What a day of sports it is.
It's the first day of the NCAA Tournament, where you can find several picks from our college basketball experts, but we also have a fairly loaded NHL slate, where our hockey experts have whipped up a few picks. What's life without some puck?
Let's dive into our NHL best bets, predictions and picks for Thursday, March 19.
NHL Best Bets for Thursday Night
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 10:00 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. | ||
Jets vs. Bruins
By Tony Sartori
The only reason that this total is as low as 5.5 is that the goaltending matchup is slated to be Connor Hellebuyck versus Jeremy Swayman. There is no denying that both guys are among the best in the league, but this total is an overadjustment to that fact and is worth taking a swing at.
First, Hellebuyck has not played great hockey recently. He is 1-2-1 over his past four starts with a .882 SV% and 3.02 GAA.
Part of the reason for this slide is the Winnipeg Jets' poor defensive play. This season, Winnipeg ranks 23rd in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).
As bad as the Jets' defense has been, the Boston Bruins' defensive play has been even worse. Entering this contest, Boston ranks second-to-last in xGA/60.
Meanwhile, both teams rank higher in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) than they do in xGA/60.
Finally, there have been at least eight total goals scored in each of the past three meetings between these two teams.
Pick: Over 6 (-105)
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Rangers vs. Blue Jackets
By Nick Martin
Thanks to their incredible record of 17-2-4 under head coach Rick Bowness, with 15 games left to play the Columbus Blue Jackets officially control their own destiny in terms of stealing a Wild Card spot from the Boston Bruins or Detroit Red Wings entering Thursday's slate.
The Blue Jackets have a tailor-made spot to earn two critical points Thursday, as they take on the lottery-bound New York Rangers side that will be playing the second leg of a traveling back-to-back.
The Blue Jackets hold a PDO of 102.17 under Bowness, and an expected goal share of 51.1%. They likely have not been quite as dominant as their record suggests and have fared abnormally well in closely contested matchups, suggesting that, based on the entirety of Bowness' tenure, they are somewhat of a regression candidate.
Still, there's a lot to like about how the Blue Jackets have competed even more recently, and over the last four games, it has appeared they have elevated their game to a higher level. They have looked great while playing to a 60.28% expected goal share over the last four games, playing to a record of 3-0-1 and earning multi-goal wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
Conor Garland and Mason Marchment continue to look like useful additions and have fit in well on a side that has forechecked much more aggressively under Bowness.
The Rangers will have an edge in goal as Igor Shesterkin will make his 43rd start of the season, looking to better his elite mark of +20.4 goals saved above expected. While the possibility of a dominant performance from Shesterkin is a concern, I still believe the Blue Jackets deserve to be priced in the -250 range in this matchup and believe there is value targeting them in this spot.
At +120, I see value backing the Blue Jackets to cover the puck-line in this highly favourable spot.
Pick: Blue Jackets -1.5 (+120)
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Utah vs. Golden Knights
By Greg Liodice
Lost in the sauce of March Madness, the Mammoth taking on the Golden Knights has become one of the marquee matchups for the NHL.
Vegas has struggled since returning from the Olympic break, especially since captain Mark Stone made his annual visit to the injured reserve.
Apart from winning a pair of home games against the Penguins and Blackhawks, Vegas has gone 1-7 in the month of March. And as every day passes by, the Knights put themselves in deeper trouble in terms of their playoff hopes.
However, what’s mind-blowing is that Vegas is actually playing great 5-on-5 hockey. It’s just been a victim of abysmal goaltending down the stretch.
Adin Hill has had a good three-game stretch, but to bank on a consistent outpour of quality games? I’ll need to believe it when I see it. He hasn’t been consistent since he brought home a Stanley Cup, and in his last 10 starts has a 2.8 GSAx.
Similarly, Utah, which has a 5-3-2 record in the month of March, has had poor goaltending as well. The Mammoth are not getting quality starts from either Karel Vejmelka or Vitek Vanecek, allowing 3 goals per game this month.
FanDuel has this game marked for 5.5 goals, which I think is more than feasible given the goaltending track record.
I wouldn’t put it past either team to play strong defense, but both teams have a history of letting in a few tucks this season, so I’m leaning on the over.
Pick: Over 6.5 (+108)
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Lightning vs. Kraken
By Greg Liodice
This one will be short and sweet.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a rough March, there’s no doubt about it, going 3-5. But tonight, they face the Vancouver Canucks, who, if you’ve been paying attention all season, are a dumpster fire.
You can argue that this could be a trap game for the Bolts, taking their feet off the gas against a lowly opponent, but Vancouver has hardly been the “trap game” type.
Against teams that are either vying for a playoff spot or are in firm control of one, the Canucks are 3-16-4 in the calendar year of 2026.
Thirteen of those losses were decided by two goals or more.
So, yes, while Tampa hasn’t exactly been the beacon of light since returning from the Olympics, I think this ends in a blowout.
Pick: Lightning -1.5 (-115)
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