It’s going to be a jam packed day of action, so strap yourself in and enjoy! We went 15/21 yesterday, so let’s go again today with 24 more of the best NHL picks.
Detroit Red Wings @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00PM ET
Detroit lost to the Blackhawks on Monday 7-2, putting them second last in the Central Division, only above the Stars who have played 8 less games.
The Red Wings have a record of 7-14-13, with 51 goals scored and 78 conceded, the third highest in the league. Winning three of their previous 5 games, the Red Wings have looked better recently, beating 2nd place Panthers and 3rd place Blackhawks.
The Blue Jackets host the Red Wings and are in desperate need for a win having lost their previous 5 in a row. After a decent start to the season which saw them winning around 50% of games, the Blue Jackets currently have a record of 8-10-5, sitting in 5th in the Central Division.
Seth says the team needs to relax and not force plays when they’re not there. #CBJ | @pedialyte pic.twitter.com/ZVOvPdp7Uw
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 28, 2021
Needing to perform better offensively, having only scored 2 goals in their previous 3 games, the Blue Jackets will be looking to turn their form around against a weak Red Wings side
NHL Pick – Columbus Blue Jackets (-185)
Spread Pick – Detroit Red Wings +1.5 (-156)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-131)
New York Islanders @ New Jersey Devils – 7.00PM ET
The New York Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday in a 2-0 win. With that win, the Islanders maintained their place tied for second with the Boston Bruins in the East Division.
Currently 11-6-4 for the season, the Islanders are playing well, with goals coming from across the team and boasting the best defence in the division. 4 players have above 8 goals this season, but Mathew Barzal has stood out the most, providing 18 points so far.
The New York neighbours, the New Jersey Devils, will host this match, and they are going into the game in bad form having won just 1 game from the last five.
With a record of 7-8-2, the Devils are second last in the division, they have often lost by a small margin this season and struggled to convert chances. In 17 games this season the Devils have only scored more than 3 goals on 4 occasions, with Pavel Zacha leading the scoring on 6.
NHL Pick – New York Islanders (-147)
Spread Pick – New Jersey Devils +1.5 (-200)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-125)
Buffalo Sabres @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The Sabres lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in both games of a 2 game series, their 3rd defeat in a row, cementing their position in last place of the East Division.
Having won just two of their last 10 games, the Sabres are in a state of despair, with the future of head coach Ralph Kreuger in doubt. With the second lowest amount of goals scored, and one of the leagues’ highest paid players, Jeff Skinner, warming the bench, there are clearly some problems with the management at the Sabres which need to be sorted out before things get better.
“We have to find the competitiveness in the team. We will keep losing if no one is competing. Do all the gritty stuff. Hit someone. A fight. I don’t know. But the team we have right now should not be losing like that.”
Five takeaways from today’s game: https://t.co/GO2bFKC1VP pic.twitter.com/WXawPGQYoT
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 28, 2021
The Rangers will host the struggling Sabres side, and they aren’t fairing too much better this season, currently 7-9-3 and sitting just two points above the Sabres.
The Rangers have won 3 of their last 5 matches, including an impressive win over the Bruins, however, they are now without their star man, Artemi Panarin, whose current situation is the cause of much speculation. It is unknown when, or if he will return, but the Rangers will be put to test in the meantime.
NHL Pick – New York Rangers (-147)
Spread Pick – Buffalo Sabres +1.5 (-192)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (+100)
Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7.00PM ET
Philadelphia defeated the Sabres on Monday 3-0, the win marked their 3rd straight, putting them in 4th place in the East Division with a record of 11-4-3.
James Van Riemsdyk has been very important to the Flyers, showing a massive improvement on his form of the last two seasons, with the experienced winger leading the team for goals and assists.
In a very tight division, the Flyers are just 3 points from the top of the table and are looking good to make the playoffs if they continue to play the way they currently are.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off the back of a 2-0 blanking against the Islanders on Monday, only their 4th defeat from the last 10 games.
With a season record of 11-8-1, they are currently sitting in 5th place behind Monday’s opposition, the Flyers. The Penguins have many players who are enjoying good seasons, Crosby and Geuntzel are posting solid numbers, while veteran defenseman, Kris Letang, recently led the Penguins to victory over the islanders with 2 goals and an assist.
NHL Pick – Philadelphia Flyers (-116)
Spread Pick – Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+200)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (-111)
Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00PM ET
After their convincing 5-1 win over the Calgary Flame, the Senators will be looking to keep that momentum going into their game against the Canadiens tomorrow.
The Senators are now 8-15-1, and while still in last place in the North, they have now won 6 of their last 10 games and are looking like a more competitive team.
Drake Batherson kept his good form going against the Flame by scoring 2 more goals, which makes 10 points across the Senators’ last 6 games.
Drake Batherson has joined some elite company.#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Fyp8gVoP1d
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 2, 2021
Montreal will host in what will be the Canadiens first game since Saturday where they lost to the Jets thanks to an overtime goal from Paul Stastny.
That loss marked the Canadiens 5th consecutive defeat, a disappointing run considering the solid start they made to the season. Now sitting in 4th place in the North Division with a record of 9-6-5, the Canadiens desperately need a win here.
Working in their favour is the fact they have 2 days rest and will be going up against a Senators side playing back to back games.
NHL Pick – Ottawa Senators (+230)
Spread Pick – Ottawa Senators +1.5 (-120)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-116)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Nashville Predators – 8.00PM ET
It once again took Carolina overtime to beat the Florida Panthers yesterday, winning 3-2 thanks to a Martin Necas goal in the second minute of overtime, Necas had a hand in every point for the Canes, providing 2 assists.
Alex Nedeljkovic was crucial to the Hurricanes victory also, with a save percentage of .957, the goaltender stopped a career high 44 shots. The win puts the Hurricanes up to 3rd in the Central Division, with a record of 14-6-1.
Nashville are enjoying a solid run at the moment, winning 4 of their last 4 matches, including a most recent 3-1 win against the Blue Jackets. Goaltender, Juuse Saros shone for the Predators, with a save percentage of .967 and 29 saves made.
They head into this match with an extra day in hand of rest over the Hurricanes, who have won 2/4 of their games played without a break.
NHL Pick – Carolina Hurricanes (-131)
Spread Pick – Nashville Predators +1.5 (-250)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-105)
Vancouver Canucks @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.00PM ET
The Canucks beat the Jets yesterday in the first of their 2 game series with a 4-0 shutout, ending both the Canucks 4 game losing streak, and the Jets 4 game winning streak in the process.
The much needed win brings the Canucks record up to 9-14-2 heading into the second leg which is also an away game.
Thatcher Demko will be hoping to repeat his performance of yesterday, making 27 saves and recording his first ever shut out as the Canucks goaltender.
The #Canucks scored three goals on five shots to open the 1st period and Demko did the rest in a 4-0 win over the Jets.@budweisercanada Highlights | https://t.co/V3s6OQvSK9 pic.twitter.com/qp4mCXKdz2
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 2, 2021
A disappointing loss at home to the Canucks brings an end to the Jets’ streak and puts them 13-7-1 for the season, comfortably in third place in the Central Division.
The loss takes the Jets home record to 8-4-1, and a win tomorrow is important as they will be playing the next 12 games away from home.
NHL Pick – Vancouver Canucks (+110)
Spread Pick – Vancouver Canucks +1.5 (-232)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-116)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Dallas Stars – 8.30PM ET
Tampa Bay were the unsurprising victor in Saturdays meeting against the Dallas Stars, winning 6-0 to claim their 2nd straight shutout, and 4th consecutive victory.
Currently tied for 2nd with the Hurricanes, the win brings the Lightning closer to top of the table Panthers. Stamkos and Cirelli both delivered a goal and an assist in the 6-0 win and will be brimming with confidence heading into the second tie.
The bad run continues for Dallas, who have now lost 8 from their last 10 games, leaving them at the bottom of the division, however, they have only played 16 games this season.
There were few good takeaways for Stars fans, and tomorrow’s game is likely to play out much the same
NHL Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning (-166)
Spread Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+150)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-120)
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.
