Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 25th

In the Metropolitan Division of the National Hockey League, Washington and the New York Islanders keep trading places atop the standings, but the biggest story is the return of the Pittsburgh Penguins to contention. The dangerous Pens are now in third in the division, just three points out of first with eight games to play. The Tampa Bay Lightning are still running away with the conference standings with 120 points, 19 ahead of second-place Boston (also second in the Atlantic Division. In the Western Conference, Calgary has taken advantage of a five-game losing streak by the San Jose Sharks to streak ahead to 101 points, winners of three games in a row. The Arizona Coyotes have climbed out of the cellar to sit just two points behind the second wild card position in the conference standings, while Vegas has a firm hold on third in the Pacific thanks to winning eight of ten. Winnipeg has a four-point lead over Nashville in the Central, while Dallas, which had set their sights on moving into third in the Central and passing St. Louis, has done what they usually do when there is a chance to take a big step and dropped two straight. They hold the first wild card position, but there are still nine games left, so Dallas fans are holding on tight. Looking to do some NHL betting? Check out our preview.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 25th

NHL Power Rankings: How good are the Capitals without Michal Kempny?https://t.co/MYIWgs9Vo3 pic.twitter.com/ReWgNt3o0W

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) 25 de marzo de 2019

Monday, March 25

Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers (7:00pm ET, ESPN+)

Pittsburgh had lost two straight but then picked up a 2-1 win in Nashville on Thursday and a 3-2 win in Dallas on Saturday. In that win over the Stars, Jared McCann was the hero, scoring a pair of goals, including the game-winner on a pirouette on a short-handed play in the third period. McCann has scored 11 goals in 26 games since the Penguins picked him up in a trade with the Florida Panthers, and he already leads Pittsburgh with three short-handed tallies. Matt Murray stopped 29 shots and held firm in the last 1:20 of the third period, as Dallas went on a power play and then pulled Anton Khudobin for the extra skater but could not find the back of the net. Now Pittsburgh returns to the East Coast for a tilt with the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts saw a five-game losing streak come to an end in Toronto on Saturday, winning in 2-1 fashion thanks to a goal from Ryan Strome 1:48 into overtime. Pavel Buchnevich scored the other goal for New York, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 44 shots. Georgiev is apparently a Maple Leafs killer, as he stopped 55 shots when the Rangers beat Toronto 4-1 on February 10 back in New York. This was just the second win for New York in their last 13 games. In overtime, the Rangers had been particularly futile, losing five straight and 10 of 11 either in overtime or on the shootout. NHL Betting Prediction: Pittsburgh 4, New York 3

Tuesday, March 26

N.Y. Islanders at Columbus (7:00pm ET)

The Islanders got blanked by a 9-0 combined tally last week, losing 5-0 at home to Boston and then 4-0 in Montreal, but then turned things around with a 4-2 win in Philadelphia on Saturday and a 2-0 blanking of Arizona at home on Sunday. In that win over the Coyotes, Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored, and Robin Lehner stopped 31 shots. That gave the Islanders an 11-1-1 record on the second game in back-to-back pairs, and the Islanders lead the NHL in shutouts with 10. Now New York heads to Columbus, who ended a three-game streak with a 5-0 rout of Vancouver, as they bring their Western Canada swing to a close on Sunday. Now the Blue Jackets return home needing a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. In the win over the Canucks, Pierre-Luc Cubois put up a goal and an assist, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shutouts for his seventh shutout of the season. Dubois ended a drought of 11 games without a point and 13 games without a goal. Josh Anderson put up two goals and an assist, and Oliver Bjorkstrand and Ryan Dzingel picked up the other two goals. Can Columbus keep the momentum going at home? NHL Betting Prediction: New York 3, Columbus 2