NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets
Florida Panthers (37-37-3) at Montreal Canadiens (45-22-10)
Panthers (+175) at Canadiens (-215) – Total 6.5 (Over, -114)
7 p.m. ET
The Canadiens will look to get back to their winning ways after being blanked 3-0 by New Jersey on Sunday. They host the Panthers tonight at the Bell Centre. Montreal has won seven straight over Florida and given up two goals or fewer in each of the last six wins.
The Canadiens’ Cole Caufield is still one goal shy of 50. He has scored in one of the two games against Florida this season and has eight goals in 16 career games against the Panthers. Juraj Slafkovsky is one shy of his first 30-goal season, and Ivan Demidov has points in four of his last five games. Nick Suzuki has two goals in the two games this season against Florida and 11 goals in 21 career games versus Florida. The Panthers’ Mackie Samoskevich has goals in four of the last five games, and Gustav Forsling has registered two shots on goal or more in six of the last eight games.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Cole Caufield anytime goal (+110) – .25
Cole Caufield Over 2.5 SOG/Gustav Forsling Over 1.5 SOG (+144) – 1 unit
Ivan Demidov/Juraj Slafkovsky point parlay (+126) – .50
Mackie Samoskevich anytime goal (+340) – .05
Nick Suzuki anytime goal (+180) – .10
Juraj Slafkovsky anytime goal (+165) – .10
Columbus Blue Jackets (38-27-12) at Detroit Red Wings (40-29-8)
Blue Jackets (-105) at Red Wings (-115) – Total 6.5 (Under, -135)
7 p.m. ET
The Jackets and Red Wings are both three points behind Ottawa for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Yes, the standings say they are only two points back, but with Ottawa owning the tiebreaker on both teams (regulation wins), Columbus and Detroit will both need to find a way to leapfrog the surging Senators. The full-game Over has cashed in each of their last seven matchups, but I am anticipating these two teams playing a tighter-checking, low-scoring game, and so do the oddsmakers, as the total is heavily juiced to the Under. The first-period Under has cashed in each of the last four games, and I look for more of the same tonight. Always in search of “plus money” bets, I will parlay the first-period Under with the full-game Under.
Columbus has lost six straight and seven of its past eight games, and Detroit has lost six of its last eight. One goal prop for me will be an Alex DeBrincat anytime goal. The Red Wings’ sniper has 16 goals in 25 career games against Columbus and has scored in each of the two games this season. Patrick Kane has an assist in seven of his last nine games and six of his last seven games against Columbus. Both meetings this season have gone past regulation.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
1st period Under 1.5/Under 6.5 (+140) – 1 unit
Alex DeBrincat anytime goal (+130) – .25
Patrick Kane Over ½ assist (+106) – .25
Regulation Draw (+300) – .05
Philadelphia Flyers (39-26-12) at New Jersey Devils (40-34-3)
Flyers (+105) at Devils (-125) – Total 6 (Under, -115)
7 p.m. ET
The Flyers have been one of the hottest teams since the Olympic break, winning 14 of 21 (14-6-1) and now sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s hard to bet against the Flyers, and they have won both meetings against the Devils this season, but New Jersey has won four of their past five home games, led by Jack Hughes. Hughes has 13 goals and 36 points in 20 games since the Olympics. He has points in six of the Devils’ last eight games and all are multi-point games. Flyers rookie Porter Martone scored the winning goal on Sunday and assisted on the other Philly goal. He has registered five, one, nine and five shots on goal in his four games against the Flyers.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Porter Martone Over 2.5 shots on goal (+130) – 1 unit
Jack Hughes Over 1.5 pts (+126) – .25
Seattle Kraken (32-32-11) at Minnesota Wild (44-21-12)
Kraken (+205) at Wild (-260) – Total 6.5 (Under, -124)
8 p.m. ET
I have said for much of the season that the Kraken are one player away from being one player away from being a playoff contender. After getting thumped 6-2 by the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night 6-2 (I gave out the Jets in regulation), Seattle finds itself eight points out of a playoff spot with six games to play. Yes, they are not officially eliminated, but they would have to win out and everyone above them would have to have monumental collapses. I just don’t see the Kraken having much to give tonight. Minnesota still has a chance to leapfrog Dallas and take over second place in the Central Division and earn home ice in the opening round. So I like the Wild to win this game and will take them in regulation as part of a parlay piece with the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights to win their games.
The Wild’s Matt Boldy has eight goals in 12 games against the Kraken. Kirill Kaprizov has six goals and 17 points in 11 games versus Seattle, while Ryan Hartman has goals in four of his last five games, points in six consecutive games and eight of his last 10 overall. He also has 13 points in 12 games versus Seattle.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+160) – .25
Ryan Hartman anytime goal (+280) – .25
Ryan Hartman/Kirill Kaprizov/Mats Zuccarello point parlay (+106) – 1.5 units
Minnesota Wild in regulation/Montreal Canadiens ML/Vegas Golden Knights ML (+224) – 2 units
Colorado Avalanche (50-16-10) at St. Louis Blues (33-31-12)
Avalanche (-160) at Blues (+132) – Total 6.5 (Under, -130)
8 p.m. ET
The Blues’ playoff hopes are still alive, but to keep them going, they need to defeat the Avalanche for the second time in just three days. I believe the Dallas Stars are the only team to knock off the Avs twice this season. Keeping Nathan MacKinnon off the scoresheet for the Blues would also help in securing a win tonight. The problem is that MacKinnon has gone consecutive games without a point twice only this season and has had 12 multi-point games in the 16 games this season after being held pointless. He’s also finished with four shots on goal or more in 12 of the 16 games.
Avs defenseman Sam Malinski has had two shots on goal or more in each of his last four games. Forward Parker Kelly scored his 20th goal of the season on Sunday versus the Blues and has five goals in his last seven games overall. For the Blues, Robert Thomas is coming off a hat trick in Sunday’s game against Colorado and has scored in three straight games. His linemate, Dylan Holloway, has points in six straight games and nine of the last 10. He has had at least three shots on goal in nine of the last 10 games.
The Avalanche need just one more win or a Dallas loss to clinch the Central Division title.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Robert Thomas/Dylan Holloway/Martin Necas/Nathan MacKinnon pt parlay (+157) – 1 unit
Dylan Holloway Over 2.5/Nathan MacKinnon Over 3.5/Sam Malinski Over 1.5 SOG parlay (+276) – 1 unit
Parker Kelly anytime goal (+550) – .05
Robert Thomas anytime goal (+245) – .05
Best of the Rest: Cole Caufield/Alex DeBrincat/Matt Boldy anytime goal parlay (+1042) – .05
