Expert NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Wednesday, March 27

NHL Best Bets

Last night was a wild NHL slate, with non-stop action. There were some unbelievable finishes to the games, especially that third period and overtime of the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers game. There are only two games tonight, and only one of them actually matters, so I’m focusing on the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning for my NHL best bet.

Boston at Tampa (-115, 6)

Boston will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back tonight. They’re coming off a massive comeback win last night against the Florida Panthers. The Bruins went down 3-2 in the third period in Florida and found a way to score two goals to win 4-3. They are in a very tight race against the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division, as they’re just two points ahead in the standings. 

Jeremy Swayman got the start for Boston last night, so Linus Ullmark will be back in between the pipes against Tampa. Ullmark has been lights out in his last five starts. He has skated to a 3-1-1 record while boasting a 1.79 goals against average and a .938 save percentage in that time. Boston is only allowing 2.74 goals against as a team and is one of the more reliable defensive teams in the NHL. 

Tampa is quietly one of the hottest teams in the league this month. The Bolts are 7-1-1 in their last nine games, and the Lightning’s top six have been buzzing. One of the most underrated storylines in the league is how strong Anthony Duclair has been since being traded to Tampa at the deadline. Duclair has tallied five goals with four assists for nine points in his first seven games with the team and finds himself playing on the top line with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. 

Boston’s top guns have been clicking lately, and David Pastrnak tallied his 50th goal of the season last night. He has seven goals in his last 10 games, but Tampa is only allowing 2.29 goals per game over their last seven contests. They’re playing well defensively right now thanks to Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is 3-0-1 in his last four starts with a 2.76 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. 

This game will have a playoff feel to it as both teams need the points for seeding in the Atlantic Division. I trust both goaltenders in this game and Tampa has been the hot team as of late while also being better rested tonight. 

NHL Best Bet(s): Tampa Bay Lightning ML -115 (play to -125) | Under 6 -115 (play to -125)

March Record: 25-17 (+4.99 units)

2023-24 record: 125–128 (-27.97 units)