NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets
Columbus Blue Jackets (38-25-12) at Carolina Hurricanes (47-21-6)
Blue Jackets (+155) at Hurricanes (-188) – Total 6.5 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
With 14 games on the schedule, I am going to keep this one simple and target a couple of props. The Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko scored when these two teams met two days ago in Columbus and now has 10 goals in 13 regular-season games against the Canes. Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers has an assist in five of the last six meetings versus Columbus and six of nine overall. He also has six goals in six games against Jackets starting goalie, Elvis Merzlikins. Jordan Staal is one goal shy of 20 and has 16 career goals against Columbus. I am also in on the alternate total, Over 6 goals (-144). Yes, it’s juicy, but eight of the last 10 meetings have had a combined six goals or more, and five of those have had seven goals or more.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Kirill Marchenko anytime goal (+205) – .50
Jordan Staal anytime goal (+370) – .10
Nikolaj Ehlers Over 1.5 pts (+340) – .50
Over 6 (-144) – 1 unit
Boston Bruins (43-24-8) at Florida Panthers (36-35-3)
Bruins (-160) at Panthers (+135) – Total 6.5 (Under, -115)
7 p.m. ET
With Brad Marchand out for the rest of the season, we don’t get the opportunity to see him face his former team. The Bruins continue to be one of the best stories in the NHL this season and are currently holding the top Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Finishing in one of the top three spots in the Atlantic Division is within reach. Pavel Zacha (goals in three of four), Viktor Arvidsson coming off a hat trick (points in eight of 10). Charlie McAvoy with points in 25 of the last 29 games, and David Pastrnak (points in five of the last seven, all multi-point) are leading the way for Boston. Als with Pastrnak, he is one goal shy of his fifth consecutive 30-goal season and nine in the last 10.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Boston Bruins in regulation (+105) – 2 units
Zacha point, McAvoy point, Arvidsson point, Pasta assist (+337) – .20
David Pastrnak anytime goal (+120) – .20
David Pastrnak 2+ assists (+285) – .05
David Pastrnak Over 1.5 points (+114) – .10
Pavel Zacha anytime goal (+250) – .15
Buffalo Sabres (46-21-8) at Ottawa Senators (38-26-10)
Sabres (+100) at Senators (-120) – Total 6 (Over, -124)
7 p.m. ET
This is a fishy line. The Sens have lost three consecutive games; they are missing their top two defensemen. Ottawa has lost six straight and nine of their last 11 meetings against the Sabres, including both meetings this season. The Sabres have also won 10 of their past 13 as a road underdog. For now, I am holding off on the Sabres moneyline.
My favorite play in this game and maybe on the entire board is the Sabres shots on goal team total Over 25.5. The Senators, until recently, have been one of the best shot suppression teams in the NHL, but they have given up 29,27,40 and 35 in their past four games. Conversely, the Sabres have been blasting away of late with 30 shots on goal or more in five of their past six games (the other game finished with 25).
Over to the player props. A sneaky play for me is Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. He has four goals in three games on four shots versus Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark. Tage Thompson has eight goals in 14 games against the Sabres. Alex Tuch is one goal shy of 30. The Senators Jordan Spence has goals in back-to-back games and points in six of the past seven.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Buffalo Sabres Team Total SOG Over 25.5 (-114) – 2 units
Bowen Byram anytime goal (+800) – .10
Jordan Spence assist (+165) – .10
Jordan Spence anytime goal (+700) – .10
Tage Thompson anytime goal (+150) – .25
Alex Tuch anytime goal (+230) – .15
Vancouver Canucks (22-44-8) at Minnesota Wild (41-21-12)
Canucks (+340) at Wild (-450) – Total 6.5 (-110)
8 p.m. ET
The Canucks are coming off a huge upset last night of the Colorado Avalanche as (+340) road underdog. Tonight, they are a (+340) road dog once again as they face their former captain Quinn Hughes for the first time since he was traded to Minnesota. As I did with the Avalanche yesterday against Vancouver, I will jump on the Wild to score at least two first-period goals. I will also be on Vancouver to score in the opening 20 minutes as well. Dogs have scored a first-period goal in 21 of the 29 games with a favorite of (-300) or greater.
Let’s stay with the goal theme. Give me Minnesota to score a goal in all three periods. I will also ladder the Wild team total. Vancouver has given up four goals or more in seven of their last nine games and at least five goals in five of their last nine games. The Canucks have been victimized for seven and five goals in Nikita Tolopilo’s last two starts. On to the player props. The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov is one goal shy of 40 and has nine goals in 13 games versus Vancouver. Matt Boldy is two away from 40 and I see no reason why Quinn Hughes can’t find his name on the scoresheet at least twice, so give me his Over 1.5 points.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Minnesota Wild 1st period Team Total Over 1.5 (+172) – 1 unit
Minnesota Wild to score in all 3 periods (+105) – 1 unit
Minnesota Wild Team Total Over 4 (-134) – 1 unit
Minnesota Wild Team Total Over 4.5 (+120) – .10
Minnesota Wild Team Total Over 5 (+215) – .10
Minnesota Wild goal 1st 5 minutes (+160) – .10
Vancouver Canucks 1stperiod Over ½ goal (+100) – .10
Kirill Kaprizov anytime goal (+110) – 1 unit
Quinn Hughes Over 1.5 pts (+142) – .50
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+135) – .25
Hughes Over 1.5 pts/Kaprizov goal/Boldy goal (+543) – .05
Winnipeg Jets (32-30-12) at Dallas Stars (44-19-2)
Jets (+132) at Stars (-160) – Total 5.5 (Over, -125)
8 p.m. ET
The Dallas Stars return home from a road trip that saw them win just one of four games and have now dropped seven of their past nine games. Tonight they host a Jets team that has come back from the dead and are just two points out of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, as they have won three of their past four games. The Stars have won four straight and six of the past seven meetings versus Winnipeg, but with the Stars virtually locked into second place in the Central Division and the Colorado Avalanche next on the schedule on Saturday for the Stars, give me the Jets on the Money Line.
I also like Winnipeg to score the first goal of the game. Dallas has given up the first goal in six straight games, and the Jets have scored the game’s opening goal in four of their last past five games (all coming in the first period).
The Jets’ Mark Scheifele has had two points or more in three of the Jets’ past four games and four of the past five against the Stars. Kyle Connor has eight goals in 13 games versus Stars goalie Jake Oettinger. Dallas forward Jason Robertson has 10 goals in 15 games against Connor Hellebuyck.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Winnipeg Jets 1st goal/1st period (+115) – .25
Winnipeg Jets 1st goal of the game (+110) – .25
Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+132) – .25
Mark Scheifele Over 1.5 points (+215) – .25
Kyle Connor anytime goal (+165) – .15
Jason Robertson anytime goal (+140) – .15
Best of the Rest:
Canadiens, Rangers, Penguins, Lightning, Sharks, Maple Leafs all to score 2+goals (+207) – .50
