Mark Lammey
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If you are looking for a great way to boost your bankroll heading into the weekend, Pickswise has you covered. There is a solid 8-game slate in the NHL with some great matchups. I have broken down each contest to find our favorite and most valuable plays. By piecing all 3 of them together, it gets us an incredible payout for what has to be considered some very reasonable outcomes. Two of my plays are among the first games of the night, so let’s check ‘em out.
Monday’s play cashed at +1063, so let’s keep the momentum going! Along with our NHL mega parlay, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
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Florida Panthers -1.5 (+200) over Washington Capitals
One of the first games to drop the puck will be in the nation’s capital. Right off the bat, the biggest note for this game is the absence of Alex Ovechkin. The future Hall of Famer will be gone for the foreseeable future due to a family matter. That’s a huge blow to a Caps team that is already dealing with injuries. Key skaters such as John Carlson and Tom Wilson are among them, and such key defensive-minded players are a huge absence when facing a team like the Panthers.
They will be out with a vengeance after getting embarrassed by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. However, that should not cause hesitation; several advanced metrics had Florida the likely winner of that game. The Panthers were the victims of some unlucky bounces and Matthew Tkachuk is still one of the most impressive skaters this season. Similarly, Aleksander Barkov has recorded multiple points in 4 of his last 5 games against the Caps. Expect a hungry Panthers team to prey on a weak Caps squad.
Winnipeg Jets 3-way ML (-135) over Columbus Blue Jackets
One of the other early puck drops takes place at the home of the worst team in the NHL. Like the Caps, the Blue Jackets have dealt with a slew of injuries this season. Some of those are to key skaters such as Zach Werenski and Jakub Voracek. It’s also always unknown as to whether or not Patrik Laine is 100 percent healthy. Regardless, Columbus’ goaltending doesn’t do it any favors. The Jackets are allowing the 3rd-most goals per game and nearly 4 goals per game at home. That couldn’t be more polar opposite from the Jets.
Led by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, they are giving up the 3rd-fewest goals per game this season. He has been one of the most consistent goalies for years now, having led the NHL in saves made for the last 4 seasons. With Columbus scoring the 3rd-fewest goals per game, everything is spelling disaster for the home team. A win tonight could also see the Jets put themselves in a tie with the Dallas Stars for the most points in the entire Western Conference. These teams are simply on opposite ends of the spectrum, so I will back Winnipeg even on the road.
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Calgary Flames -1.5 (+110) over Detroit Red Wings
Wrapping things up is another Western Conference team. The Flames haven’t been as hot this season with Tkachuk now on the Panthers and Johnny Gaudreau now on the Jackets, but they still have postseason dreams. They have some work to do to catch the Edmonton Oilers, but the Red Wings should provide a stepping stone in that process. Firstly, it’s been equally as difficult to trust Detroit. On top of that, they are coming off a game against those Oilers just last night.
Facing Connor McDavid and company is one of the most difficult tasks of anything in the NHL, and having both games of a back-to-back on the road makes it that much tougher. The biggest improvement the Wings made this offseason was the acquisition of goaltender Vile Husso. However, he won’t be in net tonight — which makes them much more like the team that allowed the 2nd-most goals per game last season. That was when Calgary defeated them in shutout fashion in both meetings, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom should lead them to another convincing victory tonight.
Thursday’s NHL mega parlay (2/16)
Panthers -1.5 (+200)
Jets 3-way ML (-135)
Flames -1.5 (+110)
Parlay odds +996
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