NHL

NHL Preview 3-15-21

National Hockey League 3-15-21 Nightly Preview

Nashville Predators v. Tampa Bay Lightning


The Predators injury list right now is so long that you would need two sheets of paper just to list them all. The most notable players sitting in the GM’s box rather than lacing up the skates tonight are Ryan Ellis, Matt Duchene, and Juuse Saros. Nashville managed to score 3 last time out against Tampa but they couldn’t keep the puck out of their net as they lost their 6th game in the past 7. Tampa continues to hum along and pace the Central Division. The only thing of note for the Lightning today is whether top goalie Andrei Vasileskiy will start or if his backup, Curtis McElhinney, will come in and give the Russian netminder a well deserved rest. Either way the boys from the Sunshine State will come out on top.

The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals, Lightning Puckline

Prediction: Predators 2-5 Lightning


Washington Capitals v. Buffalo Sabres


The Caps have quietly won 4 in a row and 8 of their past 9 as their ascension towards the top of the league standings continues. The recent return of netminder Ilya Samsonov has given the Capitals a much needed 1-2 goalie punch that keeps their crease crusaders healthy and fresh for every game on the calendar. Tonight, however, it is Vitek Vanacek who will get the start as Samsonov was the goalie of record Saturday night in a win over Philadelphia. The Sabres freefall has continued as their losing streak is now at a brutal 10 games. I do not think there is enough liquor in Western New York to drown out the pain both Sabres fans and newly injured star Jack Eichel have to deal with this season. The Caps play tomorrow in a high stakes matchup against fellow streaking team the New York Islanders and could be in for a high scoring trap game tonight.

The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals, Sabres Moneyline

Prediction: Capitals 3-4 Sabres


Chicago Blackhawks v. Florida Panthers


These two teams met on Saturday in what ended up being a 4-2 win for the Panthers. Chicago has been a surprise team so far this season but recently they have lost 3 of their past 4 games. Florida is another surprise team and their start to the season has them firmly in a playoff spot at the moment. High priced goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is finally starting to make that contract look acceptable as he is 11-2-2 on the year so far. Patrick Kane has not scored a goal in 6 straight games while fellow top line winger Alex Debrincat has 1 point in his past 4 games. I expect the top gunners from Chicago to break out of their slump tonight facing off against Bobrovsky, who is a familiar face after his many years in Columbus. 

The Bet: Blackhawks Moneyline

Prediction: Blackhawks 4-3 Panthers


Boston Bruins v. Pittsburgh Penguins


Boston traded 4-0 results with the Rangers the past two games in what is indicative of the Bruins play for the past month. There are games where they look like the Cup contender many consider them to be while other nights they look like a team that is fighting for a playoff spot. Injuries to Boston’s backend have hurt them, as Brandon Carlo, Kevan Miller, and Jeremy Lauzon remain out tonight. Pittsburgh has quietly won 5 in a row and the conversations over the future of their team have vanished as they move further up the East Division standings. The Penguins will be down several key players tonight, as Jason Zucker remains out and Jared McCann and John Marino have picked up recent injuries as well. My faith in Pittsburgh's goaltending remains low, despite the win streak, and Boston's defense core is extremely banged up, which leads me to assume we will see goals tonight in the Steel City.

The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals, Bruins Moneyline

Prediction: Bruins 4-2 Penguins 


Philadelphia Flyers v. New York Rangers


Philly has been in a bit of skid recently, losing 5 of their last 7 and seeing one of those two wins come against the awful Sabres. The Flyers biggest problem has been keeping the puck out of the net as the man they assumed to be their franchise solution at goalie, Carter Hart, has had a terrible season. After sitting on the bench for the past two games, Hart will be back in tonight, and should be motivated to get himself and his team back on track. The Rangers received a big boost with Artemi Panarin’s return to the lineup during the Boston series which saw them split the two contests 0-4 and 4-0. Keith Kinkaid is confirmed in net tonight for the Rangers and while the veteran journeyman impressed with a shutout last game, I have to assume that was a one-off performance.

The Bet: Flyers Moneyline

Prediction: Flyers 3-2 Rangers


Vancouver Canucks v. Ottawa Senators


Vancouver is still desperate for wins since their early season losing streak has them behind the 8 ball. Their improved play recently has been anchored by great goaltending from youngster Thatcher Demko, and he will be in net again tonight. Ottawa is coming off a win over provincial rivals Toronto that saw goalie Joey Daccord get his first win of the season. The injuries at the goalie position for Ottawa mean he will likely start again tonight on the heels of a back-to-back, which is historically a very hard thing to do. Only one other team has racked up more wins against Ottawa this season than Vancouver has, and that is Edmonton. I expect that trend to continue tonight.

The Bet: Canucks Puckline

Prediction: Canucks 4-2 Senators


Montreal Canadiens v. WInnipeg Jets


Montreal dropped two in a row against Calgary, scoring just 1 goal in each game. The stat stuffing has not been there from Les Habitantes recently and you have to wonder how much the lack of elite wing talent is causing this drought. Montreal prides themselves on being a complete team with depth at every position, and that depth will be tested tonight. Top-4 defenseman Ben Chairot will be out 6-8 weeks after fracturing his hand in a fight last week and his role at even strength and on the penalty kill is a rather important one for Montreal. The Jets, on the other hand, are not lacking for scoring at all, as they have put up 3 or more goals in 5 of their past 6 games. For Montreal to win tonight, they need a show stopping performance from Carey Price, and he has yet to demonstrate this season that he is capable of stealing wins for them like he used to.

The Bet: Jets Moneyline

Prediction: Canadiens 2-3 Jets


Edmonton Oilers v. Calgary Flames


The always intense Battle of Alberta enters a new chapter in the history books tonight as Daryl Sutter will coach against Connor McDavid and company for the first time. If the first few games under new leadership are any indication of how the Flames want to play, then you can expect a rock fight tonight. The Flames have already fought more times under Sutter than they did prior under Geoff Ward all season. Edmonton had been on a little run before getting shut down by Vancouver on Saturday night and they know that a game against Calgary always means more than just the two points in the standings column. I expect Calgary to bog the ice down and try to force Edmonton into playing a slow dump and chase game with a ton of physicality. How Sutter deals with McDavid will be the difference in the end and I wouldn’t be shocked if he throws the whole kitchen sink at him shift after shift.

The Bet: Under 6.5 Total Goals

Prediction: Oilers 2-3 Flames


San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights


The rivalry between these two squads will be renewed tonight in the desert as both teams look to extend their respective win streaks. San Jose might have just found consistent goaltending in Devan Dubnyk who has played much better this season than Martin Jones and is a big reason why they have won 3 in a row. Dubnyk has demonstrated this streaky, dominant ability before with the Minnesota Wild and the Sharks will need to harness this if they have any shot at making the playoffs. On the other side of the goaltending dual is Vezina front runner Marc-Andre Fleury who just can not stop being a menace towards opposing teams. “Flower” got put on the Covid-19 List the day of their last game against St. Louis, came off the list just in time to get the start, and only allowed 1 goal in a dominant 5-1 win. His play has been ridiculous and is the biggest reason why Vegas sits alone atop the West Division.

The Bet: See My Parlay

Prediction: Sharks 2-3 Vegas



Fancy a Parlay?

Lightning, Canucks & Vegas to Win