Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th

The Tampa Bay Lightning have made a push to stay atop the Eastern Conference, posting a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. They lead Boston by six points — but the Bruins have three games in hand, and they have largely kept pace with the Lightning, winning seven of their last ten as well. Florida has won six in a row to sit one point out of the wild card race, but they have three games in hand on Columbus, the team ahead of them. In the Western Conference, Nashville has won eight in a row to take over the Central Division, which they now lead by six points. They have also pushed past Vegas atop the conference standings, leading by four points. Let’s take a look at your best sports NHL betting picks for this week’s action.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th

NHL Power Rankings: Panthers making serious playoff push — https://t.co/j6Rmxf0phK pic.twitter.com/aTE7utj29p

— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) March 5, 2018

Tuesday, March 6

Detroit at Boston (7:00pm ET, NBC Sports)

The Detroit Red Wings have made some progress this season and aren’t in the basement of the Atlantic Division this season. However, they still only have 62 points in 65 games, and they took an ugly 4-1 loss in Minnesota on Sunday, in a game when they seized a first-period lead. The problems for the Red Wings start with their offense, as they only score 2.6 goals per game, good for 28th overall. They’re giving up 3.0 goals per game (17th overall), and their special teams are in the bottom ten of the league. The Red Wings may be looking at the draft lottery at this point instead of pushing hard for a wild card spot. They head to Boston on Tuesday night. The B’s still lead the NHL in defense, permitting just 2.5 goals per game, and their penalty kill (83.1%) is fourth overall. They’re fourth overall in offense, but even on nights when the offense is running a little dry, as was the case on Saturday against Montreal, the Bruins can ride their defense to a win, as they did with a 2-1 overtime win. Given that Boston is looking to contend and Detroit is looking to the future, I like the B’s on Tuesday night. NHL Betting Prediction: Boston 3, Detroit 1

Wednesday, March 7

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (8:00pm ET, NBC Sports)

Pittsburgh heads to Philadelphia just a point behind the Flyers in the Metropolitan Division. After a red-hot streak, the Flyers have lost three straight, including a wild 7-6 shootout loss in Tampa Bay on Saturday, followed by a listless 4-1 loss in Florida on Sunday. They have a couple of days off to prepare for the arrival of the Penguins. While the Flyers’ hot streak has seen their offense and defense improve dramatically, they’re still 13th in both scoring and goals permitted — and 29th on the penalty kill, stopping just 75.1 percent of opponents’ power plays. The Penguins still have a high-flying offense, ranked fifth overall in goals scored and tops in the league on the power play (26.7%) — a number that could make the night a long one for the Flyers. However, the Penguins have a porous defense, ranked 22nd overall — and it’s that iffy defense that has cost the Penguins a chance to lead the Metropolitan. They knocked off the New York Islanders at home on Saturday, winning 3-2 in overtime, and they host Calgary on Monday before heading across the state to face the Flyers. NHL Betting Prediction: Pittsburgh 4, Philadelphia 3 Thursday, March 8 N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay (7:30pm ET, MSG / SUN) This has been a dreadful season for the Blueshirts, as a team that pushed hard in the postseason a year ago now just has 66 points in 66 games. They did beat Edmonton on the road Saturday, 3-2, and they welcome Winnipeg on Tuesday before they head to Tampa Bay on Thursday. Despite having Henrik Lundqvist in goal, New York ranks just 24th in the league in defense, thanks to a lack of performance on their blue line. Their offense only scores 2.8 goals per game, 19th overall, and while their power play is decent (tenth overall), they don’t get enough chances to make enough of a difference. They head down to Tampa Bay to face a Lightning team looking for another Stanley Cup. They are tops in the league in offense at an eye-popping 3.6 goals per game, and they are eighth in goals permitted at 2.7. That difference of almost a goal per game is one of the reasons why they have 94 points on the season so far. They dealt Philadelphia a 7-6 shootout loss, keyed by five points from Steven Stamkos, on Saturday, and they host Florida on Tuesday before the Rangers show up on Thursday. Given the way the Lightning are playing right now — and given the trades the Rangers just made to move toward the future — I see a big Tampa Bay win coming. NHL Betting Prediction: Tampa Bay 4, N.Y. Rangers 1