NHL Best Bets
Some people may be sad that Sundays aren’t filled with football anymore, but the NHL has done a fantastic job knowing that. There are six games across the league on this beautiful Sunday. But you’ll have to be patient because the night’s best game will be the last one.
Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid will face off at 9 p.m. this evening. I am excited to watch that game, as it will be one of my NHL best bets.
New Jersey at Los Angeles (-130, 6.5)
The New Jersey Devils are coming off one of their most disappointing losses of the season. The Devils fell short in a game that felt like a must-win against a weaker opponent in the Anaheim Ducks, losing 4-3 in regulation. The loss wasn’t due to a lack of effort. They just had a hard time putting the puck in the net. New Jersey scored three goals on 55 shots taken.
Tonight’s game could seriously alter the Devils’ season. They find themselves seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan division. They need all the points they can get. With the trade deadline coming up on Friday, this one game might be the deciding factor on whether the Devils are buyers or sellers.
Even though the focus is mainly on the Devils for me tonight, the Los Angeles Kings still find themselves in a pretty tight playoff race. Their season has been a massive disappointment after getting off to a hot start. That said, the Kings are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. They’re coming off of a pretty big 5-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks.
The bottom line is that I know this Devils team is hungry. I expect Jack Hughes to come out flying in tonight’s game. Hughes is a winner and competitor. He’s most likely angry at the way that their last game ended. Today will be a big bounce-back game for them. This could be a letdown spot for the Kings after their big win on the road.
Hughes has combined for 20 shots on goal in his last two games, and I think he will fire everything at the net again today.
NHL Best Bet(s): Jack Hughes over 4.5 shots on goal -110 (play to -125) | New Jersey Devils ML +110 (play to -110)
Pittsburgh at Edmonton (-192, 6.5)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are another team that has had a very disappointing season. It doesn’t seem like they have a real shot at getting into the playoffs with how they have played this season. The Edmonton Oilers, on the other hand, have been unbelievable and jumped the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific division standings.
The Oilers have won three straight games and have been defending very well. They’re only allowing 1.67 goals against in those three contests. Stuart Skinner has been in goal for all three games. He has earned a .949 save percentage with a 1.63 goals against average in that span. Since Skinner started last night, we will most likely see Calvin Pickard in goal for Edmonton. Pickard is 7-3-0 this season with a .905 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average.
Connor McDavid is also on a 10-game point streak. He is now the third-highest scorer in the NHL with 95 total points. McDavid has one goal and 23 assists over the last 10 games. Zach Hyman has added nine goals.
The Penguins are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games. They come into this contest on a two-game losing streak. They played last night in Calgary, so this is going to be the second night of a back-to-back for them, as well as the Oilers.
I don’t think Pittsburgh is strong enough to slow down the Oilers’ offense, especially with how they played last night against the Flames. I see Edmonton continuing their strong play tonight on home ice.
NHL Best Bet: Edmonton Oilers to win in regulation -125 (play to -135)
March Record: 1-0 (+1.00 units)
2023-24 record: 102–113 (-34.46 units)
