NHL Picks: Toronto vs. Colorado Headlines Mid-Week Games

Schedule Breakdown

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

• Monday - 3
• Tuesday – 12
• Wednesday – 4
• Thursday – 11

The schedule does the typical March yo-yo with weekends that test rest and sleep patterns. Even with other sports events happening, the NHL goes full steam ahead. There are going to be some odd quirks in the schedule. 

Fewer back-to-backs again are in the offing this week, and more are expected on the weekends. One or two teams play four back-to-backs on weekends alone. That is sometimes how NHL scheduling works. 

• Montreal (Monday, Tuesday)
• Dallas (Monday, Tuesday)
• Calgary (Monday, Tuesday)
• Washington (Tuesday, Wednesday)
• NY Islanders (Tuesday, Wednesday)

Also, look out for injuries this week. More than 150 NHL players are out of action because of various maladies. Buffalo is getting Alex Tuch back but lost Rasmus Dahlin, Eric Comrie, and Mattias Samuelsson all this weekend alone. The Sabres may be a team to pick on, and they have lost four straight games. 

Do You Remember That Crazy Detroit And Ottawa Mini-Series?

The schedule gods must be crazy. While this is not Detroit and Ottawa, two teams play each other three times this week. So, the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Newark on Tuesday and Thursday. Then, the Devils go down to “Sunshine State” for the weekend and see Tampa Bay on Sunday. Now, that comes after Florida on Saturday. 

The Lightning players are mending a bit, but it will be intriguing to see how they manage Steven Stamkos and some of their top players, given the injury woes of the past month. Expect New Jersey to be favored in the two home games and a decent underdog on Sunday. That is because the Devils will be on their third game in four nights, much like last weekend. 

Wednesday Gives Us Colorado And Toronto, Which Sets Up Thursday

Wednesday blesses us with a fun game between the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams are eager to prove some worth for this year’s playoffs. Toronto wants to show the world it is more than capable of winning a round or more. Colorado wants to solidify things this month before the playoffs get underway.

After the usual “tank wars,” where Minnesota and the New York Islanders try to take care of business, Thursday delivers a late wallop. Another clash between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins takes place, and it could be another overtime (look at the draw option) result. Do not forget about Dallas and Edmonton, which is always an entertaining affair. 

We remembered Thursday also offers Calgary and Vegas as the Flames try to boost their fledgling playoff hopes. Can Darryl Sutter and Brad Treliving save their jobs? Will the Flames be a thorn in the sides of Vegas as they try to win the Pacific Division? Expect the unexpected always. 

Finally, the Western Conference is still quite the race, with four teams separated by four points. Even Colorado can get close if they win their several games in hand. Again, the key is that the West probably will have four or five teams at 100 or more points. The East probably gets six with an outside chance at seven (Pittsburgh). At the least, this makes some point props fun down the stretch. 

Some Quick Points To Consider

• An Avalanche, Leafs, and Stars parlay pays out at 2.50 tonight.
• The Toronto Puckline (1.95) is worth a look against an injured Buffalo team.
• Add a Matthews-Thompson anytime goal plus Over 6.5 total goals parlay at 4.40.
• Tampa Bay-New Jersey is the big game of the week twice.
• Minnesota and St. Louis could be entertainment on Wednesday. See where the Over ends up.
• Watch that New York and Pittsburgh game Thursday. Can the Penguins find a way to steal two points at MSG?

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

Thanks to BetMGM for the great early-week lines and TSN for the convenient schedule.