There is less than a month of regular season games to play in this already epic year of NHL! With 7 games on the agenda today, we have handpicked the 5 which we feel are the most exciting, or the most likely to line your pockets! Have a read below for all our NHL picks.
Detroit Red Wings @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00 PM EDT
The Red Wings travel to Ohio to face the Blue Jackets for their final 2 games of the season, and with the head to head tied up at 3-3 they are playing for both bragging rights and to decide who finishes on the bottom of the table.
The Detroit side are coming into this game well rested, with their last game a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Lightning on Sunday. It was the second of a 2 match set which the Red Wings did well to claim 2 points from, beating the Florida side 1-0 in a shootout in the first match.
With just 3 wins from the last 10 games, the Red Wings are not finishing their season in style, and have scored a miserable 3 goals over their last 5 games, a perfect summation of their season as a whole.
Last practice of the year before heading to Columbus. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/apvLo68WEm
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) May 6, 2021
The Blue Jackets have experienced a near identical season, currently sitting just 1 point clear of the Red Wings with a record of 17-25-12, and just 2 wins over their last 10.
However, both of their wins have come from the last 4 games, including a most recent 4-2 victory against the Predators on home soil.
It was the first time the Blue Jackets have scored 4 goals in a game in nearly a month, with Oliver Bjorkstrand leading the charge as he so often does, scoring twice and assisting another.
NHL Pick – Columbus Blue Jackets (-158)
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Dallas Stars @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 7.00 PM EDT
The Stars get another go at the Lightning today following their painful 6-2 defeat on Wednesday which marked their 6th defeat to the Florida side from 7 games this season.
It was another blow for the Stars in their bad patch of form, they have now lost their last 5 games straight and as such, find themselves now 4 points off the Predators in a playoff position.
The Stars trailed for the entire game on Wednesday, conceding a goal just 2 minutes into the game before pulling one back, only to concede the next two.
At 3-1 down at the start of the third the Stars got a bit of hope when Andrej Sekera scored, however, it didn’t last, the Lightning replied a minute later, and then added 2 more goals to blow out the scoreline to 6-2.
For a game with 8 goals there weren’t many chances, between the Stars and the Lightning only 42 shots were attempted for the game. The Lightning only took 20 of those 42 attempts, with their 6 goals coming at a rate of 30%.
The goals were shared around by the Lightning, with Brayden Point, Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson all notching a goal and an assist, but Erik Cernak topped the scoring with his 3 point effort.
NHL Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning (-168)
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Philadelphia Flyers @ Washington Capitals – 7.00 PM EDT
The Flyers and the Capitals begin a 2 game set today, and while the Flyers playoff chances may be over, the Caps are neck and neck in a race to claim the division title.
After an impressive 7-2 win over the Penguins on Monday the Flyers were not able to back up their performance the next day, instead flipping the script of the previous game and losing 7-3.
Despite the scoreline, the Flyers outshot the Penguins in the defeat, but they were sloppy defensively, giving away 13 minutes of penalties and conceding 2 goals while shorthanded.
Claude Giroux backed up his 3 point effort in the first game by assisting 2 goals, one of few solid performances for the Flyers in the defeat.
After an elite game by Alex Lyon in the first game which saw him save 35/37 shots, Brian Elliot relieved him in between the net for the Flyers, and struggled quite badly, conceding 6 goals from 30 shots.
The Caps are coming into this game looking for a third straight win following their recent 2 game sweep over the Rangers in New York.
The first hat trick of the season by a Capitals player was a memorable one.#ALLCAPS | @Enterprise pic.twitter.com/37q4MVTICN
— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 6, 2021
The Washington side scored 10 goals while conceding 5 over the 2 games, doubling the Rangers score in both games. The points were shared around in the first match, but the second was all about TJ Oshie, the veteran player bagged back to back power play goals in the first term, and completed his hat trick in the final period.
The Caps have dominated the Flyers so far this season, after an impressive road trip to New York you have to expect them to return to Washington and keep that form going today.
NHL Pick – Washington Capitals (-196)
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Anaheim Ducks @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00 PM EDT
The Ducks stunned the Blues on Wednesday with a shootout win following their 2-2 regulation time draw, getting some revenge for their defeat to them two days prior.
After serving up a measly 20 shots in the first game against the St Louis side, the Ducks came out stronger on Wednesday, taking 35 shots to the Blues’ 26, only converting twice.
The shootout was short and sweet, with Troy Terry burying the second shot to put the pressure on the Blues, Ryan O’Reilly took the shot but couldn’t beat Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz saved all 3 penalties on top of his 24 saves during the game
The Ducks now wrap up their season with 2 games against the Wild, and after what has been another terrible campaign, the Anaheim side will just be looking to finish on a positive.
The Wild were edged out by the Golden Knights in overtime on Wednesday, losing 3-2 and denying them of a clean sweep over the 1st place side.
Kirill Kaprizov, who recorded a goal and an assist in a 6-5 win against the Knights on Monday, once again delivered on Wednesday, scoring both of the Wild’s goals just minutes apart to level the score, and temporarily take the lead.
The Wild enjoyed their best month during April, and have now won 2 of 3 games in May, such is their recent success that they now find themselves just 1 point behind the second place Avs.
NHL Pick – Minnesota Wild (-330)
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Colorado Avalanche @ Los Angeles Kings – 10.00 PM EDT
The Avalanche were a game away from a 4 game sweep over the Sharks on Wednesday, and they looked good value for the win at 2-0 up towards the second term, but they conceded the next 3 goals unanswered to lose 3-2.
In a very rare change of pace, the lethal trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog all failed to contribute a point in the loss. In the first 3 games of the series the 3 talented Avs combined for 15 goals and assists.
As a result of the loss, the Avs drop to 4 points from the 1st place Golden Knights, however, they have an extra game in hand and are set to play 4 of their next 5 games against the Kings who they have beaten from 3 of 4 games this season.
Not as fun.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/O5DkWjOsje
— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 6, 2021
The Kings return to Los Angeles for this series, and do so following a successful trip to Arizona which saw them sweep the Coyotes over 2 games, 3-2 in the first and 4-2 in the most recent.
Sean Walker picked up a goal on top of 2 assists, while Gabriel Vilardi was responsible for burying 2 of the Kings’ goals for his first brace of the season. However, it was all about Anze Kopitar, the 15 year veteran King picked up an assist to mark his 1000th career point.
With just 5 games remaining this season, the Kings would have to be near perfect if they were to make the playoffs, and with 4 games against the Avs to play, their chances are as good as over.
NHL Pick – Colorado Avalanche (-295)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
