It may have been a while, but we're back with some NHL best bets for your hockey betting pleasure.
We're in the midst of a playoff race, and there's no better time than to profit from it. I've provided you with a moneyline play, an over/under, and a player prop.
Let's see what we have in store for tonight's schedule as I share my NHL picks and predictions.
NHL Best Bets for March 11
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 10:00 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Blue Jackets vs. Devils
Pardon me if I’m a little bearish on the Devils moving forward.
There’s a lot to like, but this team without Jack Hughes is nothing more than a middling team fighting for a playoff spot. With three losses in their past four games, alarm bells are ringing in Newark. Not only that, their opponents, the Blue Jackets, are only four points behind them in the Metropolitan Division.
Columbus’s last 10 games and away records don’t look sexy, sporting a 5-4-1 and an 11-18-4, respectively. However, you wouldn’t know it after the Jackets dominated the Rangers at Madison Square Garden 7-3.
Along the way, the Jackets also acquired depth forwards Luke Kunin and Christian Fischer. Kunin appeared in the Rangers victory, but tonight’s duel will be Fischer’s first action in navy.
Goaltending will continue to be a gigantic question for Columbus and can limit its ceiling. Elvis Merzlikins can put up exceptional numbers one night, but the next game, he gets lit up like a Christmas tree.
With Hughes gone, though, it raises Merzlikins’s ceiling. There are no other legitimate goal-scorers on New Jersey. Timo Meier has lost his scoring touch, Nico Hischier has only scored twice since returning from break, and Jesper Bratt hasn’t lit the lamp since February 8.
Bratt is an elite playmaker, though, so perhaps he can unlock Meier or help Dawson Mercer increase his goal streak.
However, I see too much potential in the Jackets, and they’re trending way upward while New Jersey is trending down.
Pick: Blue Jackets ML (+136)
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Senators vs. Flyers
I can go one of two ways with this game. Ottawa typically finds itself in high-scoring bouts, but Philadelphia is usually in low-scoring games.
The question is… who bites first?
Typically, I’d side with the team that’s coached by John Tortorella, but in this instance, I’m expecting a high-scoring duel.
Philadelphia doesn’t have the goaltending to keep this low-scoring. In four out of its last five games, Philly has hit the under, largely due to the Flyers’ inability to score.
There are hardly any mountain movers on the Flyers, but they have a few guys who can light the lamp. Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett have been beauties all season, and Matvei Michkov can explode at any given moment.
I also don’t have much faith in Philly’s goaltending. Samuel Ersson has had such an up-and-down season, but mostly, he’s experiencing downs. I would expect him tonight since Ivan Fedotov started on Sunday, and with Ottawa’s propensity to run the scoreboard, I think we could be in store for a red-light party.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-114)
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Canadiens vs. Canucks
As the season starts to wither away, the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks are each fighting for their playoff lives.
The problem for the Habs is that this Western Canada trip couldn’t have come at a worse time. They fell to Edmonton in overtime on Thursday, then got shut out by Calgary, 1-0.
Tonight in Vancouver, Montreal looks to salvage this trip in any way it can, currently sitting three points from the final Wild Card spot. However, the Canucks, who are in a dogfight themselves are just as motivated.
One player in particular, Jake DeBrusk, has had Montreal’s number for quite a while. He used to enjoy success playing the Habs often while he was with its rival, the Boston Bruins, but now, on the other coast, these two only square off twice a year.
DeBrusk has registered 17 points in 22 career games against the Habs, and nine out of his last 10. Since the 4 Nations break, DeBrusk has registered three points, all goals, and thinks that with his former rivals in town, there’s an opportunity to find himself on the scoresheet again.
Odds for over 0.5 points are set for him on bet365 at +120, and I think it’s worth a bet.
Pick: Jake DeBrusk Over 0.5 Points (+120)
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