NHL Picks

Sam Malinski is scorching hot. He has piled up eight points over his last five games, headlined by a three-point performance in his last game – the first without superstar defenseman Cale Makar in the lineup.

He is more than capable of handling the added responsibility. Malinski ranks 5th among defenseman in points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, trailing names like Evan Bouchard, Lane Hutson, and Zach Werenski. The uptick in usage during that game state will serve him well.

Perhaps more importantly, Malinski also finds himself quarterbacking the top power play in Makar’s role. Wheels up.

Guentzel is red-hot as a playmaker right now, cashing the Over in four of his last six. He has four helpers in his last three games. The Lightning face the Boston Bruins tonight, and Guentzel has already dominated them this season. Across two meetings, he’s collected four assists. Guentzel typically plays with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, two of the top goal scorers as well for the Bolts. He’s also an elite playmaker on the power play, with 21 assists with the man advantage.

Mark Scheifele logged 15 assists last month, tied for the fourth-most in the NHL.

The Jets center has a helper in three of his last five games, while the Blue Jackets have surrendered 4+ goals in three straight.

William Nylander’s shot volume is on the rise. Excluding Top-10 shot suppression teams, Nylander has averaged 4.0 shots on 7.2 attempts over his past five games.

A lot of his volume comes from the slot, where the Kings have struggled to defend of late. They rank 28th in slot shots allowed spanning their last 10 games.

They have a reputation as a buttoned up defensive team but that hasn’t necessarily been the case. The Kings have also allowed shots and goals at a higher rate since moving on from head coach Jim Hiller.

All eyes will be on Mr. Saturday Night as his next tally will be his 50th. He has 28 goals in his last 27 games, and of course, tonight is his favorite night to score. He'll look to become the first Hab to hit the half-century mark since 1989-90 against a middling New Jersey defense.

Suzuki has cashed the Over in three of his last four contests, putting five pucks on net in back-to-back games earlier this week. The Habs take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, who are 14th in the NHL in most SOG allowed. NJ plays high-octane hockey, which typically results in opponents having a fair amount of chances. Suzuki is also on the top line for Montreal, who produce a lot of offense. 

Pettersson has cashed the Over in helpers in four straight, and in six of his last seven. 

Utah has won five consecutive head-to-head meetings with Vancouver, including covering the puck line in three straight. With the Mammoth eyeing better playoff positioning in the Pacific Division, back them to pull away at Rogers Arena.
 
 
 

The Ducks (30th) and Flames (24th) have not been great defensive teams this season, and that's been especially apparent of late. Anaheim has cashed the Over in three straight, with 7+ total goals in each of those games. Calgary has also hit the Over in three consecutive contests, with 9+ total tallies in each game.

The Edmonton Oilers are rolling right now, riding a five-game winning streak during which they’ve outscored their opponents 19-8. A big part of the team's success has been Connor McDavid, who has compiled 10 points in those five games, including three multi-point nights. McDavid has also posted multi-point efforts in three straight games against the Vegas Golden Knights, including a three-point outing last week on March 26. Vegas' goaltending has been struggling lately as well, posting a measly .863 save percentage over their last five games.

The Edmonton Oilers take on the rival Vegas Golden Knights this evening, and McDavid has done his damage against them. He’s scored two goals in three meetings with Vegas, who are allowing the 14th most goals per game in the league.

As much of a surprise Boston has been this season, the Bruins are just .500 on the road, and they’re running into a Flyers team that is 7-3 straight up over their last 10 games. I’ll roll with Philly on home ice.