There were some crazy score lines over the 7 games yesterday, we’ve got our fingers crossed for 6 more action packed matches today. As always, we have spent the day preparing our NHL picks, have a read through to see all our predictions.
Vancouver Canucks @ Ottawa Senators – 7.00PM EDT
The Canucks and Senators play the final game of their 2 match series today, the first leg was won by the Canucks 3-2 in overtime on Monday night.
It was a sloppy game from the Canucks, going up 2-0 in the first term but making lots of errors and allowing the Senators to fight their way back in with goals in the 2nd and 3rd term.
The win maintains the Canucks perfect record over the Senators this season, having won all 4 games this season with an aggregate score of 19-6.
Rise & shine & rewind to last night’s win in Ottawa. ⏪#Canucks Highlights | @BudweiserCanada pic.twitter.com/gyDBU7LpZ7
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 16, 2021
It was a somewhat lucky win for the Canucks, who were playing a Senators team which were playing back to back games, and their third game in 4 days, yet they outplayed the Canucks, making 46 shots to 28, even hitting the post twice.
Thatcher Demko made 44 saves for the night to keep the Canucks alive until overtime, where J.T Miller buried the winner 2 minutes in.
The Senators have now won just 3 of their last 10 matches, yet they are more than capable of getting a win here if they can polish up their finishing.
NHL Pick – Ottawa Senators (+130)
Spread Pick – Ottawa Senators +1.5 (-185)
Total Goals Pick – Over 6.0 (-116)
Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers – 7.30PM EDT
It came down to overtime in New York to find a winner between the Flyers and the Rangers, the match ended 4-4 in regulation time with the lead going back and forth multiple times.
It was a messy game between the two, with neither team defending well and some costly mistakes on either side of the ice, as has been the case this season when these teams meet.
Artemi Panarin led the comeback for the Rangers, scoring their first goal before assisting the next two to give them the lead after starting the 2nd term 2-0 down.
Jakub Voracek must have felt inspired by Panarin’s heroics, as he then spearheaded the Flyers comeback, assisting with 2 goals, both of which tied the score up and forced the overtime, where he scored the decisive goal just before the 4th minute.
Today’s match will be the fourth meeting between the Flyers and Rangers, who sit in 5th and 6th place respectively, the Flyers have won 2 of those encounters, and are now just 1 point away from the Bruins in a playoff position.
NHL Pick – Philadelphia Flyers (-135)
Spread Pick – New York Rangers +1.5 (-212)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.0 (-140)
Montreal Canadiens @ Winnipeg Jets – 9.00PM EDT
The Canadiens ended their 2 game losing streak with a win over the Jets on Monday, winning 4-2 to give them their first away win in Winnipeg from 3 games this season.
Going up 2-0 early into the second term, the Canadiens replied to every Jets goal with one of their own to prevent them from coming back into the game.
Tyler Toffoli provided goals late into the second and third term to restore the 2 goal cushion, finishing the game with 3 points, he now leads the Canadiens for points this season with 26.
Le but gagnant ET le but d’assurance reviennent à: Tyler Toffoli
The game-winner AND insurance goal came courtesy of: Tyler Toffoli#GoHabsGo | @CasinoMontreal pic.twitter.com/GZChZ1YSbt
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 16, 2021
It was the 4th defeat from the last 8 games for the Jets, however they still have the best record over the last 10 games in the division, going 6-3-1, a testament to how competitive the North Division is.
The Jets outshot the Canadiens 36-31, but spent less time on the offense, and Kyle Connor’s brace wasn’t enough for them to get back in the game.
After today’s game the Jets will play the next 7 away, their longest road trip of the season, they have performed pretty much the same both home and away this season.
NHL Pick – Montreal Canadiens (-120)
Spread Pick – Winnipeg Jets +1.5 (-250)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-116)
St Louis Blues @ Los Angeles Kings – 10.00PM EDT
The Blues suffered a painful 5-1 defeat at home to the Golden Knights on Saturday, it was the second match of a series of which they also lost the first game 5-4 a night earlier.
The Blues have now lost 4 in a row for the first time since October of last year, they now find themselves in 4th place on the West Division table, down from 2nd just over a week ago.
Their defeat on Saturday surprisingly marked the first time the Blues have lost to the Golden Knights in regulation time since 2017, taking their home record to a lacklustre 4-7-3, compared to a 10-2-2 record on the road.
The Kings were swept over 2 games by the Avalanche, losing last Friday 2-0 for their first shutout of the season followed by a 4-1 defeat on Sunday.
They conceded goals in each term to the Avs, while Kurtis MacDermid was the only scorer for the Kings, with an inconsequential goal at the start of the 3rd.
With just 3 wins over the last 10 games, the Kings are also heading into this match with a bad run of form under their belt, however, they have beaten the Blues in 4 games from 6 this season.
NHL Pick – Los Angeles Kings (+125)
Spread Pick – Los Angeles Kings +1.5 (-212)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-181)
San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10.00PM EDT
The Knights kept their flawless record against the Sharks intact with their recent 2-1 win, bringing their head to head record to 4-0 this season.
The Knights outshot the Sharks 36-24, but they were not at their best, looking like the second best team for the 1st term, with the effects of playing 3 games in 4 days taking a toll.
The ever reliable Marc-Andre Fleury was there in their time of need, coming up big in the first term with some crucial saves, finishing the game with 23 saves and his 481st NHL win.
The scoresheet came as no surprise for the Knights, with Max Pacioretty picking up a goal and assist, his 6th point in 3 games.
take a bow, Max 🌟 pic.twitter.com/CqeFjxxjPN
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 16, 2021
Mark Stone continued his epic point streak with a goal and assist, he has now contributed in all 8 games this month, 10 points in total.
The Sharks had their 3 win streak halted by the Knights, they put up one of their better fights against the Vegas based team this season though, and even looked the better team in the first term.
Timo Meir picked up his third point in 3 games with a late goal in the third, bringing the deficit to just 1 goal, but they couldn’t beat Fleury in net to find an equaliser.
NHL Pick – Vegas Golden Knights (-232)
Spread Pick – Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 (+105)
Total Goals Pick – Under 6.5 (-147)
Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames – 10.00PM EDT
The Oilers play the Flames in the final game of their 2 match series today after the Flames upset them in the first leg on Monday, 4-3.
The Oilers had beaten the Flames in their last 3 games straight, but the Flames were at their best this time out, scoring 3 goals in the second term, and instantly replying to an Oilers equaliser with a goal of their own in the final term.
There were 4 players that finished the game with 2 points for the Flames, amongst them was Dillon Dube, who opened the scoring before assisting in the second goal for his 14th point of the campaign.
The two teams have played 5 games this season, with Monday’s victory marking the second for the Flames to bring their win streak to 3 games following their impressive series sweep over the Canadiens.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid kept their point streaks alive for the Oilers, extending them to 7 and 6 respectively, however, it wasn’t enough to secure the win as they picked up their second straight loss.
NHL Pick – Edmonton Oilers (-105)
Spread Pick – Edmonton Oilers +1.5 (-250)
Total Goals Pick – Over 5.5 (-151)
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.
