NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Edmonton Oilers (16-12-6) at Boston Bruins (20-14-0)
Oilers (-140) at Bruins (+120) – Total 6.5 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
The Boston Bruins remain one of the surprise teams this season. They currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Detroit Red Wings. The B’s have won five of their last six games and four straight at TD Garden Arena. Jeremy Swayman has won six of his last eight starts, but has given up five goals or more in two of his last five starts.
Both the Oilers and Bruins have had high-scoring games of late, with both teams going Over the total in five of the last seven games. Edmonton has been a great second period Over (1.5 goals) this season and are 8-0-2 in the last 10 games. Edmonton has won four of the last five meetings against Boston. Three of the last four and eight of the last 10 meetings have gone past regulation.
On to the player props. This is a great game for them with what I believe will be a high-scoring game. Connor McDavid (seven of the last nine) and Leon Draisaitl (six of the last nine) have been multi-point game machines. Zach Hyman has goals (six) in each of the last four games. Evan Bouchard has assists in three straight and eight of the last 11 games.
The Bruins’ David Pastrnak has 10 goals in 17 games versus the Oilers and has seven goals in 15 games against Tristan Jarry. Morgan Geekie’s 24 goals trail only Nathan MacKinnon (28) this season. Geekie has four goals in five games against Tristan Jarry. I will also be on Geekie to score the Bruins’ first goal of the game, something he has done a league-leading 10 times this season.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Zach Hyman point/Evan Bouchard assist (+198) – .25 units
Zach Hyman anytime goal (+195) – .10 units
McDavid/Draisaitl each Over 1.5 pts (+221) – 1 unit
Morgan Geekie to score the 1st Boston goal (+500) – .05 units
Morgan Geekie anytime goal (+160) – .10 units
David Pastrnak anytime goal (+125) – .10 units
Geekie point/McAvoy assist (+287) – .20 units
Oilers/Bruins Over 6.5 (-110) – 1 unit
Oilers/Bruins 2nd period Over 2 (-118) – 1 unit
Regulation Draw (+320) – .05 units
Chicago Blackhawks (13-14-6) at Montreal Canadiens (17-12-4)
Blackhawks (+150) at Canadiens (-180) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Blackhawks are coming off a very disappointing 3-2 regulation loss at Toronto on Tuesday, blowing a 2-0 third-period lead, highlighted by giving up two goals in eight seconds. Montreal is coming off a 4-1 home loss to the Flyers on Thursday in a game they were thoroughly dominated. The loss for Chicago will be a learning lesson for this young group, but one they will have to manage without their leading scorer, Connor Bedard, who remains out until the calendar flips to 2026.
Tonight’s goaltending matchup is Spencer Knight (Chicago) and Jakub Dobes (Montreal). Dobes has a history of giving up the first goal of the game and has done so in four of his last six starts and 23 of his 33 career starts. The second period Over 1.5 goals has been an ATM machine for those jumping on the wager. The Habs are on a 14-0 run to the second period Over 1.5, and they are 10-0-4 to the Over two goals in the second period. I will play the Over two goals (available at BetMGM) and look for a better price (currently -160) once the second period starts, and grab the Over 1.5 goals. I will post player props for this game on my Twitter feed (@westcoasthky) later today.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Blackhawks/Canadiens 2nd period Over 2 goals (+115) – 1.5 units
Pittsburgh Penguins (14-9-9) at Ottawa Senators (15-13-4)
Penguins (+140) at Senators (-165) – Total 6.5
7 p.m. ET
The Penguins are free-falling, having dropped six straight. They now travel to Canada’s capital to face the Ottawa Senators, to whom they have lost six of the last seven meetings and four consecutive games in Ottawa. Both teams have been involved in high-scoring games of late, with seven of the last 10 Penguins games having a combined seven or more goals. Six of the last 10 Ottawa games have had a combined seven-plus goals, but consider that the Sens’ last two games have faced Connor Hellebuyck and Jesper Wallstedt.
Tonight, Ottawa gets Pittsburgh goalie Arturs Silovs, who must have whiplash from digging pucks out of the back of his net. The opposition has scored 6,4,7 and five goals in his last four starts. I will be on both the Ottawa team total Over 3.5 and the full game Over 6.5.
Lots of player props in this game as well. Tim Stutzle is on a four-game points streak (two or more points in each game), Drake Batherson has goals (six) in six of his last nine games against the Penguins and points in seven of nine. Brady Tkachuk has 12 points in his last nine games against Pittsburgh as well. Defenseman Jake Sanderson has points (six) in five of his last seven games against Pittsburgh.
For the Penguins, Bryan Rust has goals in four straight and points (seven) in four consecutive games as well. Sidney Crosby is two points shy of becoming the Penguins all time points leader. He has points in 10 of his last 14 games. Erik Karlsson is riding a five-game points streak.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Ottawa Team Total Over 3.5 (-108) – 1 unit
Ottawa/Pittsburgh Over 6.5 (-105) – 1 unit
Drake Batherson anytime goal (+190) – .10 units
Drake Batherson point/Stutzle point/Sanderson assist (+290) – .25 units
Bryan Rust anytime goal (+120) – .10 units
Bryan Rust point/Crosby point/Karlsson assist (+355) – .25 units
Minnesota Wild (20-9-5) at Columbus Blue Jackets (14-13-6)
Wild (-120) at Blue Jackets (+100) – Total 6 (-110)
7:30 p.m. ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets are Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to home games. Columbus is 7-1 as the home betting favorite and 0-6 as a home underdog, the spot they find themselves in tonight. In those six games as a home underdog, Columbus scored two goals or fewer five times. Minnesota has held their opponents to two goals or fewer in each of the last five games.
The expected goalie matchup tonight is Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) versus Jet Greaves (Columbus). Wallstedt has won eight of his last nine starts, surrendering more than two goals just twice in those nine starts. The Blue Jackets’ lack of goal production in the second half of a back-to-back and Wallstedt’s outstanding numbers at limiting goals will keep me off Blue Jackets props.
On the Minnesota side, Joel Eriksson-Ek has points in five consecutive games. Quinn Hughes has picked up a point (one goal, one assist) in each of his two games with the Wild. Vladimir Tarasenko is coming off a two-goal game against Washington on Tuesday and has 14 goals in 26 games against the Jackets. He did score in his only game against Jet Greaves. Tarasenko has also been firing the puck, going Over 1.5 shots on goal in each of his last six games. The (-180) tax is too rich for my blood, so I will parlay his shot prop with his teammate, Ryan Hartman Over 1.5 (-190). Kirill Kaprizov has 10 goals in eight games against the Blue Jackets. Matt Boldy is second on the Wild with 19 goals. He has four goals in eight games against the Blue Jackets and scored Minnesota’s first goal against the Jackets in three of their last four meetings. He has scored Minny’s first goal of the game nine times this season.
Five of the last nine meetings between the two teams have gone past regulation, and 11 of the last 19 Jackets games have gone past 60 minutes. Columbus has just one regulation win in their last 16 games (5-6-5).
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Tarasenko/Hartman each over 1.5 SOG (+131) – .25 units
Eriksson-Ek point/Hughes assist (+164) – .50 units
Kirill Kaprizov anytime goal (+110) – .25 units
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+130) – .10 units
Matt Boldy 1stMinnesota goal of the game (+470) – .05 units
Regulation Draw (+310) – .05 units
