With just the 6 games on today, we have spent the morning preparing our Friday night NHL picks so we can all kick back and enjoy the the games, and hopefully make some money while doing it.
Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins – 7.00 PM ET
The Capitals went to a shootout against the Bruins on Wednesday to decide the winner of their 1-1 regulation time game, with Jakub Vrana scoring the only shootout goal to win the game.
The win meant the Capitals retained their spot on the top of the Eastern Division, with a record of 13-5-4, bringing their current win streak to 4 games.
In an emotional return to Boston, the boys backed Zee against his former team with a spirited performance to maintain their hold atop the East.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/FZKKLM0k8b
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 4, 2021
The Bruins played with intensity up until the last minute, but they were outplayed by the Capitals, who out shot them 28-19. David Pastrnak scored the only goal for the Bruins, continuing his good run of form, his 5th contribution in 3 games for the side.
Tuukka Rask characteristically played well, keeping the Bruins alive in regulation time, and making 27 saves for the game. The loss sees the Bruins slip down to 3rd on the table ahead of todays’ match, with a record of 12-5-3 for the season.
NHL Pick – Washington Capitals (+120)
Spread Pick – Washington Capitals +1.5 (-192)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.0 (-105)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Chicago Blackhawks – 8.00 PM ET
The Lightning defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in game 1 of their 3 match series, coming back from a 2 goal deficit going into the third term, eventually winning in the most spectacular fashion via a last minute goal from Alex Killorn.
The comeback kept the Lightnings’ hot streak intact, winning the last 6 consecutive games, keeping them neck and neck with the Canes at the top of the table.
The Blackhawks missed out on a big chance to take points off the divisions’ top team, playing well all game, the Blackhawks out shot the Lightning, and were in good shape to get the win after 2nd term goals from Carpenter and DeBrincat.
After playing some of their best hockey all season throughout the second, the Blackhawks fell to the quality of the Lightning, but showed they can compete with the divisions best, a positive sign going into the second game of the series.
NHL Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning (-212)
Spread Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+145)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-183)
Minnesota Wild @ Arizona Coyotes – 9.00 PM ET
The Wild were rolled over by the Golden Knights on Wednesday night, their second defeat to the Vegas based team in their 2 game series. After scoring 2 goals and an assist in the first game, Marcus Foligno scored the only goal of the night for the Wild in their 5-1 defeat.
The loss sees the Wild slip to 4th in the West Division, with a record of 12-7-1, this 2 game series against the Coyotes, in 5th place, will be very important to the Wild to build momentum before the next series against the Knights.
Hear from #mnwild Head Coach Dean Evason after yesterday’s game in Vegas.
Full reaction » https://t.co/qHJB4IzMHs pic.twitter.com/OnZ8NaxMRM
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 4, 2021
The Coyotes scored a big win over the Los Angeles Kings, a well needed win after a disappointing series against the Avs. Keller, Larsson and Schmaltz all scored in the 3-2 win to give Arizona their first victory against the Kings for the season.
The Coyotes are now 10-9-3, sitting just behind the Wild, with a tough run of fixtures ahead of them. Todays’ match against the Wild will be the first meeting between the two teams for the season
NHL Pick – Minnesota Wild (-147)
Spread Pick – Coyotes +1.5 (-200)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (+100)
Anaheim Ducks @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00 PM ET
The Avalanche defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-0 on Wednesday night, the sides’ third shutout victory for the season. The convincing win came off the back of a 6-2 defeat to the Sharks, now 12-7-1 for the season, the Avs will be looking to capitalize on two home games against the last place Ducks.
Mikko Rantanen was pivotal to the win, providing 2 goals and 2 assists, tying him with Nathan MacKinnon for points scored for the season. It wasn’t all good news for Avs’ fans though, as MacKinnon was taken out of the game following a bad hit to the head, it is unknown if, or how long, he will be out for.
The nightmare run continued for the Anaheim Ducks as they suffered their 8th consecutive defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. Over the last 5 games the Ducks have lost two games after regulation time, and the other 3 by just 1 goal.
The loss brings the Ducks season record to 6-12-5, with just 1 win over the last 10 games, and the lowest goal to game average in the league at 2.08.
NHL Pick – Colorado Avalanche (-250)
Spread Pick – Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+100)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (+100)
St Louis Blues @ Los Angeles Kings – 9.00 PM ET
The Blues picked up their 3rd consecutive win against the Ducks on Wednesday night, with all 3 games being won by a 1 goal margin in regulation time.
Zach Sanford was the main man across the 2 games, contributing 4 points for the Blues. Currently in 2nd place in the West Division, with a record 13-8-2, the Blues are neck and neck with 1st place Golden Knights.
Got the two points!#stlblues | @jackdaniels_us pic.twitter.com/Mb3MInMxur
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 4, 2021
The Kings lost 3-2 to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday, taking the lead in the first, before giving up 3 goals in the second term. The loss was the third in a row for the Los Angeles team, who were previously enjoying a solid run of 6 consecutive wins, bringing their record to 9-8-4.
The Blues and the Kings are well acquainted with one another this season, having played 4 games already, with the Kings winning 3 out of the 4 encounters. The form of either team has flipped since they last met, which should make for an interesting mini series.
NHL Pick – Los Angeles Kings (+110)
Spread Pick – Los Angeles Kings +1.5 (-222)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-120)
Vegas Golden Knights @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30 PM ET
The Golden Knights wrapped up their 2 game series against the Minnesota Wild with another one, this time a more convincing 5-1 victory.
The goals were shared around evenly, with 5 different players scoring for the Knights, among the scorers was Mark Stone, who also contributed 5 points in the previous game.
The win is the 4th in a row for the Knights, sitting atop the table with a record of 14-4-1, they will be looking to extend their lead against the 2nd last place Sharks.
The Sharks were shut out for just the second time this season by the Avalanche 4-0 on Wednesday night, putting them to 8-10-2 for the season.
The Sharks have been mired with defensive issues this campaign, with the highest amount of goals conceded in the league, and nearly a 4 goal average per game.
The San Jose based team will need to be at their best over the next few days, they have fared alright against the divisions’ stronger teams this season though, with 2 wins from 3 games against the Blues.
NHL Pick – Vegas Golden Knights (-222)
Spread Pick – Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 (+115)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (-116)
The 2021 NHL is well underway now! If you want to catch up with all the latest information, make sure you visit our NHL hub page.
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365.
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