Betting edges for NHL games March 10-16.
Edmonton Oilers @ Colorado Avalanche
With Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid headlining the Oilers-Avs game on Tuesday night, NHL fans are getting treated to a rare head-to-head matchup between the world’s two best players. The two All-Stars just wrapped up their Olympics quest as teammates and are ready to get back to their normal roles as enemies.
McDavid and Mackinnon are 1-2 in NHL scoring this season. The difference is the supporting cast that the Avs have behind their captain, with 5 players on track to score 20+ goals this season. For anytime goalscorers, you can almost sprinkle some action on all of them. Martin Necas and Brock Nelson are both centers who can pick up the secondary scoring anytime MacKinnon is off the ice. And for anytime goalscorers, keep an eye out for Nazem Kadri, the Avs’ key deadline pickup – he’ll be energized to be back with his old team.
The Oilers still show plenty of firepower too. They trail only the Avs in goals scored this season, and their most recent 4-2 win over Vegas saw them hit the post three times in what could have been a blowout.
They’ll need the ammo. The last time the two teams met, it was a 9-1 drubbing by Colorado. You have to figure McDavid and Leon Draisaitl won’t let that happen again. This is a team that has made the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight years – pride alone will make this a closer game.
Check the latest odds at Lucky Rebel.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens
Toronto has had Montreal’s number in recent years. The Leafs are 7-3 in their last 10 meetings, and no matter where either team is in the standings each time (this year it’s Toronto in the gutter while Montreal is riding high), this Original Six classic is always tight.
Things are darker now for the Leafs than they have been in a while though. They’re 0-5-2 since the Olympic break, even dealing some players ahead of the NHL trade deadline last week. Worse, they’re getting booed off the ice at home. Maybe the Bell Center in Montreal will give them a small break from the pressure of blowing the season in the biggest hockey market in the NHL?
Now is as good a time as any for them to get going. Montreal is coming back from a 3-game California road trip that saw them give up 13 goals in the first two games, so they’ve got some tightening up to do on D. Toronto’s Auston Matthews and William Nylander are always a threat, no matter how bad the team is playing as a whole. Matthews especially is primed for a breakout. He’s on the longest goalless streak of his career at 11 games.
For anytime goalscorers in this latest Toronto-Montreal battle on the Habs’ side, the usual suspect, Cole Caufield, tops the list. He’s got 5 goals in his last 5 games. For a darker horse pick, Jake Evans is a 4th-liner who’s picked up 5 points in his last 4 games. Evans has gotten more room to score lately with the Canadiens getting several key players (like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook) back from injury.
Like so many Canadiens’ games lately, a shootout could be in the cards on Tuesday night. With both teams’ goaltending being on the weaker side, the Over looks like a solid play.
Vegas Golden Knights @ Dallas Stars
The Stars took the most recent Vegas-Dallas meeting at the end of January, winning 5-4.
That was part of a streak that has taken them to 2nd overall in the NHL with 88 points. They’ve picked up at least a point in 12 straight games, with a dominant 10 consecutive W’s in that span.
What’s happening in Vegas? A bad beat, in casino terms. The Golden Knights are 5-10-2 in their last 17, but they’re still somehow 2nd in the weak Pacific Division. They can’t afford to slip beyond their 6th-place spot in the Western Conference.
Tough one tonight though. Vegas has given up huge early leads to opponents lately, putting themselves in a 3-0 hole in four out of their last five. The Stars will be all over them early, to try and pounce on that weakness.
Looking for moneyline momentum for the Stars? Vegas has lost 16 out of 17 to teams in playoff position.
If you’re looking for a silver lining in Vegas’ odds, watch the NHL live betting odds anytime they go on the power play. It’s their one bright spot, as they Knights are 3rd in the NHL in PP%. Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev lead the PP unit and could make things close if the Stars send players to the box.
The same power play scoring odds will get a boost anytime Vegas is in the penalty box. The Stars are 2nd in the league in PP%.
St. Louis Blues @ Carolina Hurricanes
The St. Louis Blues are a mystery when it comes to NHL odds. On paper, they have the horses to be a playoff team. In reality, they’re sitting 7th in the Central Division and ended up as sellers at the NHL trade deadline.
The question for Thursday’s Blues-Hurricanes game is to see how much the Blues have packed it in for the season already. They traded away their captain, Brayden Schenn – a move that can gut any locker room. And they’ll be coming off a game where they had to face him already when the Islanders come to town on Tuesday night.
Morale took an even bigger hit as the Blues’ trade deadline fire sale of players like Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington didn’t materialize. They were all on the trading block, but the team either couldn’t get a deal done or the players exercised their no-trade clauses. How does a team get up for the rest of the season knowing it’s the end of the road already?
Especially against one of the NHL’s best teams in Carolina. The ‘Canes were 9-3 in their last 12 heading into this week. They were quiet at the deadline, but they already have the depth and balanced attack to make a deep playoff run as it is. Leading scorer Sebastian Aho is just 23rd in the league in points, but they have 10 players with double-digit goals on the season.
We’re thinking quality + form beats a highly unmotivated group of Blues players. With tougher games ahead for Carolina as they aim to finish the regular season with the 1st overall seed, they need the east 2 points whenever they can get them. Expect a possible blowout by the Hurricanes.
San Jose Sharks @ Ottawa Senators
With just eight games left against teams with a current playoff seeding, the Sharks have a slightly easier path to the NHL playoffs.
The Sens are on a similar path.
With both teams on the bubble, every game is already a mini playoff battle. Expect a tight one on Sunday, but the sheer talent on the Sharks’ side should put them over the hump.
Macklin Celebrini is already a top-5 NHL scorer and he’s been on a tear since the Olympics. He had scored a goal in three straight heading into this week, with 8 total points in his last 5 games. Watch for recent pick-up Kiefer Sherwood to put up points too – he recently signed a 5-year extension and had 3 points in 3 games to kick off the month of March.
The Sens do have talent like Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk (fresh off his gold medal for Team USA). Ottawa entered the week with 7 more points than the Sharks on the season. But if you’re a momentum bettor, while both teams are fighting for a playoff spot, approach the Senators with caution.
The return of Linus Ullmark has been average at best – he just gave up 4 goals on 21 shots against the Kraken – and the drama that surrounds him is a real drain on the locker room. Meanwhile, the Sharks had picked up points in 5 straight entering the week, and the red-hot Celebrini is putting the team on his back.