NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Wednesday, February 26:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
Winnipeg Jets (-140, 5.5) at Ottawa Senators
7 p.m. ET
I would like to jump on the Senators tonight with the Jets coming off back-to-back wins, stretching their win streak to a league-best 10 games. Winnipeg is the first NHL team to win consecutive games, scoring a goal in the final minute of regulation and then winning the game in overtime, but I can’t. Ottawa will once again be Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Shane Pinto. The Jets have been victorious in their last three trips to Ottawa and have won five of the last six meetings overall between the two teams. Maybe “the books” haven’t caught up to Ottawa’s injury news, as this is a cheap price to get the Jets, who are first overall in the point standings.
Linus Ullmark gets the start for the hometown Sens, and he is 2-0 lifetime against the Jets with a 2.00 Goals Against Average and a .945 Save Percentage. Ottawa will need that version of Ullmark tonight and not the one that surrendered five goals on fifteen shots against Montreal on Saturday night. With the injuries to three key forwards, I will look to Ridly Greig for an anytime goal for Ottawa. He has a pair of goals in three games against Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Jake Sanderson has also been on a tear with Ottawa. Sanderson has 10 points in his last nine games and a combined 10 shots on goal in the past two games.
The Jets Nikolaj Ehlers has 12 goals in 22 games against Ottawa including goals in five consecutive games versus the Sens.
Ottawa has lost four straight and the last three games by three or more goals.
NHL Predictions: Winnipeg Jets ML (-140) – 1 unit
Winnipeg Jets PL (+184) – ½ unit
Winnipeg Jets/Ottawa Senators Over 5.5 (+100) – 1 unit
Ridly Greig anytime goal (+360) – ¼ unit
Nikolaj Ehlers anytime goal (+260) – ¼ unit
Vlad Namestnikov Over ½ assist (+250) – ¼ unit
Jake Sanderson Over 2.5 SOG (+142) – 1 unit
Jake Sanderson Over 3.5 SOG (+350) – ½ unit
Jake Sanderson Over ½ point (+100) – 1 unit
Jake Sanderson anytime goal (+900) – ¼ unit
New Jersey Devils at Colorado Avalanche (-150, 5.5)
9:30 p.m. ET
Colorado has lost back-to-back games coming out of the break and scored just one goal in each game. The Avs should get a boost with Val Nichushkin’s return to the lineup. Colorado is 209-74-27 (.627 winning percentage) with Nichushkin compared with 52-42-6 without (.520). If Jake Allen gets the start for New Jersey, then I will be on an Artturi Lehkonen anytime goal. Lehkonen has four goals in seven games against the Devils netminder. Nathan MacKinnon has been held pointless in both games coming out of the break. The last five times in his career that MacKinnon has been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive games (2019-20 to 2024-25), he has had four or more shots on goal in five of seven games. The last time MacKinnon went three consecutive regular-season games without a point was in 2018-19. I will add the Avs to win in regulation. The Devils have lost four straight following a win and are coming off a 5-0 win over Nashville. The Devils have also lost both of their previous games this season after a shutout win.
NHL Predictions: Nathan MacKinnon Over 3.5 SOG (-120) – 1.5 units
Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 SOG (+188) – ¼ unit
Artturi Lehkonen anytime goal (+195) – ¼ unit
Val Nichushkin anytime goal (+230) – ¼ unit
Jesper Bratt Over ½ assist (-106) – ½ unit
Seamus Casey anytime goal (+1700) – ¼ unit
Colorado Avalanche in Regulation (+100) – 1 unit
