Thursday night has a packed NHL slate and we have three top selections as well as a player prop to bust the top-rated sportsbooks as we roll into the weekend. Let’s go ahead and break down our NHL top picks for March 21.
Top NHL Pick: Blackhawks ML (+111) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins
Thursday, March 21, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at TD Garden
Key Facts
- NY Rangers are 15-5 SU in their last 20 games.
- NY Rangers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games on the road.
- NY Rangers are 2-0 vs. Boston this season.
Rangers Looking to Rebound
The Rangers remain atop the Metropolitan Division after 69 games but are only two points ahead of Carolina after their 4-2 loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday night. After a scoreless first period, the Jets put the Rangers on their heels in the second, jumping ahead to a 3-1 lead. But a third-period tally by Alexis Lafreniere kept New York within a goal until an empty-netter sealed the deal in favor of the Jets.
One thing to note. The Rangers, a team that routinely relies on stellar goaltending, outshot the Jets, 41-27, but still lost even with former Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin patrolling the crease.
NHL Pick
The Bruins are the top team in the league with 97 points and have won 5 of their last 6 contests. Those two facts alone are enough to bring the chalk-eaters calling but it takes two to tango and the team visiting the TD Garden on Thursday night is one of the best in the business, despite their recent loss to another elite team in the league, the Winnipeg Jets.
If you are a seasoned bettor then you know that getting value is a big deal over the long grind that is the NHL season. We have it in spades tonight as the books are anticipating the squares to come in heavy with Boston money but the Rangers have defeated the Bruins in both meetings this season – 7-4 in New York and 2-1 (OT) in Boston.
Let’s grab the generous price on a very good New York club.
NHL Pick: Rangers ML (+123) at BetOnline
NHL Pick: Artemi Panarin Assists 1+ (-130) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Buffalo Sabres vs. Edmonton Oilers
Thursday, March 21, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Rogers Place
Key Facts
- Edmonton is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home
- Edmonton is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games.
- Buffalo is 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games.
Oilers Too Slick
The metamorphosis that the Oilers have undergone this season has been largely due to a commitment to defense and strong goaltending. When the year began, veteran Jack Campbell was in the net and the results were not good as evidenced by their 2-9-1 record after a dozen games.
But since releasing Campbell and promoting Stuart Skinner, the Oilers have thrived and are now within six points of the first-place Canucks with three games in hand. I dredge up this recent history because it’s important to consider that the Oilers are not only offensively explosive with arguably the best 1-2 punch in the NHL – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – but Edmonton is ranked 8th in goals against average.
NHL Pick
These teams met just a little less than two weeks ago in Buffalo when the Sabres pulled off a 3-2 shootout upset over the Oilers as +160 home underdogs. That wound is still fresh and don’t think for a moment the Oilers aren’t looking to avenge that loss against a bottom-tier team like the Sabres.
Buffalo has dropped two of their last three games with the latest being a 3-2 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday night, and it is more than likely this will be more of the same. The Oilers rank 4th in scoring and 2nd in shots which should make this a lopsided mismatch against a Sabres team that ranks 21st in goals allowed.
If the price is too steep for you, consider putting the Oilers in a parlay and juicing your odds.
NHL Pick: Oilers ML (-210) at BetOnline
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks
Thursday, March 21, 2024 – 10:00 PM ET at Honda Center
Key Facts
- Chicago is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Anaheim.
- Anaheim is 0-7 SU in their last 7 games.
- Anaheim is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home.
Ducks Reeling
Anaheim has struggled all season so this recent seven-game losing streak is nothing new. Over that span, the Ducks were outscored 35-7. This indicates a colossal breakdown in the defensive zone as well as a power outage offensively.
We should also note that Anaheim lost their last game, 4-0, to the Minnesota Wild, making it the third time in four games their offense has been blanked. This is the first time in Anaheim’s 30-year history that they have had two losing streaks of at least seven games in a single season.
NHL Pick
I was always told never to throw good money at bad teams. And while that’s not bad advice, it doesn’t address the “prettiest pig in the poke” scenario which is precisely what we have here. The Ducks and Blackhawks are eliminated from the playoffs. They’re ranked 30th and 31st, ahead of only the woeful San Jose Sharks.
The Blackhawks have won both games against the Ducks this season with the first being a 1-0 victory in December followed by a 7-2 thrashing in Chicago last week. As bad as the Hawks are this season, we should be aware they have won 3 of their last 5 contests and are getting plus money from the books.
Why would anyone lay the lumber with the Ducks? We won’t!
NHL Pick: Blackhawks ML (+111) at Heritage Sports
*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.
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