the road (26-12), and I like them to get a first period goal in this contest.
The theme for this game and most games the rest of the way will be player props. With most teams either locked into a playoff spot or out of the playoffs, it’s going to be about players reaching statistical milestones. On the Buffalo side, Alex Tuch is two goals shy of matching his career high 36, and Tage Thompson is one away from 45. The Panthers’ Brad Marchand scored his first goal in the last Panthers game, and his 68 points versus Buffalo are the most he has against any team in the league.
NHL Predictions:
Sabres Over ½ goal 1st period (-130) – 1 unit
Tage Thompson anytime goal +175 – .20 units
Alex Tuch anytime goal +260 – .20 units
Brad Marchand Over ½ point +170 – .20 units
Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (-220, 6.5)
7 p.m. ET
The Canadiens six six-game win streak ended last night in Ottawa as the Senators defeated the Habs for the first time in four tries with a 5-2 win on home ice. Montreal remains six points up on both Columbus and the NY Rangers and can clinch the final playoff spot with a regulation win tonight or one of their two remaining games left on the schedule. One issue for the Canadiens is that they have lost nine of their last 10 trips to Toronto, and they are just 7-7 on the second half of back-to-backs. My favorite wager in this game is for the Leafs to score the first goal of the game. The Canadiens are starting Jakub Dobes tonight. Dobes has surrendered the first goal in 12 of his 14 starts. If you want to get aggressive, you could also sprinkle a wager on the Leafs to score a goal in the first five or ten minutes of the game. Dobes has given up the first goal in the opening five minutes six times, and the first 10 minutes eight times.
Today, I have a slew of player props on my card. The Canadiens’ Nick Suzuki has scored in back-to-back games, six of his last seven and seven of his last 10, and three goals in five games vs Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz. Also, Suzuki is one goal away from having consecutive 30-goal seasons. Cole Caufield has 10 goals in 15 games against the Canadiens and three goals in four games against Stolarz. Don’t sleep on Jake Evans, who has also found the back of the net three times in his five games against Stolarz.
On the Maple Leafs’ side, Matthew Knies is coming off a three-goal performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning and is one goal shy of his first-ever 30-goal season. William Nylander has already established a career high with 44 goals, but 45 sounds a lot better.
NHL Predictions:
Maple Leafs to score first goal (-105) – 2 units
Over 5.5 (-130) – 1 unit
Regulation Draw +380 – .10 units
Nick Suzuki anytime goal +240 – .10 units
Jake Evans anytime goal +1000 – .10 units
Cole Caufield anytime goal +220 – .10 units
Bobby McMann anytime goal +370 – .10 units
Matthew Knies anytime goal +275 – .10 units
William Nylander anytime goal +150 – .10 units
Winnipeg Jets (-325, 6) at Chicago Blackhawks
7 p.m. ET
The Jets have all but clinched the top spot in the Central Division after blanking the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. This afternoon could be a bit of a letdown game for the Jets, and at (-325), I would only play the Blackhawks, who are playing their final home game of the season. It is the final game in the career of three-time Stanley Cup Champion Patrick Maroon. With that in mind, I will take a shot on Maroon for an anytime goal. A couple of other player props for today include the Jets’ Mark Schiefele, who has scored three goals in the two games this season against the Blackhawks and is two shy of reaching his second 40-goal season of his career. The Jets’ Morgan Barron has scored goals in consecutive games, and he is available at (+800) to score a goal today. Eight of the last 10 meetings between the two teams have gone Under the total, and 18 of the Jets’ 22 games within the Central Division have also gone Under the full game total. The Draw also has appeal. Two of the three meetings this season and three of the last five have gone past regulation.
NHL Predictions:
Regulation Draw +380 – .10 units
Morgan Barron anytime goal +800 – .10 units
Patrick Maroon anytime goal +1100 – .10 units
Under 6 (-120) – 1 unit
Teuvo Teravainen anytime goal +410 – .10 units
Mark Schiefele anytime goal +145 – .10 units
Blackhawks ML +260 – .10 units
