The final month of the NHL season has arrived, and teams are looking to make a final push down the home stretch for a playoff spot. Over half of the teams have a decent shot at the postseason so each game becomes more crucial. The key game for March 17 is the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the New Jersey Devils.
Buffalo Sabres versus Boston Bruins
The two teams enter at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Boston is “burning hot” after winning the last two and Buffalo is “dead up” after a recent 1-5 stretch. The Bruins are 19-11-5 at home but the Sabres are an abysmal 9-19-3 on the road. The teams are trending in games “over” the line with a score prediction of 4-3 in favor of Boston with 59 percent confidence. The teams are among the worst in the league in scoring differential. Both teams won at home in the two games between the teams this season. Both teams consistently perform regarding their favorite/underdog status and Boston is +7 to +1 on the Power Ranks Indicator. I like the Bruins at home by two goals in a game “over” the line.
Philadelphia Flyers versus Tampa Bay Lightning
Both teams are entering play on a downward trend, however, Tampa Bay is still in the middle of the playoff picture at fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning is “average down” versus “dead” on the Team Strength Oscillator and +21 to +2 on the Power Ranks Indicator. The teams are trending in games “over” the line and Tampa Bay has a +52 to -36 scoring differential edge. Philadelphia has struggled to an 11-18-5 road record while Tampa Bay is 23-8-2 at home. The Flyers won the previous game between these two by a 2-1 score in a road upset back on November 4, 2024. There is little to indicate the Flyers can repeat that effort. I like the Lightning by two goals in a game “over” the line.
New Jersey Devils versus Columbus Blue Jackets
The third and fourth place teams in the Metropolitan Division battle. The Devils are “burning hot” versus “average down” on the Team Strength Oscillator and +20 to +18 on the Power Ranks Indicator. The teams have been involved in games “over” the line in eight of the last 12 and the score prediction is 5-2 in favor of the Blue Jackets with 70 percent confidence. Columbus has one of the best home records in the NHL at 20-6-4 while New Jersey is an excellent 19-14-2 on the road. The teams split the previous two games this season, both winning at home. According to the Team Volatility Oscillator, the teams have become more stable over the past two weeks. New Jersey has a +30 to +4 scoring differential edge. I like the Blue Jackets at home but needing overtime to secure the win.
Calgary Flames versus Toronto Maple Leafs
Calgary enters play fourth in the Pacific Division and Toronto is second in the Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs are “average” versus “ice cold up” on the Team Strength Oscillator and +23 to +15 on the Power Ranks Indicator. Toronto is 21-11-1 at home and Calgary is hovering near the .500 mark on the road. Toronto has a +16 to -19 scoring differential edge and despite the teams trending “over” the line, the score prediction is 3-2 in favor of Toronto with 79 percent confidence. Both teams are consistently performing regarding their favorite/underdog status. Toronto won both games between the teams this season in Calgary. Nothing will change this time at home. Go with the Maple Leafs in a game “over” the line.
Los Angeles Kings versus Minnesota Wild
The teams are battling in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. Los Angeles is “burning hot” versus “average” on the Team Strength Oscillator after a three-game winning streak. The Kings are +24 to +19 on the Power Ranks Indicator and +12 to -5 scoring differential edge. The teams are trending in games on opposite sides of the “over/under” line and the score prediction is 3-2 in favor of the Wild with 56 percent confidence. Minnesota has been the more stable team overall this season. The Kings have dominated the previous two games between the teams this season, winning both by a combined score of 9-2. I like that trend to continue despite the Kings’ relatively poor road record but pass on the over/under bet.
#fantasyfootball #Sports #Betting #sportsbetting #sportsbettingadvice #freepick #freepicks #sportsbettingtips #handicapping #predictions #sportspredictions #NFL #esports #espn #NBA #NHL #sportsprediction #ncaa #mlb #WNBA #prediction #nhl #nhlplayoffs #nhlpicks #nbapicks #NBAPlayoffs #NFLPlayoffs #espnsports #bettingsports #bettingtips #bettingonline #bettingexpert #basketball #football #soccer #hockey #sportspicks #ncaabasketball #foxsports #cbssports #soccerpredictions #sportingbet