We've only got three games to make our NHL expert picks today on February 23. We had 11 games in the league last night and 13 games tomorrow. The 'Chel' has a wonky schedule man. But, we can only bet the games in front of us, right?
Here are three moneyline, totals, or puckline picks for tonight's games on the NHL schedule.
Pick 1: Sabres ML (-142)
The Game: Buffalo sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 pM ET
| Team | Puckline | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Sabres | -1.5 (+180) | O6.5 (-125) | -142 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +1.5 (-218) | U6.5 (+105) | +120 |
Buffalo has been excellent on the road of late with six wins in their last seven games. When road favorites (like tonight), the Sabres are 5-2 SU.
Columbus is awful at home with a 1-3-1 in their last five games. And look, the last month has been a heavy road schedule for CBJ. They played once on home ice between January 23rd and February 21st and traveled some 11,000 miles. Boy are their arms tired.
I'm taking the Sabres to continue their strong road play against a poor team that's just happy to be home for a few days.
Pick 2: UNDER 5.5 (-110)
The Game: Winnipeg Jets vs Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 PM ET
| Team | Puckline | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Jets | -1.5 (-102) | O5.5 (-110) | -270 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +1.5 (-118) | U5.5 (-110) | +220 |
The Hawks have kept the total UNDER four times in their last six home games. Through the season, Chicago is 11-16-1 against the total with the UNDER cashing 57% of the time. Even though they suck, ChiTown isn't a bad UNDERs play.
Winnipeg is likely to start Connor Hellebuyck in the net tonight. In his last two seasons, Hellebuyck has averaged a stellar 0.953S% and a stupidly low 1.39GAA against Chicago.
We're looking at a classic 3-2 scoreline (or less) tonight.
Pick 3: OVER 6.5 (-130)
The Game: Minnesota Wilds vs Edmonton Oilers, 9 PM ET
| Team | Puckline | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Wild | +1.5 (-155) | O6.5 (-130) | +154 |
| Edmonton Oilers | -1.5 (+130) | U6.5 (+110) | -185 |
Since Edmonton's winning streak was snapped by Vegas a few weeks back, the Oilers have struggled to control games. We're seeing an average of eight goals in their last eight games. During their 16-game heater that average was more like 5.4 goals per game. Naturally, the OVER is cashing at 63% in their last eight games.
For some reason, the Wild are 6-0 against the OVER when playing a playoff team over their last 13 games. It's like Minni wants to show they're a good team too and try to get into a track meet with these playoff-bound sides. (To be fair it's kind of working with a 4-2SU record.)
