NHL Betting Picks – Five Weekend Matchups In Your Sportsbook

Online betting players are gearing up for the NHL’s stretch run, and the excitement is building as there are great playoff races in each conference, both at the top and the bottom of the postseason pictures. Here are five matchups to keep an eye out for if you want to make some NHL picks this weekend.

(All numbers as of Thursday, March 10th)

Hurricanes Capitals Betting – Friday, 7:00 PM ET

The Capitals should be the home favorites in this contest as they’ve won six in a row to surge into second in the Eastern Conference, only two points behind slumping Philadelphia. The Hurricanes are 1-4 in their last five trips to Washington, with four of those games going over the posted total, and all four of their losses in the nation’s capital have come by a single goal. Speaking of a single goal, 10 of the Captials’ last 12 games have been decided by that margin, and nine of those have been won by Washington, so they’re managing to win these close games. The Hurricanes have dropped two straight, and they sit just outside of the playoff race, but they’ve been inconsistent away from all season.

Betting Edge: Washington Capitals

Canadiens Penguins Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

The Penguins should be slight favorites at home against the Canadiens, and Pittsburgh has won two in a row coming into this game, having been off since Tuesday. The Canadiens have been in the news because of the Max Pacioretty-Zdeno Chara incident, which overlooks the fact that Montreal has been playing very well as of late. Heading into Thursday’s visit to St. Louis, the Canadiens had won five consecutive games and they could use the Pacioretty incident (he’s out with a broken vertebrae) as inspiration. The Penguins are 2-3 in their last five home games against the Canadiens, with three of those games going under the posted total. We’re sticking with the hot team on the road.

Betting Edge: Montreal Canadiens

Sabres Maple Leafs Betting – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

In a game that has huge playoff implications, the Sabres may be favorites away from home in Toronto, where they are 1-4 in their last five games, and they’ve won all four when the game has finished under the posted total. This will be the end of a seven-game road trip for the Sabres, as they’ll be in Boston on Thursday, while the Maples Leafs host Philadelphia on the same night. Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller gives the Sabres an NHL betting edge over the Maple Leafs every time they meet, as he is 24-9 in 33 career meetings with a 2.18 GAA. The Maple Leafs will need to snap that jinx to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Miller seems to have their number.

Betting Edge: Buffalo Sabres

Canucks Flames Betting – Saturday, 10:00 PM ET

To end the Saturday night festivities, the Flames should be the favorites at home against the Canucks, who had won three straight on the road ahead of a trip to San Jose on Thursday, while the Flames had also won three in a row before playing in Phoenix the same night. The Canucks have won three of their last five in Calgary, with all five of those meetings going over the posted total, and it appears a road trip was actually what the Canucks needed to snap out of a funk before going into the stretch run. But we’re going to go with the Flames at home where they have won three in a row and will be starting a three-game homestand.

Betting Edge: Calgary Flames

Blackhawks Capitals Betting – Sunday, 12:30 PM ET

The best game of the weekend could end up being in Washington, where the Capitals should be favored against the Blackhawks in a meeting of Stanley Cup contenders. The defending champions from Chicago have won three of their five trips to the nation’s capital, and the last three meetings have gone over the posted total, which isn’t surprising when you consider the amount of offensive talent in this contest. The Blackhawks have been off since Wednesday, and they dropped two games at Tampa Bay and Florida by a goal each, so they’ll feel a sense of urgency in this game. We think the Capitals will end up taking Friday’s game against Carolina, but we’re going with the Stanley Cup champions in our sports betting picks on Sunday afternoon.

Betting Edge: Chicago Blackhawks