After a massive Saturday, there are just the 6 games on today. We have spent the day researching 5 of them to bring you the very best NHL picks for this Sunday, and you can find them all below.
Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins – 12.00 PM EDT
The Capitals bounced back from their Thursday night defeat to the Sabres with an emphatic 6-3 victory over the Flyers yesterday.
It was the 5th straight time they have beaten the Philadelphia side, with an average goals scored of 5 per game.
This one didn’t come quite as easily as previous games, the Caps came out firing with a goal from Alexander Ovechkin on their first powerplay opportunity, but by the end of the term the scores were tied up 1-1.
They instantly took the lead again in the second, and once again, the Flyers pulled one back, but just 30 seconds later, Ovechkin popped up with his second power play goal for the game, and they would maintain the lead until the end.
Ovechkin finished the game with 2 goals and an assist, and John Carlsson bagged 4 assists for his first 4 point haul of the season.
They will be tested now as they travel straight to Boston to face the Bruins who have had an extra day of rest to work with.
“We all know the importance of [the power play] at the end of the day … we’ve got to keep it clicking like it has been, that’s a game-changer when we can execute like we have.”
John Carlson and T.J. Oshie speak with the media after today’s win over the Flyers.#CapsFlyers pic.twitter.com/PNOshoISye
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 17, 2021
The Bruins were last seen against the Islanders on Friday, picking up their third straight win by shutting out the New York side 3-0 for a 2 game sweep.
After a bad start to their 4 match homestand, the Bruins have now got some momentum going, outshooting the 2nd place Islanders, the Bruins picked up an unanswered goal in each period of the game to secure their 3rd shutout of the season.
Tuuka Rask was given a rest after his solid performance in their match on Thursday, and in his place, rookie goalie, Jeremy Swayman, once again impressed, saving all 25 shots that came his way to earn his first NHL career shutout.
NHL Pick – Boston Bruins (-124)
Spread Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Total Goals Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres – 3.00 PM EDT
The Penguins and the Sabres will run it up again today in Buffalo following the Penguins’ tight 3-2 win over them yesterday.
It was a huge win for the Penguins, their 4th straight victory on the road, and their 5th from 5 games against the Sabres this season, most importantly, the two points was enough to see them shoot up to 2nd in the East Division following the Islanders’ loss.
The points were shared around evenly, with no player picking up more than a single point. Jake Guentzel, Mike Matheson, and Bryan Rust were all amongst the points, bringing their total to 3 over their last two wins.
After a solid win away from home against the Capitals on Thursday, the Sabres were unable to take that momentum back home with them, however, with a record of 5-3-2, they are one of the better performing sides in the division over the last 10 games.
Tage Thompson has now scored in back to back games thanks to his unassisted effort in the second term, as has Casey Mittelstadt, who pulled them back into the game with his power play goal midway through the final term.
The fitness levels of both squads will be tested as they go back to back today, the Penguins have fared alright in these situations with a record of 3-3. No team in the league is more experienced in back to back games than the Sabres, unfortunately, no team has performed worse in these instances, with a horrible record of 1-10.
NHL Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins (-275)
Spread Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Total Goals Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils – 3.00 PM EDT
As expected, the Rangers once again put the hurt on the Devils, beating them for a third straight game yesterday, with one more to play, is there really any guessing who we are backing?
Yesterday’s game produced the highest scoreline of the three games, with the Rangers putting 6 goals past the slumping Devils. It wasn’t all bad for the Devils though, they at least managed to put one past the Rangers this time, scoring 3 goals to deny another shutout.
The Rangers hit the ground running, scoring all 3 goals in the first term, 2 of them coming from power play situations. Pavel Buchnevich finished the game with 3 goals, his first career hat trick, but Artemi Panarin was the top scorer with his goal, and hat trick of assists, bringing his season total to 50 points.
This is a Pavel Appreciation Availability.
Mika: https://t.co/smTOZLfz2S
Buch: https://t.co/NWoYpPpLpi
Bread: https://t.co/jlTVeve8Ur
Coach Quinn: https://t.co/n4tgPINrWR pic.twitter.com/pQLqKveC5W— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 17, 2021
Despite going down 4-0 just 30 seconds into the second term, the Devils did well to claw their way back into the game, scoring the next 3 goals unanswered, but ultimately failing to complete the comeback.
Today they are playing back to back games for the first time in this series, the Rangers haven’t been in this position many times this season, but have a record of 2-2, the Devils are a little more experienced, but have a losing record of 3-4.
NHL Pick – New York Rangers (-205)
Spread Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Total Goals Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Vegas Golden Knights @ Anaheim Ducks – 4.00 PM EDT
The Golden Knights continued to fly high with another big win on Friday, shutting out the Ducks 4-0 away from home.
It was a league leading 5th straight win for the Knights, tied with the Avalanche who sit just 2 points above them in first place on the West table.
The 4-0 win also marks their league high, 6th shutout of the season, and it was probably the easiest shutout that Robin Lehner will ever be handed, as the Ducks made just 16 attempts for the game, compared to a whopping 51 attempts from the Knights.
Chandler Stephenson extended his point streak to 3 games with his goal and assist, and Mark Stone notched 2 assists, the skipper leads the Knights for assists, and total points, with 34, and 48 respectively.
For such a dominant performance, it was somewhat impressive they only scored 4, and while John Gibson wasn’t able to repeat the heroics of Anthony Stolarz against the Sharks, he still made a solid 47 saves to keep the Ducks from blowing out too far.
The Ducks are now 4-5-1 from their last 10 games, faring better than half of the West Division, however, still sitting in bottom place on the table.
NHL Pick – Vegas Golden Knights (-270)
Spread Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Total Goals Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Vancouver Canucks – 7.00 PM EDT
The Maple Leafs were stunned by the Jets on Thursday, losing 5-2 for their third consecutive defeat, something they have only done on two other occasions this season, but they are yet to lose 4 in a row.
After going on a solid 6 win streak, the Maple Leafs’ slump in form has come as quite a surprise, picking up losses against the Canadiens, Flames, and most recently, the Jets.
They took the lead early on Thursday with a goal in the opening 4 minutes, but a defensive lapse midway through the first led to the Leafs conceding 3 goals in 3 minutes.
Workin’ on the weekend. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/2SPnbqADEg
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 17, 2021
The Maple Leafs have struggled with killing off penalties this season, their 75.86 penalty kill percentage is the 5th worst in the league, and this game was no different, conceding 2 goals while shorthanded.
The Canucks finally make their return today after an extended 3 week hiatus due to a coronavirus break within the club.
They last played at the end of the March, and similarly to the Maple Leafs, lost to the Jets 5-1. It was their 3rd straight defeat which has both teams today playing to snap their losing ways.
With 3 weeks off of playing it remains to be seen if they will come back stronger than before, or out of form, head to head with the Maple Leafs they are 2-3 from 5 games.
NHL Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs (-330)
Spread Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
Total Goals Pick – Unlock Premium Picks
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.
Want more picks? We have just launched our Premium Picks service, and for a limited time only, it is free! *T&Cs Apply.
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
