It is looking like another epic night of NHL, with some of the leagues best teams set to play, and some big mid table clashes to boot. As always, we have taken the day to research every game in detail to bring you the best NHL picks.
New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 6.00 PM EST
The Rangers went down to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, failing to keep their good form going from their series against the Devils, the Rangers lost 5-1.
Now sitting in 6th place with a record of 10-10-3, the Rangers are 6 points away from a playoff position with a tough set of fixtures ahead of them.
Back at it on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/laKqD4I68J
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 8, 2021
The Artemi Panarin situation is becoming more and more puzzling each day, with much speculation going on about his situation since he took a leave of absence from the team the Rangers 2 weeks back, there are calls for an official statement from the teams management.
The Penguins picked up their second win in a row, and their 7th from the previous 10, putting them tied in 4th pace in the Eastern Division.
They have performed much stronger at home than on the road this season, with a home record of 10-2-0 while they are 4-7-1 from away games.
They are one of the few teams that are allowed to have fans back in the stadium and it appears to be having a great effect on the players. Kasperi Kapanen scored a goal and 2 assists in the recent 5-1 victory, and Evgeni Malkin picked up his 5th point in just three games.
NHL Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins (-151)
Spread Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+160)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-151)
Nashville Predators @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00 PM EST
After there was no winner in their 3-3 regulation time game, the Predators and Stars went to overtime, and then to a shootout on Sunday, with the Predators winning 2-1.
The win put an end to the Predators 3 loss streak, but it did not come without a sweat, the Preds almost choked a 3-0 lead, conceding 3 goals in the third term to send the game to overtime.
Nashville were outshot almost 2-1 by the Stars, with Pekka Rinne forced to make 35 saves to keep them in it, as well as making shootout saves against Heiskanen and Pavelski to set up the win.
The Hurricanes head into this match confident as they have won their last 5 consecutive games, including 3 wins over the third place Florida Panthers, and an away win against the Predators.
They now host the Predators for the first time this season, and having beaten them in both away fixtures, they will be expecting to pick up maximum points as they push to move into first place on the Central Division table.
The Hurricanes’ fixtures are very promising for the next two weeks, going up against some of the weaker teams in the division, including 2 games against the Red Wings, and a 4 game series with the Blue Jackets.
NHL Pick – Carolina Hurricanes (-200)
Spread Pick – Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+130)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-120)
Florida Panthers @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00 PM EST
The Panthers played in a back to back game on Sunday, a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, their third loss to the Canes in just 5 games.
In between their losses they picked up back to back away wins over the Nashville Predators, and now prepare for two away games with the Blue Jackets, who they are 1-1 with from 2 away games this season.
The Panthers didn’t look as strong against the Canes as they did the Predators, with the effects of the limited rest taking a toll on the players, they are 2-2 from back to back games this season.
Final numbers from tonight. #FLAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/g2xItpLqT8
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 8, 2021
The Blue Jackets are coming off a painful 5-0 shutout defeat to the Dallas Stars, the loss was the result of yet another disappointing performance from the Blue Jackets, who have lost 7 of their previous 10 games.
Recording their second shutout loss of the season, the Blue Jackets have performed amongst the worst teams in the league for goals scored per game, averaging just 2.62.
They face their next 4 fixtures at home, and need to get some points going as the gap between them and the 4th place Blackhawks has increased to 6 points.
NHL Pick – Florida Panthers (-131)
Spread Pick – Florida Panthers -1.5 (+190)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-192)
Boston Bruins @ New York Islanders – 7.00 PM EST
Following their 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals the Bruins appeared to be back playing at their best, so it came as quite the surprise when they lost at home 1-0 to the out of form New Jersey Devils, who were playing their second game in as many days.
The loss is their 4th from their previous 6 games, denying Tuukka Rask of his 300th win as the Bruins goaltender. The 1-0 came through no shortage of attempts, with the Bruins taking 40 shots at Devils’ goalie, Scott Wedgewood, who saved all of them.
The Bruins have played the Islanders on 3 occasions this season, they are yet to win one, losing with an aggregate score of 12-4.
The Islanders claimed the top spot on the East Division table with another 5-2 victory over the Sabres, the third straight 5-2 victory over the Buffalo based side, bringing their win streak to 5 games.
After a disappointing start to the season in which they lost 5 in a row, the Islanders are now performing week in week out, but they need to maintain this form as they are 7 games into a schedule that has them playing 19 games in just 33 days.
NHL Pick – New York Islanders (+100)
Spread Pick – New York Islanders +1.5 (-263)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-232)
Buffalo Sabres @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.00 PM EST
The Sabres suffered their 7th straight defeat against the New York Islanders, already their 6th loss to the Islanders this season. With a record of 6-14-3, the Sabres are well on track to have yet another shocking season.
The Sabres average 2.17 goals per game, the third worst in the league, while conceding the 6th highest on average, and they show no signs of improvement from game to game.
The Philadelphia Flyers have played the Sabres 4 times this season, losing the first 6-1 before shutting them out 3-0 across the next 3 games.
Head Coach Ralph Krueger addresses the media following today’s loss to the Islanders. pic.twitter.com/llVh3MFT4q
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 7, 2021
The Flyers head into this match following a 3-1 home defeat to the Capitals on Sunday, and currently sit in 5th place, 2 points behind the Penguins in 4th.
The Flyers came out strong on Sunday, going up 1-0 in the first term thanks to a Joel Farabee goal, and holding the lead right up until late in the second term before letting in two goals within 5 minutes, followed by another in the third term to put them to bed.
NHL Pick – Philadelphia Flyers (-232)
Spread Pick – Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+110)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-116)
Winnipeg Jets @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00 PM EST
The Jets took a 7-1 defeat to the Canadiens on Saturday, the loss was their first defeat to the Montreal side this season, having won the previous three.
The Jets sit in second place in the North Division with a record of 15-8-1, but just 3 points separate them from the 4th place Canadiens.
There are 7 points between the Jets and their opponents today, the Maple Leafs, who have only met once this season, coming in the form of a 3-1 defeat at the start of the campaign.
The Maple Leafs have had an interesting run of games recently, after dominating the Edmonton Oilers over 3 games, the Leafs went to Vancouver to be swept by the 2nd last place Canucks over 2 games.
They are yet to lose 3 in a row all season though, and will be looking to bounce back here, they will enjoy playing at home after their 5 match road trip, and they boast a home record of 9-3-1.
NHL Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs (-181)
Spread Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+135)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-131)
New Jersey Devils @ Washington Capitals – 7.00 PM EST
The Devils put an end to their 5 loss streak with a shock victory over the Bruins on Sunday, holding them off all game to win in a rare 1-0 game.
The win was just the Devils’ second in the last 10 games, and while welcome, it once again highlighted their lack of offense, as they currently have the 5th worst goal per game average.
Fortunately, the Devils’ defenseman all performed well, but the win did not come easy, as the Bruins outshot them 40-25, with Scott Wedgewood playing one of the best games of his career, saving every shot the Bruins sent his way.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 8, 2021
The Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Sunday, giving them their 6th win from the last 8 games, for a 2nd place position on the East Division table.
The Capitals came back from a 1 goal deficit at the end of the first, scoring 3 unanswered goals over the next two thirds to secure their first win over the Flyers this season.
They will be looking forward to todays’ meeting with the Devils as it is a fixture they are historically stronger in, having won all three previous encounters they have had this season
NHL Pick – Washington Capitals (-192)
Spread Pick – New Jersey Devils +1.5 (-140)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-147)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Detroit Red Wings – 7.30 PM EST
Tampa came back from a 2 goal deficit in the first term, winning 6-3, taking out their 3 game series 2 games to 1 away to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The win maintains the Lightnings’ position on top of the Central Division, with a record of 17-4-2, and looking like a team more than capable of winning back to back Stanley Cups.
Yanni Gourde stood out against the Blackhawks, scoring 2 goals, including the goal that put the Lightning ahead late in the second term before assisting in the next two to put the game to bed.
A strong performance from Gourde was one of many, the whole team has consistently delivered this season, with 4 players contributing 20+ points, and the best defensive record in the competition.
The prospect of hosting the Lightning won’t fill the Detroit Red Wings with confidence, coming off the back of a third consecutive defeat against the Hurricanes last Thursday.
The two teams have met twice this season, with both games going the way of Tampa Bay, this time around the Red Wings will host, but that is unlikely to change the outcome too drastically.
NHL Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning (-370)
Spread Pick – Tampa Bay Lightning 1.5 (-125)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-200)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Dallas Stars – 8.30 PM EST
The Blackhawks come into this match following a 6-3 defeat at home to Tampa Bay, the game was the final match of a 3 game series, of which the Blackhawks did well to take home 3 points, winning 1 game and taking another to overtime.
They should have done better in the most recent game, blowing a 3 goal lead they played so well to earn in the first term, with Mattias Janmark picking up a power play goal and an assist.
After playing the last 5 games at home, the Blackhawks will now go on a 6 game road trip that has them playing the Stars, Panthers and the Lightning, they are currently 6-4-3 from 13 away games.
The boys were resilient in rallying for a point, but it’s time to take a few more steps forward@PNCBank | #GoStars https://t.co/D4d8i1gZRZ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 8, 2021
After staging a remarkable third term comeback the Stars went to a shootout against the Nashville Predators on Sunday, ultimately losing 2-1.
The comeback was well earnt by the Stars, as they outshot the Blackhawks almost 2 to 1, and had many more serious scoring opportunities, but they failed to get the job done in overtime for the 5th time this season.
Miro Heiskanen led the scoring, providing a goal and an assist for the Stars, however, his shootout attempt was thwarted to set up the Predators’ victory.
The Stars and Blackhawks have met just twice this season, with both games going to overtime at 1-1, with Chicago winning both.
NHL Pick – Dallas Stars (-174)
Spread Pick – Chicago Blackhawks +1.5 (-227)
Total Goals Pick – Under 5.5 (-125)
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.
