Top NHL Pick: Bruins ML (-212) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
NHL action heats up on Thursday night and below we have three top selections and one prop that will pad our bankrolls as we roll into the weekend.
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Bell Centre
Key Facts
- Bruins are 9-1 versus the Canadiens over their last 10 meetings.
- Bruins are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal.
- Canadiens are 3-9 SU in their last 12 games.
Recent Outings
This ancient rivalry between two Original Six teams has turned into a lopsided mismatch as the Bruins have dominated the Canadiens over the past several seasons. Once again, Boston is at the top of the standings despite a misstep against St. Louis in their last game in which the Blues came out hot and never took their foot off the gas in a 5-1 victory on Monday night.
As for Montreal, despite dropping 9 of their last 12, they did skate away with a 3-0 victory over the cellar-dwelling Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday evening. It was only the second shutout of the season for Montreal, as the Canadiens are currently ranked 29th in goals allowed.
The Pick
I wouldn’t be too concerned with Boston’s poor showing in their last game against St. Louis because every team has a poor outing every now and again. These teams last met on January 24th in which the B’s came away with a 9-4 victory as prohibitive home favorites. There is no reason to suspect they won’t keep doing what they have been doing when they face the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge.
As for the prop, look for Brad Marchand to get at least one helper in this game, which makes going over 0.5 assists look easy.
NHL Pick: Bruins ML (-212) at BetOnline Review)
NHL Prop Pick: Brad Marchand Over 0.5 Assists (+105) at BetOnline
New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas Stars
Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at American Airlines Center
Key Facts
- Devils are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games.
- Devils are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games against Dallas.
- Stars are 12-4 SU in their last 16 games against an opponent in the Metropolitan Division.
Stars Shining
Dallas had won five straight games before they ran into the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and the result was what you might expect from two of the top teams in the NHL this season. The Panthers emerged with a hard-fought 4-3 victory and that matchup could be a precursor to a Stanley Cup Final in June.
The Stars are No. 2 in scoring at this point in the season, averaging 3.67 goals per game, but they’re scoring attack rolls deep as evidenced by a dozen players on the roster who have already hit double-digits in goals, led by veteran Roope Hintz with 26 tallies on the year.
The Pick
The Devils have a grand total of 15 goals in their last 10 losses, which averages to 1.5 goals per game. That won’t get them past the high-flying Stars on this day or any other. This is a mismatch from top to bottom and I’m only surprised by the NHL odds being so relatively low on the home chalk here. Let’s lay the lumber and watch the Stars shine again on Thursday night.
NHL Pick: Stars ML (-171) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Washington Capitals vs. Seattle Kraken
Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 10:00 PM ET at Climate Pledge Arena
Key Facts
- Kraken are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home.
- The Kraken are ranked No. 28 in scoring, averaging 2.78 goals per game.
- The Capitals are 2-2 versus the Kraken over their last 4 meetings.
Power Outage
Seattle is a good, solid team but their offensive production has been an issue for them this season. Averaging 2.78 goals per game and getting shutout in 2 of their last 7 losses is not a recipe for success in the NHL.
Left winger Jared McCann leads all scorers on the team with 27 goals but from there comes a precipitous decline with Oliver Bjorkstrand second on the team with just 17 lamplighters this year. Solid goaltending from Joey Daccord, who has overtaken Philipp Grubauer between the pipes, has been a big boon to Seattle’s defensive unit.
The Pick
Don’t get me wrong, the Caps are not a great team this season, but after perusing the odds at the top sportsbooks, they are getting a nice price from the oddsmakers who have them tagged as +145 road underdogs against a team with a lackluster offense.
We should also note that the Caps are 2-2 against the Kraken over their last four meetings and it wouldn’t surprise me one iota to see them eking out a win in this one. I predict a low-scoring affair with the final score being Washington 3 – Seattle 2.
NHL Pick: Capitals ML (+145) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
