Start your week off right with a jam packed night of hockey! There is an absolutely stacked set of fixtures on this Monday, we’ve handpicked 5 standout games which promise to entertain, and look like the most profitable for our NHL picks.
Philadelphia Flyers @ Buffalo Sabres – 7.00 PM EDT
The Flyers got some revenge over the New York Rangers on Saturday after they were embarrassed by them 8-3 just two days earlier.
The 2-1 victory was the Flyers 6th win over the New York team from 6 games this season, and whilst not the most convincing victory, it was well needed in snapping the Flyers 4 game losing streak.
It was the final match of a 4 game homestand in Philadelphia, of which the Flyers walked away with just 2 points thanks to Saturday’s game.
Goals from Sam Morin and Nolan Patrick were the difference as 24 saves by Brian Elliott backstopped the Flyers to a 2-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.#AnytimeAnywhere | #NYRvsPHI https://t.co/fqPsDM463Y
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 28, 2021
There is only one team in the East Division that has fared worse over the last 10 games than the Flyers 3-6-1, and that is their opponent today, the Sabres, who the Flyers have beaten from 4 of 5 meetings this season.
The Sabres head into this one having lost another game over the weekend, a narrow 3-2 defeat to the Bruins in Boston, the 17th straight win for the freefalling club.
The Sabres are experiencing one of the darkest days in the franchise’s history, with the firing of ex head coach, Ralph Kreueger, not doing much to change their losing ways.
It was one of the most painful defeats yet for the Buffalo side as they blew a 1 goal lead on 2 occasions throughout the match, and conceded the goal to give the Bruins the win with less than 5 minutes to play.
NHL Pick – Philadelphia Flyers (-220)
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Anaheim Ducks @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00 PM EDT
The Ducks got the double over the Blues with a huge win yesterday, beating the freefalling Blues side 3-2 in overtime following their impressive 4-1 win on Friday.
It was an inspired set of performances from the struggling Ducks, who nobody backed to win one, let alone two games over the Blues, a massive step in the right direction for the bottom place side.
The Ducks were outshot in both games, 74-48 across the two games, but they were far more clinical than their opponents.
Max Jones picked up a goal yesterday after assisting in 2 goals the previous game, while Anthony Stolarz made 71/77 saves in net over the 2 games.
The back to back wins will be happily welcomed by the Ducks, however, they will be tested today as they go up against the Avs with just 1 day of rest in them.
The Avalanche are coming into this one after a disappointing home defeat to the Knights on Saturday, they took away 1 point though by taking the game to overtime.
The Avs looked good for the win after beating the Knights 5-1 just 2 days earlier, but couldn’t repeat their performance despite taking the lead on two occasions, eventually losing to a Max Pacioretty goal in overtime.
NHL Pick – Colorado Avalanche (-350)
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Los Angeles Kings @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10.00 PM EDT
The Kings were swept over 2 games by the Sharks in San Jose last week, losing the first game 2-1 followed by a 4-2 in the second.
The dual defeats came as a surprise to many considering the Kings came into this series having just beaten the Golden Knights 3 goals to 1.
They now play the Knights again, only this time they will head to Las Vegas to face the division’s toughest team, where they have been characteristically stronger this season.
In their most recent game against the Sharks, the Kings outshot their opponents 44-28, however they never really looked like winning, ending the third term down 2-1 before finding themselves 4-1 down just 2 minutes into the 3rd.
Sharkbit in San Jose. pic.twitter.com/1ixVBMHHNa
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 25, 2021
The Knights got back to winning ways with a 3-2 overtime win over the Avalanche, saving some face for their 5-1 domination defeat to them 2 days earlier.
It was a huge win for the Knights, allowing them to retake their position at the top of the West Division, after starting the game tied on 45 points with the Avs.
The win didn’t come easy for the Knights, having to fight back from a goal deficit on 2 occasions throughout the game, the first time through a power play by Alec Martinez, and the second from William Carrier to tie it up 2-2.
Max Pacioretty was the hero for the Knights, with the all too familiar goal scorer converting in overtime to give them the win, his 18th goal for the season.
NHL Pick – Vegas Golden Knights (-225)
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Winnipeg Jets @ Calgary Flames – 10.00 PM EDT
The Jets and the Flames prepare to do battle for the third and final game of their 3 match series in Calgary, and with both teams winning 1 each, it is anyone’s game today.
After deservedly winning the first leg 3-2 on Friday, the Jets were done in by a prepared Flames outfit in the 2nd leg, 4-2. The Flames came out strong with back to back goals, but slacked off in the second term conceding 2 goals unanswered to tie the score up 2-2 going into the final term.
They got back to their best almost immediately in the 3rd term, scoring less than a minute in before Sam Bennett scored a 4th to give the Flames a 2 goal cushion which they held onto.
It was a well needed win for the Calgary team, who were winless from their previous 4 games and finding themselves slipping from their much desired playoff position.
The Jets missed an opportunity to notch a second 4 win streak this season, having only done so on one other occasion back in February.
They still sit in second place on the highly competitive North Division table, 2 points off first with a record of 21-12-2 after 35 games.
NHL Pick – Calgary Flames (-120)
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Minnesota Wild @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30 PM EDT
The Wild made it 3 in a row with their shutout win over the Blues on Thursday night, remarkably it was the first game between the two teams this season.
The shutout victory was the 4th of the season for the Wild, tied for the 2nd most in the league, and it was a straight up and down domination by the Minnesota team despite the low score line.
The Wild more than tripled the Blues for shots attempted with 37 to their measly 11, Marcus Johansson buried the first before Kirill Kaprizov put away the second 10 minutes later.
It was the 11th goal of the season for Kaprizov, who leads the Wild for goals, assists and points, no rookie in the league is performing better than the young winger.
Sunday funday at home. pic.twitter.com/dvXZGRn6PX
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 28, 2021
The Sharks play host to the in form Wild for just the second time this year, and they will be hoping this meeting plays out differently to the last time they met, a 6-2 defeat in February.
They will be eager to head back to San Jose though, after an uninspired trip to Arizona to face the Coyotes over 2 games left them without a point to show.
It was the 4th shutout loss of the season for the Sharks, who have characteristically struggled to convert their chances of late, kept to just 2 goals or less in 6 of their last 8 games.
While the Sharks outshot the Coyotes 34-27 on Saturday, they gave away a whopping 29 penalty minutes, almost half of the length of the game.
NHL Pick – Minnesota Wild (-168)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel
