NHL: Picks for tonight's Leafs vs Golden Knights, Lightning vs Flyers, Penguins vs Canucks Games

NHL Playoff Races Starting to Take Shape

It’s a busy night on the NHL schedule, with 12 games. The NHL deadline – March 8 – approaches, with playoff races in both conferences really starting to tighten. Tonight, there are several games involving teams in the thick of it, including two Canadian teams. 

NHL Schedule: Game Details

Game 1: Leafs vs. Golden Knights Insights 

The Toronto Maple Leafs (33-16-8, 3rd in the Atlantic Division) have been one of the hotter teams in the NHL over the past ten games, winners of seven in a row. The five-game suspension of D Morgan Rielly earlier this month was supposed to set the team back but it in fact rallied them into a new direction. Questions in Toronto surround what they do now at the trade deadline – with toughening up their defence the focus there.

Tonight’s game is a rematch after the Leafs dominated the Golden Knights last Thursday in Las Vegas, a 7-3 win. G Ilya Samsonov has turned around his season (14-4-5, two shutouts, 3.18 GAA, .883 SV%) and he is down as the probable starter tonight. Adin Hill is confirmed to start in goal for Vegas (14-5-3, three shutouts, 2.27 GAA, .927 SV%).

🏒 Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Golden Knights at DraftKings 🏒

C John Tavares has agreed to step down to a third line role, which has opened up ice time and opportunities for players like C Max Domi and LW Tyler Bertuzzi, and those players are thriving, balancing scoring out more up and down the lineup. D Timothy Liljegren has an undisclosed injury and is day-to-day. D Mark Giordano is expected to play after being away from the team after the death of his father.

G Joseph Woll is back, meaning a log jam in goal – Martin Jones is the third goalie on the roster. It’s going to interesting to see how that plays out.

On the Golden Knights front (32-19-7, second in the Pacific Division), the big injury is RW Mark Stone, side-lined with an upper body injury, the team says. They say they have no idea when he will return to the lineup. Stone had been pacing the offence for the defending Cup champions – 37 assists, and 53 points, both leading the team. C Jack Eichel is also on injured reserve with a lower body injury. 

Player Props

If you’re into online betting, according to 888 Sport, Auston Mathews is the most popular player on player props (2.00 on Matthews Scoring Over 0.5 Goals, for example) and BetBuilder (parlay). 

At BetMGM, William Nylander Under 1.5 Points (1.78), Auston Matthews Over 1.5 Points (2.50), and Mitch Marner Over 1.5 Points (2.35) are leading the way. 

According to DraftKings, it’s Matthews Anytime Goalscorer (1.83), Matthews First Goalscorer (6.00), and Nylander Under 0.5 Assists (2.54) leading the way.

Game 2: Lightning vs. Flyers Insights

The status for RW Travis Konecny (leads the team with 27 goals, 27 assists, 54 points), who has been out two games with an upper-body injury, and D Jamie Drysdale (shoulder), injured in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the big story here. 

🏒 Bet on Lightning vs. Flyers at FanDuel 🏒

The Lightning pull into Philly with two straight wins and hold the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. RW Nikita Kucherov has been the story in Tampa this season – tops in the NHL in scoring (38 goals, 64 assists). He had a goal and three assist in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils, their last game. Brandon Hagel is on a 13-game point streak. On the injury front for Tampa Bay, LW Tanner Jeannot and D Mikhail Sergachev are on injured reserve. D Haydn Fleury is day-to-day.

Player Props

On the NHL sports betting front, at 888 Sport, Victor Hedman Anytime Goal Scorer is popular in BetBuilder (Hedman Over 0.5 Assists is at 1.66, for example). At BetMGM, Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (2.15), Brandon Hagel Over 0.5 Points (1.67), Hedman Over 0.5 Assists (1.72) are leading the charge on the most bet player prop front. 

And at DraftKings, Kucherov Anytime Goalscorer (2.05), Kucherov First Goalscorer (8.00), and Hagel Over 0.5 Points (1.60) are most bet player props.

Game 3: Penguins vs. Canucks Insights

The Canucks (38-16-6, 1^st in the Pacific Division) are coming off a 3-2 overtime win Saturday against the Boston Bruins, which ended a four-game losing streak. Thatcher Demko (31-12-1, five shutouts, 2.47 GAA, .917 SV%) is listed as the probable starter in goal for the Canucks, led all season by Brock Boeser, with 33 goals. D Carson Soucy (hand) and C Dakota Joshua are out for the Canucks.

🏒 Bet on Penguins vs. Canucks at DraftKings 🏒

The Penguins (26-21-8, 7^th in the Metropolitan Division) have been a season-long disappointment. The big debate on their front is whether they will be sellers at the trade deadline – LW Jake Guentzel (22 goals) being the player most rumoured to be dealt.  Guentzel is hurt, though, said to be out four weeks with an upper body injury, according to Tribune-Review Sports. RW Bryan Rust is day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Don’t sleep on C Sidney Crosby – who at 36 has been playing at an all-star level (32 goals).

The Penguins, coming off a 7-6 win over the Flyers Sunday night, are expected to start Alex Nedeljkovic (9-5-5, one shutout, 2.67 GAA, .915 SV%) in goal. Crosby had a goal and three assists Sunday.

Player Props

According to 888 Sport, RW Rickard Rakell is the only player driving any activity on the player prop side (Rakell Over 0.5 Goals is at 3.20, for example). 

At BetMGM, most bet player props are Reilly Smith Over 1.5 Shots (1.95), Erik Karlsson Under 0.5 Assists (1.91), and Evgeni Malkin Under 0.5 Powerplay Points (1.26).

Our NHL Picks Today 

Big time edge in money bets is on the Leafs at BetMGM – 70 per cent. Sixty-five per cent of bettors have the Leafs ATS. Same thing at 888 Sport – about three-quarters of the Moneyline activity is on the Leafs. Take the Leafs ATS at BetMGM.

For Lightning-Flyers, 888 Sport says it’s an even split on Moneyline betting; and their Lightning -1.5 spread is popular. We’re taking the Flyers at TonyBet on the Moneyline – at home, in the meat of a playoff race, with a strong commitment to team defence, looking to snap a two-game losing streak.

And for Penguins-Canucks, all the Moneyline betting is on the Canucks. This is an O/U game – bet the Over 6.5 at 888 Sport with that high-powered Canucks offence (tops in the league), the Pens’ 11-11-4 road record, the Canucks power play (22.8%, 11^th in the NHL). And a big game from Crosby, back in Vancouver, where he scored the “Golden Goal” to win Canada Olympic Gold almost exactly 14 years ago.