NHL Picks & Predictions: Our Experts’ 5 NHL Best Bets Tonight
David Becker/NHLI via Getty Image. Pictured: Noah Hanifin #15 of the Vegas Golden Knights
Check out our NHL picks and predictions with our experts' best bets for Tuesday, March 12.
The Action Network's hockey crew has foraged through the betting markets for tonight's 10-game slate, which we've also covered with our individual NHL game previews. And they've found some delicious nuts and berries in the betting markets.
For our NHL best bets tonight, we're targeting five games in particular with a moneyline bet, a play on the puck line and a trio of player props.
Below, check out and tail along with our experts' NHL picks for the Tuesday slate, which is available fully on ESPN+.
(Hockey bettors: North Carolina sports betting is now live! In the Tar Heel State? Jump in and join the NHL action!)
NHL Picks and Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | ||
| 7 p.m. | ||
| 8 p.m. | ||
| 8 p.m. | ||
| 10 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. Canadiens
Alex Nylander is currently without an NHL contract for next season, and he's recently looked the part of a player battling for his career. He has eight points in seven games with the Blue Jackets, and he's averaging 3.125 shots on goal over that span.
He's averaged 10.78 shots per 60 over the entirety of the season, which is the highest clip on the Blue Jackets.
A potential dropoff in ice time is a concern for this bet; Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent has been highly inconsistent with the usages of his forward corps. Still, Nylander did skate 18 minutes last time out and remained on the top power-play unit at Monday's practice.
He's found strong chemistry with Cole Sillinger at even strength, who is also enjoying a late-season upswing.
The Canadiens have cleaned up their defensive play recently, but they still deserve to be viewed as a better-than-average target for opposing shooters. Over the entirety of the season, they've allowed the fifth most shots against.
This bet will miss more often than it hits to be sure, but +150 is too long of a price to pass up, and we have some clear value here. Play it down to +140.
Pick: Alex Nylander Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+150)
Penguins vs. Senators
By Carol Schram
Nothing is going right for the Ottawa Senators or the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the Senators have a golden opportunity to snap its 0-6-1 losing skid back at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday against the reeling Penguins.
Ottawa is tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the Eastern Conference, but Pittsburgh is, surprisingly, just 10 points further ahead. The Penguins have lost six of their last seven, and now that the rebuild is officially on following the trade of Jake Guentzel, they seem to have lost their will to continue. They’ve been outscored 15-1 in their last three games.
Ottawa has played six of its last seven on the road. And in the last three games, out on the West Coast, the Senators kept it close, losing by just one goal each time. This season, they’ve been much better at home, where they're 17-14-2. They’ve also won their two earlier meetings against the Penguins this season – 5-2 in Pittsburgh on Oct. 28 and 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 23 back in Canada’s capital.
With only impending UFA Vladimir Tarasenko moved before the trade deadline, Ottawa’s core group is now tasked with showing who wants to be part of the solution moving forward. For Pittsburgh, a similar message does not yet seem to have sunk in.
That leaves a good opportunity for bettors to back the home side at near-even odds. Play it down to -115.
Pick: Senators (-105)
Panthers vs. Stars
By Tony Sartori
In what is perhaps the game of the night on Tuesday evening, the Dallas Stars host the Florida Panthers in a battle between two heavyweights. I want to utilize this game as a buy-low opportunity for Florida forward Carter Verhaeghe, who has not scored in his past 10 games.
With that said, he is still shooting the puck at will, averaging 3.4 shots on goal per game over that stretch, and those pucks will eventually start to find the back of the net. Perhaps his fortune turns around against Dallas – or at least goaltender Jake Oettinger.
While Oettinger still possesses an incredibly high ceiling, he has been prone to getting blown up recently. He's allowed three or more goals in five of his past nine starts, posting a fade-worthy .871 SV% over that span.
Oettinger has also historically struggled against the Panthers, going 1-4-1 with a .896 SV% and 3.47 GAA through seven career appearances against them. Verhaeghe has scored in four of those seven outings (he also didn't even play in one of them).
The Stars are good at limiting power-play goals, ranking first in the league in penalty minutes taken per game and ninth in power-play percentage. I mention this because Verhaeghe leads Florida in even-strength goals this year with 22, and if the offense is neutralized on the power play, then Verhaeghe is the most likely guy to make an impact at 5-on-5.
Pick: Carter Verhaeghe Anytime Goalscorer (+220)
Coyotes vs. Wild
By Ryan Dadoun
The Wild earned a 5-2 victory on the road against Arizona on Thursday, and I’m looking for a similar result tonight in Minnesota. The Wild are going through a strong stretch overall, posting a 3-0-1 record over their last four games with the sole defeat being a 2-1 overtime loss against the high-powered Avalanche in the second half of Minnesota’s back-to-back Friday.
Minnesota remains six points behind Vegas in the battle for the second wild-card spot while Arizona’s playoff chances are long gone, so the Wild should have an edge in terms of motivation tonight. The Coyotes are also a team that tends to travel poorly with just a 10-18-5 record on the road, making the chances of the Wild besting them even higher than they were last time.
Look for the Wild’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy to have an especially good contest versus Arizona, which ranks 24th defensively with 3.35 goals allowed per game. That trio had a combined three goals and seven points en route to a 4-3 overtime victory over Nashville on Sunday and has been rolling for a while.
It helps that Kaprizov is one of the hottest forwards in the league, supplying 18 goals and 34 points in 21 games dating back to Jan. 19. No player – not even Auston Matthews – has more goals than Kaprizov in that stretch, and just two have more points (Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid). It’s also double the point total of any Arizona player during the same stretch, which is part of the reason why the Wild rank fifth offensively with 3.57 goals per game since Jan. 19 while Arizona lags far behind at 21st with 2.86 goals per contest.
As you can see, the gap between these teams has been vast recently, making this a golden chance for Minnesota to earn a clean win.
Let's take Wild on the puck line (-1.5) and play it down to +115.
Pick: Wild -1.5 (+130)
Golden Knights vs. Kraken
By Greg Liodice
The Vegas Golden Knights made waves in the hockey world with their trade deadline moves. One of those moves was bringing in defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames.
Other than his incredible hair, Hanifin brings so much to the table that Vegas has desperately needed on its blue line. He has already registered a career-high in goals (11) and is close to having a career year in points (37).
During his time in Calgary, Hanifin was third on the team in Corsi, second in high-danger chances, and second in expected goals. There’s no doubt that he makes effective plays and is a key driver in getting pucks to the net.
He notched his first two points in gold on Saturday by registering two assists, and his transition into Sin City seems to be going seamlessly.
I’m expecting more play-driving tonight against Seattle. While they’ve been on somewhat of a roll, the Kraken are currently hampered, missing their No. 1 defenseman Vince Dunn. Missing Dunn against a Golden Knights team that has all the momentum in the world can bring on repercussions.
FanDuel seems to be banking on Hanifin getting at least two shots on goal tonight, as his value at 2+ shots is listed at -192. What’s eye-popping is that he’s listed at +162 to register 3+ shots. I’m salivating at that number. In his final game as a Flame, he threw three shots at Seattle’s netminder. Is it possible we see a repeat a week later?
Knowing how much he drives play, and seeing how he’s already gotten involved with the Knights, I won’t be surprised to see a lot of shots from No. 15 in white and gold. We're getting a great price at +162.
Pick: Noah Hanifin Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+162)
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