NHL picks: Can Hockey Take the Spotlight with NBA Break?

Schedule Breakdown

Simply, here are the number of hockey games by night. 

• Tuesday – 9
• Wednesday – 3
• Thursday – 10

The schedule has a few quirks. For example, Colorado is randomly off until Friday. The Rangers came home Monday night only to return to the road in Detroit on Thursday. 

Then, a couple of teams play back-to-backs, and also below, we look at any three games in four-night scenarios. 

• Chicago (Tuesday, Wednesday)
• Calgary (Wednesday, Thursday)

Also, the better news is that teams should be energized with this schedule. Hopefully, that leads to more high-quality hockey and some better wagering. 

NHL Outlook Early in the Week

The schedule is almost predictable. It would have been nice for the league to jam a bunch of games in while the NBA was off. Alas, that was not meant to be. 

What happened on Monday was a helper in how things went the rest of the week. Anaheim allows nearly 40 shots and plays Tampa Bay on the back end of a back-to-back tonight. Look elsewhere or get creative with props. 

Other big favorites on Tuesday include New Jersey entertaining Montreal and Carolina playing St. Louis. That gives us three teams who are 1.29 or worse on the moneyline. That is rare. Vegas and Edmonton come in at 1.33 tonight. Again, it may be a night to look for the goals and props. With elevated opportunities for scoring, anything is possible.

Could scoring take another leap upward tonight? Absolutely. Toronto and Buffalo clash as the Sabres try to make up ground and some of those games in hand. This game is more significant for a Sabres team attempting to get on the bubble. 

Up-and-coming teams are a joy to watch but can be even more intriguing to wager. This expects to be a night with several twists. Minnesota and Los Angeles figure to be a high-quality game, and even Vancouver and Nashville could be spicy, as they say.

Big NHL Matchups on Thursday

Thursday features a little of everything for everyone. Boston and Seattle is a must-win for Seattle as it attempts to bounce back from laying a few eggs. New Jersey continues a homestand versus Los Angeles. Also, do not sleep on Buffalo and Tampa Bay. This figures to be a wild Thursday night.

San Jose and Erik Karlsson face off against Nashville. Calgary and Vegas clash as the Flames try to pick up the pieces after another rough week. Blown leads and poor play have kept the Flames firmly on the playoff bubble. 

We remembered Edmonton and Pittsburgh, too, as two squads trying to get back into the win column with less-than-stellar team defenses. Expect some fireworks as the Crosby-Malkin duo tangles with McDavid-Draisaitl.

Some Quick Points To Consider

• Do Bo Horvat and Anders Lee carry the Islanders?
• Tampa Bay plays Anaheim and Buffalo. Goals are expected to be higher.
• Toronto and Buffalo may actually be the game of the week.
• Erik Karlsson carries the Sharks with Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl out.
• Watch that New York and Detroit game too. Can the Red Wings continue their momentum?

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will carry some more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

Thanks to BetMGM for their great early-week lines and TSN for the convenient schedule. The “Coolest Game On Earth” is about to heat up.