NHL Best Bets: Expert Picks, Predictions Tonight (Tuesday, March 19)
Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images. Pctured: Cole Caufield #22 of the Montreal Canadiens
Check out our NHL best bets along with our expert picks and predictions for Tuesday, March 19.
The Action Network's hockey crew has peered through the betting markets for tonight's busy 13-game slate, which we've also covered with our individual NHL game previews. And a few gems caught our eye.
For our NHL best bets tonight, we're targeting five games in particular with two moneyline bets and three player props.
Below, check out and tail along with our experts' NHL picks for the Tuesday-night slate, which is available fully on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).
(Hockey fans: North Carolina sports betting is now live! Live in the Tar Heel State? Jump in and join tonight's NHL action!)
NHL Picks & 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. Red Wings
By Greg Liodice
It may have taken a while, but Alex Nylander just may have found the perfect landing spot in his journeyman career. Since being waived from the Penguins this year, Nylander was picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he hasn’t looked back.
Since then, he’s posted two games with multiple goals, including a hat trick. Now he’s one of Columbus’ hottest forwards with eight goals in 12 games.
The Blue Jackets take on the Red Wings tonight, and they’re struggling mightily. They’ve lost eight out of their last nine games, and they're playing a league-worst 4.16 xGA/60 defensively in the month of March.
Nylander has taken advantage of teams that are on the struggle bus. He was able to net his hat trick against Vegas, which was in the midst of a dry spell, and netted three goals against two bottom-of-the-barrel teams in Ottawa and San Jose.
Along the way, the metrics favor him greatly. He leads the Blue Jackets in Corsi% in the last month with a 57.33 CF%, is second in expected goals with a 58.13 xGF%, third among forwards in high-danger chances, and he has a 1.024 PDO. Those are certainly some encouraging numbers for a guy who was struggling to find his way in a lineup not too long ago.
Detroit’s goaltending is doing the best it can. Alex Lyon, bless his heart, is the only constant in the Wings' crease right now, but the team in front of him is leaving him out to dry.
That’s why I think Nylander is the best choice to score here. He’s been the most consistent Blue Jacket this month, and he's done a great job placing himself in positive scoring chances.
Pick: Alex Nylander Anytime Goalscorer (+280 at BetMGM)
Jets vs. Rangers
By Grant White
Two NHL juggernauts collide in what could be a preview of the Stanley Cup Final. The Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers invite the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets to Madison Square Garden for an inter-conference battle on Tuesday night.
The Rangers have an edge in points, but the Jets are the superior team. On that basis, I recommend taking a stake in the underdog visitors.
Winnipeg has been sensational this season. The Jets have compiled the eighth-best expected goals-for rating, dismantling their opponents in both ends of the ice.
However, the Jets are flying even higher over their recent sample. Winnipeg has posted expected goals-for ratings above 60.0% in three of its last four and six of eight. Still, the Jets have a more modest 5-3-0 record over that stretch. Expect more wins to befall the Jets as they maintain their elite play.
Sadly, the Rangers are trending in the opposite direction. New York has been outplayed in all but one of its past four. Pointing the lens further back, that extends to 12 of 15. Although the Rangers have a collection of skill players who can offset those analytics deficiencies, that unsustainable balance has them sliding toward regression.
We're using tonight's spot to back the undeserving underdog Jets. Any plus-money position is a playable angle, but we'd take it up to a pick'em.
Pick: Jets (+105 at ESPN BET)
Sharks vs. Predators
By Tony Sartori
The Western Conference has a tilt taking place on Tuesday evening with the Nashville Predators hosting the San Jose Sharks. Nashville opened as a massive -375 favorite, and for good reason as San Jose is one of the worst teams in the league.
Entering this matchup, it ranks last in goals allowed per game and shots on goal allowed per game. The Sharks bleed high danger scoring chances at a high rate, ranking 29th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5.
Not only does this team struggle at even-strength, but special teams are also a massive problem. They rank 21st in penalty minutes taken per game and 29th in penalty kill percentage.
That brings us to Preds forward Ryan O'Reilly, who has been a power play specialist of sorts this season.
Leading the team in power-play goals, 14 of his 24 goals this season have come on the man-advantage. He also enters this contest in good form, scoring in four of his past eight games.
It will help O'Reilly's cause that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is slated to start between the pipes for San Jose. Through 35 appearances in the crease this season, Blackwood is 9-18-3 with a .899 SV% and 3.48 GAA.
Pick: Ryan O'Reilly Anytime Goalscorer (+200 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Avalanche vs. Blues
By Carol Schram
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Colorado Avalanche are the hottest team in the NHL. Their moneyline odds in the neighborhood of -205 to -225 for their Tuesday matchup against the St. Louis Blues reflect that.
But the home side is riding a four-game winning streak of its own. And while Colorado is locked in a battle with Winnipeg and Dallas for optimal positioning in the Central Division standings, the Blues have a much more pressing mission. They can move within two points of a wild-card berth if they pick up a win on Tuesday.
All told, St. Louis has gone an impressive 23-15-2 since Drew Bannister took over as interim head coach in mid-December. And they’ve been getting terrific goaltending from both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, who have collectively allowed just six goals in the last four games.
Like Colorado, St. Louis is also much better on home ice. And while the Avalanche have swept the first three games of their current road trip, they could end up taking their foot off the gas a bit after dramatic comeback wins in overtime against both Vancouver and Edmonton.
The Avalanche do lead the season series 2-1, but the Blues dished out one of Colorado’s worst losses of the year with an 8-2 beatdown in Denver back in November.
With moneyline odds as high as +180, it’s worth backing the home side to collect two crucial points on Tuesday and keep those playoff hopes alive.
Pick: Blues (+180 at FanDuel)
Canadiens vs. Oilers
Don't be surprised if we see one of the league's better goalscorers in Cole Caufield get hot down the stretch.
He poured 50 pucks on goal over a 12-game goalless drought before finally breaking through on Saturday in Calgary.
For a pure goalscorer like Caufield, snapping that skid will offer a massive relief.
More importantly, from a handicapping standpoint, he had enough chances over that entire sample to make +200 a solid bet. It's always going to be an anomaly for a player with Caufield's shooting ability to finish chances at such a paltry rate. The Canadiens' top even-strength unit continues to create chances at a solid clip, and Caufield continues to get chances on the top power-play unit as well.
Part of the +200 price tag comes from the fact that the Oilers are viewed as a bad matchup. The Oilers have allowed 3.20 xGA/60 since the All-Star break, though, which ranks 16th in the league.
The Oilers also may view this as a spot for backup Calvin Pickard to play; this is their softest matchup of the week, and he will presumably get one of the three matchups.
Pick: Cole Caufield Anytime Goal (+200 at FanDuel)
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
