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Free NHL Picks Today for Thursday, March 4th, 2021

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Free NHL Picks Today for Thursday, March 4th, 2021
Picks & Predictions
Thu 4th March 2021

It doesn’t get much better than 10 games of NHL on a Thursday, and where there are 10 games, there are even more chances to make money using the best NHL picks on the market.

Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7.00pm ET

The flyers were defeated by the Penguins on Tuesday in the first of a 3 game miniseries. The loss ended the Flyers 3 game win streak, with their record currently standing at 11-5-3 for the season.

Joel Farabee scored two goals for the Flyers, but a number of defensive blunders ultimately led to the teams downfall, with the Penguins scoring 3 goals in the second term after a goalless first.

The win against the Flyers marks the Penguins 5th win from their previous 7 games. a special moment for both the players and fans, who were welcomed back to the Paints Arena for the first time in a year.

Kasperi Kapanen scored twice to lead the Penguins to victory, and Tristan Jarry was immense in net, making 40 saves with a .952 save rate. The fans gave a standing ovation at the games end, a defining moment in their season which will have the players brimming with confidence going into the 2nd of this 3 game series.

NHL Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins (+110)
Spread Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins +1.5 (-227)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.0 (-105)

Buffalo Sabres @ New York Islanders – 7.00pm ET

The Sabres were defeated by New Yorks’ other franchise, the Rangers, 3-2 on Tuesday night, the 4th straight loss for the Buffalo based side. The Sabres outshot their opponents 24-19, but gave the puck away on too many occasions.

Carter Hutton had another night to forget in between the sticks, saving just .842 of shots faced, with the loss bringing his Sabres record to 1-6-1 for the season. 

The Islanders picked up a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, with a late goal from Miles Wood narrowly stopping them from achieving their second straight shutout.

Semyon Varlamov made life hard for the Devils, who had already been struggling to score lately without the added difficulty of facing him in the net, making 28 saves for the night (.966), Varlamov was crucial to the victory.

The Islanders will be licking their lips as they look ahead to a 3 game series against the Sabres, who they have defeated in 3/3 games this season, with an aggregate score of 9-3.

NHL Pick – New York Islanders (-185)
Spread Pick – New York Islanders -1.5 (+140)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.0 (+110)

Winnipeg Jets @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00pm ET

Winnipeg played the Canucks on Tuesday, winning 5-2, avenging their defeat from the previous night to split the 2 game series. With the win, the Jets continued their impressive stat of not facing conecutive defeats in regulation time so far this season.

The Jets outplayed the Canucks offensively, creating 39 shots for the game, with Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler both scoring a goal and providing an assist on their way to victory.

The Canadiens turned around their bad run of form against the Senators, ending a 5 loss streak. The much needed win marked the first for newly appointed head coach Dominique Ducharme, a step in the right direction for the Canadiens, whose season record is now 10-6-5.

However, they have quite the challenge ahead of them, facing a 2 game series against the Jets, who they have lost to twice already this season.

NHL Pick – Winnipeg Jets (+130)
Spread Pick – Winnipeg Jets +1.5 (-181)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (+105)

Detroit Red Wings @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00pm ET

After a 1-1 first term, the Red Wings conceded 3 goals in the second to be defeated by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday 4-1. The loss was their 3rd from the previous 5 games played, with a season record of 7-15-3, the Red Wings are only 1 point above last place Stars in the Central Division, having played 8 additional games.

They are going up against an in-form Hurricanes outfit who have run 3 games on the trot, the two last met in January in a 4-2 victory for the Red Wings.

The Hurricanes defeated the Nashville Predators in a convincing 4 goal performance, moving them to second in the Central Division, 15-6-1 for the season.

Having scored 76 goals so far, they are one of the strongest teams in the division offensively, with top point scorer, Sebastian Aho, adding 2 goals to his tally against Nashville. 

NHL Pick – Carolina Hurricanes (-303)
Spread Pick – Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (-120)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (+105)

New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils – 7.00pm ET

The Rangers clinched a 3-2 win over the Sabres on Tuesday, the third 3-2 result between the two teams this season. Pavel Buchnevich was instrumental in the victory, providing his third goal in 7 games and an assist.

The win brings their season record to 8-9-3 for 19 points, there is still plenty of room for improvement if they want to make the playoffs in this very competitive Eastern Division.

New Jersey head into this match following their crushing 2-1 defeat to the Islanders, a match which Devils fans will feel they should have won, outshooting their opponents 29-20, but failing to beat Semyon Varlamov in net for a second goal.

The loss is the Devils 3rd in as many games, however, they haven’t been playing badly by any means, but they have struggled to convert chances this season. With just 46 goals for the season, the Devils are tied in last for goals scored, and Miles Wood leading the team with 7 in 18 games.

NHL Pick – New York Rangers (-120)
Spread Pick – New Jersey Devils +1.5 (-250)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-125)

Florida Panthers @ Nashville Predators – 8.00pm ET

The Panthers are coming off the back end of consecutive defeats to the Carolina Hurricanes in a 2 game series. Putting up a good fight in both games, it took the Hurricanes a shootout and overtime win respectively to get the job done.

Aleksander Barkov and Patric Hornqvist have each provided 3 points over the last 3 games, Jonathan Huberdeau leads the Panthers for points this season, but has only contributed 2 in his last 5. Heading into their 2 game series, the Panthers and Predators are 1 win each from 2 played this season.

The Predators Tuesday night defeat to the Hurricanes leaves them 10-12-0 for the season, and 5-5-0 from the last 10. At times looking strong, the Predators have generally failed to impress either offensively or defensively, with a -17 goal difference a good indicator of the problem.

Filip Forsberg has carried the Predators on offense, and will be looking to repeat his February heroics against the Panthers, scoring 2 goals and assisting 3 more in their 6-5 victory.

NHL Pick – Florida Panthers (-135)
Spread Pick – Nashville Predators +1.5 (-222)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (+100)

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Chicago Blackhawks – 8.00pm ET

The Lightning shut out Dallas Stars for a second time in their 2 game series, winning 2-0, bringing their record to 15-4-1, and their win streak to 5 consecutive games.

Andre Vasilevskiy was responsible for keeping the Stars goalless, saving all of the 28 shots which came his way, earning his 3rd straight shutout in the process. The Lightning sit first in the Central Division, tied for points with the Panthers with 2 games in hand.

The Blackhawks defeated the Red Wings on Sunday 7-2, with 5 goals coming in the third term alone. The win wrapped up what has been a solid month for the Chicago side, going 7-3-0 over the last 10, and looking like a much stronger team than the start of the season.

Blackhawks legend, Patrick Kane, scored his 400th goal for the club, and is enjoying a campaign that is on track to be just as successful as his previous. Kevin Lankinen also performed in net for the Blackhawks, making an impressive 44 saves, a career best for the Finnish goaltender.

NHL Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning (-227)
Spread Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+115)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-125)

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Dallas Stars – 8.30pm ET

The Blue Jackets ended their 5 loss streak with a convincing performance against the Detroit Red Wings. The win puts the Blue Jackets 9-10-5 for the season, 5th place in the Central Division, but 5 points off the Blackhawks in playoff position.

Top point scorer, Cam Atkinson, picked up his 10th goal for the season, and a further assist in the victory. The Blue Jackets will be looking to make the most of two games against the bottom place Stars to make up for some of the points they lost over the last week.


The Stars were shut out for the second time in 2 games against Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, highlighting the sides need to improve their offense and convert chances.

With just 3 goals scored over the last 5 games, the Stars are playing like a shadow of the team that faced the Lightning in last years’ Stanley Cup Final.

Currently last place in Central with a record of 6-7-4, the Stars need to get some momentum going soon, and the Blue Jackets, who have struggled against the Stars recently, could present a good opportunity to do that.

NHL Pick – Dallas Stars (-151)
Spread Pick – Dallas Stars -1.5 (+165)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (+115)

Ottawa Senators @ Calgary Flames – 9.00pm ET

The Senators were beaten by the Canadiens on Tuesday, the 3-1 defeat was a 1 game break up in between a 5 game series with the Calgary Flame.

The loss brings them to 6-4-0 over the last 10, where they have performed quite well for the most part, scoring plenty of goals. In their previous 3 games against the Flames, the Senators have won 2 convincingly, with Drake Batherson providing 5 points across all 3. 

The Flames go into this match very well rested, having not played since their last game against the Senators on Monday nights’ 5-1 defeat. The Flames are now 10-11-2 for the season, 5 points above the Senators with 2 less games played, however, they will need to be on their best against this Senators outfit which are playing much better hockey in the last month.

NHL Pick – Ottawa Senators (+175)
Spread Pick – Ottawa Senators +1.5 (-147)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (+100)

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.00pm ET

The Maple Leafs are the only team to play on back to back nights today, however they will be going into this match with no shortage of confidence having disposed of the Edmonton Oilers in 3 consecutive games.

If beating one of the leagues’ strongest teams 3 times in a row wasn’t impressive enough, the Maple Leafs did so while conceding just 1 goal, beating them 13-1 on aggregate. The Maple Leafs are now sitting atop the North Division table with a record of 18-4-2, nine points clear of 2nd, and on a 4 game win streak heading into this 2 game series.

The Canucks weren’t able to beat the Jets for a second time, losing 5-2 on Tuesday against a Jets team which came out completely different to the one we saw in the previous game.

Brock Boeser set goals up for Miller and Pettersson in the first and second term to stay competitive, however the Jets outclassed them in the third term. The loss brings the Canucks to 9-15-2, in a season where they have had no trouble scoring, but are amongst the worst in the league defensively.

NHL Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs (-151)
Spread Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+145)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (-131)

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.

Connor is a passionate writer and sporting fanatic, with a focus on all things soccer, NBA, and NHL. Happy to chew your ear off about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, or talk odds on the latest ball game. Connor always delivers the latest in breaking news, matchday analysis and predictions.

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