NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Saturday, March 29:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
New Jersey Devils at Minnesota Wild (-120, 5.5)
6 p.m. ET
The Devils are on the back end of a back-to-back and have lost eight of 10 games in this spot. With Jake Allen starting last night in Winnipeg, the Devils are expected to turn to Jacob Markstrom tonight. Markstrom has been very leaky of late, giving up three goals or more in seven straight starts. The Wild have found the back of the net four times in each of their last three victories.
NHL Prediction: Wild TT Over 3.5 (-134) – 1 unit
Vegas Golden Knights (-160, 5.5) at Nashville Predators
6:30 p.m. ET
The Golden Knights extended their win streak to five on Friday night in Chicago. Victor Olofsson snapped a 20-game goal drought with a pair of goals, marking the fourth time in the last five games a Knights player has scored at least two goals. Nashville won the only meeting between the two teams this season as Steven Stamkos scored twice and former Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault added an assist. Pavel Dorofeyev scored all three goals for Vegas in the 5-3 setback.
I am going to go prop crazy in this game and stay away from the side and total. The Golden Knights’ William Karlsson has assists in three consecutive games, Mark Stone and Olofsson each have four goals against the expected Nashville starting goalie Juuse Saros, and Jack Eichel has five goals in seven games vs Saros.
On the Nashville side, Luke Evangelista has made some noise since moving to the top line. Evangelista has four points in four games against Vegas, while maybe the Golden Knights are just what Ryan O’Reilly needs to get out his current slump, just one point in his last seven games. For his career, O’Reilly has 26 points in 26 games against Vegas. Michael Bunting has two goals in three games against Vegas goalie (expected starter), Ilya Samsonov.
NHL Predictions: Jack Eichel ATG +150 – ¼ unit
Luke Evangelista ATG +360 – ¼ unit
Luke Evangelista assist +250 – ¼ unit
Michael Bunting ATG +350 – ¼ unit
Ryan O’Reilly Over ½ point (-118) – ¼ unit
Pavel Dorofeyev ATG +190 – ¼ unit
Mark Stone ATG +240 – ¼ unit
Victor Olofsson ATG +440 – ¼ unit
Mark Stone 2+ goals +1900 – .10 units
Victor Olofsson 2+ goals +4900 – .10 units
Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators (-196, 6.5)
7 p.m. ET
The Jackets are coming off a wild 7-6 shootout win over Vancouver on Friday night. Columbus fought back from being down 3-0 after the opening 20 minutes and 5-3 early in the third period. A third period that featured a combined five goals as the Canucks and Jackets combined for three goals final three minutes and fourteen seconds. Tonight, the Jackets are in Canada’s capital on the second half of a back-to-back to face the Ottawa Senators. Columbus has dropped eight of nine games when playing the back end of a back-to-back, giving up four goals or more in all eight defeats, as well as losing by two goals or more in each loss. The Jackets have scored two goals or fewer in seven of the nine games in this spot.
Ottawa’s David Perron has goals in three straight and 48 points in 51 games against Columbus. Newcomer Fabian Zetterlund has eight points in seven career games against the Blue Jackets, while Dylan Cozens has 11 points in 11 games. Captain Brady Tkachuk has a hat trick in the one game he has faced Columbus goalie Danill Tarasov, while defenseman Nick Jensen, not known for his scoring, has two goals in the two games he has faced the Blue Jackets netminder.
NHL Predictions: David Perron ATG +275 – ¼ unit
David Perron assist +250 – ¼ unit|
Dylan Cozens Over ½ point (-120) – ¼ unit
Claude Giroux Over ½ point (-102) – ¼ unit
Fabian Zetterlund Over ½ point +120 – ¼ unit
Zach Werenski Over ½ assist (-102) – ¼ unit
Nick Jensen ATG +1600 – ¼ unit
Senators TT Over 3.5 (-108) – 2 units