Steven Hall
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After a full day off of hockey yesterday, today we’re treated to a fantastic 14-game slate containing some rather interesting matchups. As I’ve been doing time and time again this season, I’m back with some of my top NHL parlay picks for today’s hockey schedule. On top of that, as always, we’ve got other NHL picks for each of today’s contests too.
Rangers -1.5 (+125)
Bruins vs Sabres under 6 (+100)
Predators ML (+115)
NHL parlay odds: +867
New York Rangers -1.5 vs Washington Capitals
After going through a rough stretch of losing 3 times in the span of 4 games, the Rangers have since won 3 of their last 4, including against the Eastern’s other top dogs in the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Their opponent today is much, much less intimidating than those 2 foes, with the Capitals sporting a -9-goal differential up to this point despite being a solid 17-9. This is likely due to Washington’s lack of scoring offensively (2.4 goals per game, 30th in NHL).
New York is quite potent on offense this season, especially on the power play. The Capitals have performed well from a goals allowed standpoint, but they still allow the 20th most shots per game to opposing squads at 31.1. Against an offense like the Rangers, allowing that many quality looks will surely result in some goals being scored. New York also is one of the best defensive teams in the league this season, so the Caps’ lethargic offense will have an even tougher task than usual in this one.
Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres under 6
The matchup in Buffalo just screams low-scoring affair in my opinion. Both teams are ranked 18th or worse in goals scored per outing, yet Boston is 5th in goals allowed (2.6) and Buffalo is 11th in shots (29.7). The Sabres are on a nice run of potent offensive showings, but this appears to be just a blip on the schedule rather than a constant new life. They even came back down to earth last game with just 3 goals scored.
As for the Bruins, they’ve mustered more than 2 goals in just 3 of their last 8 games and have struggled offensively for most of this season. Despite a recent stretch of over results in both squads’ contests, the under has still been rather prevalent for both. When these same 2 teams met just 20 days ago, there were only 4 total goals scored. Expect a similar result here, as both teams’ strength (defense) should show up throughout.
Nashville Predators ML vs Carolina Hurricanes
Last but not least, we’ll target this matchup containing teams playing like complete opposites over the last month or so. The Predators have turned their season around since struggling early, with a ridiculous 14-5 mark overall since November 19. As for the ‘Canes, their strong start has certainly faded away with a record of just 3-8 over their last 11 games. On paper, these teams are fairly evenly matched, so trends such as these make all the difference in what would otherwise be seen as a tight contest.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where Carolina is faulting at recently other than the fact that consistency has just not been there. They’ll have a win one night where the offense and defense are both in sync, and then the next, they look lost. In Nashville’s case, defense has been the backbone of this hot stretch of affairs, allowing 3 goals or less in 12 of their last 19 games. Look for them to continue their winning ways against a vulnerable Hurricanes bunch.
