Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th Edition

Boston has wine nine of ten (losing the other in overtime) but still managed to gain just a single point on Tampa Bay, who has 104 points and leads the Eastern Conference by 17 points over the B’s. Detroit is in another free fall in the East, losers of seven in a row. In the Western Conference, Calgary leads the standings with 89 points, but there are three teams within eight points of the lead — Winnipeg, Nashville and San Jose. As the playoff race tightens with anywhere between 16 and 19 games to go, depending on schedules, expect more of a frenzy on the ice. Your NHL betting picks for the week? We have your hockey suggestions right here.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – March 5th Edition

NHL Power Rankings: It’s go time for the Capitals.https://t.co/I2ADtUEvxg pic.twitter.com/MxIK2CaQgQ

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) 4 de marzo de 2019

Tuesday, March 5

Winnipeg at Tampa Bay (7:30pm ET)

The Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets head to Tampa on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Nashville at home, 5-3, on Friday and then Columbus on the road, 5-2, on Sunday. In that win over the Blue Jackets, captain Blake Wheeler put up four goals, the most emphatic one going with 2:13 remaining in the third period off a pass from Patrik Laine. His first two goals came on redirections of shots from the point. Connor Hellebuyck had 40 saves on a huge night after missing Friday’s win with the flu. Tampa Bay has now won 11 of 12, their lone setback coming back on Thursday in Boston, as the Bruins rolled to a 4-1 win. They rebounded at home against the Senators on Saturday, delivering a 5-1 rout. That gave them 50 wins in just 66 games, tying them with the 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings as the quickest teams to 50 wins. They have a chance to break the all-time record of 62 wins, with 18 games remaining, and they are also in the hunt for the single-season points record of 130, held by that Red Wings team and the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens. In the win over Ottawa, they got goals from four different defensemen, as their scheme simply overwhelmed the Senators. What can Winnipeg do against this juggernaut on the road? NHL Betting Prediction: Tampa Bay 4, Winnipeg 3

N.Y. Rangers at Dallas (8:30pm ET)

The Blueshirts head to Big D on a four-game slide, with losses in Washington and then at home to Tampa Bay, Montreal and Washington, that last loss coming on Sunday. Three of those four losses have been by a single goal, and in the Sunday setback, which came in a shootout, Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev threw his stick at the puck, so that Alex Ovechkin did not have a chance to shoot it. By rule, he was given a goal and the Capitals win. Can the Rangers gather their composure before they take on the Stars? Dallas has won three of four, all on the road, rolling to a win in Chicago, a bad loss in Vegas, a comeback win in Los Angeles, and an emphatic 4-1 win over St. Louis on Saturday. In that win, captain Jamie Benn had his fifth career hat trick, and John Klingberg had a goal and an assist. Ben Bishop stopped 29 shots as the Stars won their sixth in their last seven tries against St. Louis. With the Rangers rolling in on fumes, Dallas should be able to pick up two more crucial points at home. NHL Betting Prediction: Dallas 4, New York 2

Wednesday, March 6

Washington at Philadelphia (7:30pm ET, NBC Sports)

The Washington Capitals have won four in a row, rolling at home over the Rangers and Senators and then going on the road to beat the Islanders and the Rangers once again, winning on Sunday. The aforementioned anomaly in the Capitals’ shootout win in New York gave them that extra point, but sweeping the Islanders and Rangers in Gotham was impressive for a Capitals team that struggles at time with consistency. Philadelphia had been playing red-hot hockey a few weeks ago and still has won three of four, rolling to a 6-3 win in New Jersey on Friday and a 4-1 win in New York over the Islanders on Sunday. In that win, Brian Elliott got 29 saves, and four different Flyers scored. Philadelphia is five points out of the last wild card position in the East, and Elliott continues to have a terrific rookie season. But can they stop the Metropolitan leaders? NHL Betting Prediction: Philadelphia 3, Washington 2