Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.

Philadelphia Flyers (24-19-9) at Boston Bruins (31-20-3)

Flyers (+135) at Bruins (-160) – Total 6 (Over, -120)

7 p.m. ET

The Flyers are coming off a 5-3 loss last night at Columbus despite a hat trick from Travis Konecny. They now head into Boston on the second half of a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights. Philadelphia is (2-5) on the back end of a back-to-back this season and have lost nine of their last 11 games overall. 

The Bruins are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over Nashville on Tuesday. Though they are also playing three games in four nights, the Bruins have a rest advantage, having had a day off on Wednesday. Boston owns the best home record (20-8-1) in the Eastern Conference, and their 20 home wins are equaled only by the Colorado Avalanche. 

The B’s have scored three goals or more in 12 of their last 14 games and scored four goals or more eight times. David Pastrnak has registered six shots on goal or more in three of his last four games and four shots on goal or more in 10 of his last 15 games.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: David Pastrnak Over 3.5 shots on goal (+110) – .25Boston Bruins Team Total Over 3.5 (+105) – .50Boston Bruins 1st period (-1/2 goal) +158 – .50Geekie anytime goal (+155) – .10

Los Angeles Kings (22-16-3) at Buffalo Sabres (30-17-5)

Kings (+110) at Sabres (-135) – Total 6 (Under, -120)

7 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Kings travel to Buffalo carrying a three-game winning streak and face one of the hottest teams in the league in the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has won four straight and 19 of their past 23 games. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I like the Kings to win this game. It’s a bad spot for Buffalo and has all the makings of letdown game for the Sabres who are coming off an emotional win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday in Toronto. 

After tonight’s game against Los Angeles, Buffalo has games against division rivals Montreal (Saturday), Tampa and Florida, and then a home game versus Pittsburgh in the final game before the Olympic break. It appears that Kings captain Anze Kopitar will make his return to the lineup tonight after missing the past 10 games with a lower-body injury.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: Los Angeles Kings 1st period ML (+105) – .25Los Angeles Kings to score 1st goal of the game (-105) – .25Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+105) – .25Regulation Draw (+300) – .05

Colorado Avalanche (35-7-9) at Montreal Canadiens (29-17-7)

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Avalanche (-140) at Canadiens (+115) – Total 6.5 (-130)

7 p.m. ET

The Colorado Avalanche are coming off a 5-2 loss at Ottawa last night (two empty net goals by Ottawa) in a game that my eyeballs said to me, “We (the Avalanche) are going to save our energy for tomorrow’s game in Montreal.” The Avalanche had eight shots on goal in the first 40 minutes, somehow were one shot away from tying the game (trailed 2-1), and then woke up in the third period and after trading goals were down 3-2 before the Senators put it away with a pair of goals into a yawning cage. 

I expect the Avalanche to get up for this game the same way they did against the Maple Leafs last Sunday when they beat Toronto, 4-1. The Avs spanked Montreal earlier in the season, 7-2 but in fairness to the Canadiens, they had played the night before in Vegas, and having to play the next day in Colorado, in elevation, is a scheduled loss. 

Jakub Dobes gets the start once again for Montreal. It was Dobes who had to suffer through the 7-2 loss in Colorado. Dobes has won four straight and six of his last seven overall, but I see his four-game winning streak coming to an end tonight. Even with the wins, Dobes has had a propensity to give up the first goal of the game in his career, having done so 27 times in his 38 starts. 

While I am on Colorado to win the game, I will continue to ride the Cole Caufield goal train. The Habs forward has found the back of the net in six consecutive games.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: Colorado Avalanche 1st goal/1st period (+120) – .25Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 SOG (+132) – .50Nathan MacKinnon Over 5 .5 SOG (+240) -.20Nathan MacKinnon 2+ shots on goal, 1st period (+154) – .25Colorado Avalanche 1st period -1/2 goal (+160) – .25Colorado Avalanche 2nd period -1/2 goal (+152) – .25Cole Caufield anytime goal (+140) – .10Cole Caufield Over 2.5/MacKinnon Over 3.5 SOG (+138) – .50

Nashville Predators (24-23-5) at New Jersey Devils (27-24-2)

Predators (+120) at Devils (-140) – Total 5.5 (Over, -130)

7 p.m. ET

This game is primarily about player props for me, though I do like Nashville to win this game. The Devils defeated the Predators at home last season by a score of 5-2, but prior to that, Nashville had won eight straight in Jersey. Four of the last six meetings in Jersey were decided in overtime. 

On to the player props. Steven Stamkos has eight goals in fourteen games against tonight’s starter in goal for New Jersey, Jakob Markstrom. Ryan O’Reilly has an assist in seven of his last eight games. 

On the Jersey side, forward Lenni Hameenaho has five points in three games since joining the team. He has goals in two of his last three games, and both those goals have opened the scoring for the Devils. 

I mentioned earlier how these teams have an overtime history when the games are played in New Jersey, so give me Nashville to win in overtime with Steven Stamkos scoring the winning goal. He has three of Nashville’s four OT goals this season. This season he has scored 10 of his 25 goals in the third period. Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is on a nine-game assist streak.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Hameenaho anytime goal +575 – .10
Hameenaho 1st New Jersey goal +1800 – .05
Nashville Money Line (+118) – .25
O’Reilly assist (-105) – .25
Stamkos 1st Nashville goal (+600) – .05
Stamkos anytime goal (+200) – .15
Stamkos 3rd period goal (+600) – .05
Regulation Draw (+300) – .05
Nashville Predators win in OT/Stamkos OT goal (+6500) – .05
Hamliton Over ½ assist (+120) – .20

New York Islanders (29-19-5) at New York Rangers (22-26-6)

Islanders (-140) at Rangers (+115) – Total 5.5. (Over, -130)

7 p.m. ET

The Islanders breezed past the Rangers last night, 5-2 as Rangers players look like they can’t wait for the season to officially come to an end. Earlier this month, General Manager Chris Drury issued a letter to Rangers fans indicating the team was in a rebuild mode. On Wednesday, the team announced that Artemi Panarin will remain out of the lineup as the team looks to make a trade for the impending unrestricted free agent. 

Tonight, the scene shifts to MSG, where the Rangers have just six wins in 23 games. It’s even worse when you consider that this is the second half of a back-to-back for the Blueshirts. They are 0-8 this season on the back end of back-to-backs, shutout three times, and have scored a combined eight goals (three coming against LA). 

It will be Jonathan Quick for the Rangers and Ilya Sorokin for the Islanders for the goaltending matchup. The Rangers have given up three goals or more in each of Quick’s last seven starts and four goals or more in six of them. 

One Rangers player prop that I will be on again is Mika Zibanejad anytime goal and the Rangers’ first goal of the game. Zibanejad opened the scoring for the Rangers last night for the 13th time this season. My favorite plays in this game and maybe even my best bets for the night are the Rangers team total Under 3 and the Islanders Team Total Over 3.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: Zibanejad 1st Rangers goal (+490) – .05Zibanejad anytime goal (+151) – .10New York Rangers Team Total Under 3 (-145) – 3 unitsNew York Islanders Team Total Over 3 (-129) – 3 units

Utah Mammoth (28-21-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (32-15-5)

Mammoth (+145) at Hurricanes (-175) – Total 6 (-110)

7 p.m. ET

The Mammoth come into Utah off a 4-3 win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion, Florida Panthers on Tuesday, one day after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-0. Now they face the Carolina Hurricanes, playing their fourth game in six days, all on the road. 

As much as I liked the spot for Utah to beat Florida on Tuesday (which they did), I believe tonight is a bad spot for the Mammoth, and I am on the Hurricanes to win tonight. I have no desire to lay the heavy juice (-175), and I am going to parlay the Canes with the Minnesota Wild, who are playing Calgary tonight, and turn this into a plus money play. If you don’t like parlays, Carolina in regulation (-105) is not a bad play either. 

One Utah player prop for me in this game will be Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka saves prop going Over 25.5. The Hurricanes average 32.1 shots on goal per game. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho has torched Utah goalie, Karel Vejmelka, scoring five goals in seven games.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: Carolina Hurricanes/Wild Money Line parlay (+121) – 2 unitsVejmelka Over 25.5 saves (-124) – 1 unitCarolina Hurricanes 1st period -1/2 goal (+144) – .50Aho anytime goal (+175) – .20

Calgary Flames (21-25-6) at Minnesota Wild (30-14-10)

Flames (+155) at Wild (-190) – Total 5.5 (Over, -135)

8 p.m. ET

The Calgary Flames have dropped four straight and have been held to just one goal in three of the losses. I am aware that the Flames have won five of the last six meetings, but this Calgary team just doesn’t have the pieces to match up, especially with the trade of defenseman Rasmus Andersson. 

NHL Predictions and Best Bet: Wild/Hurricanes Money Line parlay (+121) – 2 units

San Jose Sharks (27-21-3) at Edmonton Oilers (27-19-8)

Sharks (+168) at Oilers (-205) – Total 6.5 (-140)

9 p.m. ET

On paper, this has the potential to be one of the best games of the night as Macklin Celebrini and the upstart Sharks take on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers. Edmonton has dominated the Sharks over the years, winning 14 of the last 15 meetings. A win tonight for Edmonton would give them their first three-game winning streak of the season. 

But I am not going to pass on San Jose at this price (+168). Just too much value on San Jose, and I can’t trust Edmonton. The goaltending matchup is Yaroslav Askarov for San Jose and Connor Ingram for Edmonton. Shop around on the total because a lot of the 6.5’s are gone, and I am seeing a total of 7 at many spots.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets: San Jose Sharks TT Over 2.5 (-155) – 1 unit1st period BTTS (+146) – .50San Jose Sharks ML (+168) – .10Over 6.5 (-140) – .50Celebrini Over 2.5/McDavid Over 3.5 shots on goal (+127) – .50

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