NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Thursday, April 17:
It’s the final day of the NHL regular season. With that in mind, it’s all about players reaching milestones that may lead to salary bonuses and not about picking winners or totals. Five of the 14 teams in action tonight will be playing in the playoffs. The Carolina at Ottawa game is the only game that will feature both teams in the postseason. Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
NY Islanders at Columbus Blue Jackets
7 p.m. ET
The Jackets’ Sean Monahan is sitting on 19 goals and is seeking his eighth 20-goal season and his first since his 2019-20 season with the Calgary Flames. Mathieu Olivier is two away from his first-ever 20-goal season. The Islanders’ Anders Lee is one shy of his third 30-goal season and his first since scoring 40 goals in 2017-18. Bo Horvat is going to need a pair of goals tonight to reach the 30-goal plateau for the third straight season and fourth in the past five seasons.
NHL Predictions:
Monahan anytime goal +230 – .20 units
Mathieu Olivier anytime goal +700 – .15 units
Anders Lee anytime goal +200 – .25 units
Bo Horvat anytime goal +180 – .10 units
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins
7 p.m. ET
Tonight is the 73rd regular-season meeting between Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. The Great 8 scored 37 goals and added 30 assists in his career against Sid and the Pens. Crosby has 32 goals and 61 assists in the head-to-head matchups. Sid is one point shy of his fifth season of at least 90 points. Crosby’s point prop is too high to play on its own, so I will play his point prop with a Bryan Rust anytime goal. There are a couple of other milestones within reach for this game. The Penguins’ Bryan Rust is one goal shy of his first career 30-goal season, as is the case with the Capitals’ Dylan Strome. If Ovechkin does play tonight, I will play him to score a goal.
NHL Predictions:
Bryan Rust anytime goal +195 – .25 units
Sidney Crosby over ½ assist/Bryan Rust anytime goal parlay +220 – .25 units
Dylan Strome anytime goal +235 – .25 units
Alexander Ovechkin anytime goal +130 -.15 units
Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres
7 p.m. ET
The Sabres’ Ryan McLeod is one goal away from his first 20-goal season. If Buffalo starts Ukk0-Pekka Luukkonen in goal tonight, then I will be on Jakob Pelletier for an anytime goal. Pelletier has three goals in three games against the Sabres netminder.
NHL Predictions:
Ryan McLeod anytime goal +350 – .25 units
Jakob Pelletier anytime goal +550 – .15 units (Only if UPL starts for Buffalo)
Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs
7 p.m. ET
We have one player from each side who has a chance to reach some nice round goal numbers. Marco Kasper has a chance to cap off his solid rookie season for Detroit by reaching the 20-goal mark. Kasper scored goal number 19 last night in the Red Wings’ win over New Jersey. Toronto’s Matthew Knies is sitting on 29 goals and has been held without a goal in each of his last three games. With linemates Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews both reaching milestones in their game Tuesday at Buffalo, I am anticipating the two will be doing everything they can to help Knies get to the 30-goal mark.
NHL Predictions:
Marco Kasper anytime goal +320 – .25 units
Marco Kasper Over 1.5 SOG (-155) – .25 units
Matthew Knies anytime goal +200 -.25 units
Matthew Knies Over 2.5 SOG +170 – .15 units
Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings
9:30 p.m. ET
Calgary’s Matt Coronato has had a breakthrough season and is one away from 25 goals. He does have one goal against the Kings this season. Adam Klapka has goals in consecutive games and three of his last five. The Kings’ Alex Laferriere is now one goal shy of his first 20-goal season. He scored number 19 on Tuesday at Seattle. Former Flame Andrei Kuzmenko has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 21 games since being traded to the Kings and has gone five games without a goal. Facing one of his former teams is always a good time to snap the drought.
NHL Predictions:
Matt Coronato anytime goal +275 -.15 units
Adam Klapka anytime goal +450 – .15 units
Alex Laferriere anytime goal +255 – .25 units
