James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
With just over a week left in the NHL regular season, things are getting heated up. There are just few playoff spots left for grabs and most off the games tonight will make a huge difference in the playoff run.
Saturday night will bring us 11 games around the league, and we have our game breakdowns and NHL betting trends for four of them.
The Dallas Stars are on top of the Western Conference and will try to stay there after they visit Chicago. The Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers are two of the best teams in the league, and they are fighting for the top seed in the East tonight. The St. Louis Blues have no room for any mistakes by the end of the regular season schedule, and that is especially the case when they visit San Jose. The same can be said for the New York Islanders as well, but they have a bigger challenge going against the Nashville Predators.
Let’s take a deeper look at the NHL betting trends for these four games.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Dallas Stars
The Chicago Blackhawks are 15th in the Western Conference with a 22-48-5 record. They have won three of the last five games and are coming off a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders. The Blackhawks are the second-worst offensive team in the league, scoring 2.2 goals per game, and are ranked 28th in the NHL, allowing 3.48 goals per game. Connor Bedard leads the team with 58 points, followed by Phillip Kurashev with 50.
The Dallas Stars are on top of the Western Conference with a 48-19-9 record. They have the longest active winning streak in the league right now with 8 consecutive wins and are coming off a 5-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars are second in the league, scoring 3.66 goals per game, and are ranked ninth, allowing 2.87. Jason Robertson is the best player on the team, with 77 points so far in the season.
Chicago Blackhawks vs Dallas Stars: NHL betting trends
Dallas has won the last 6 games played in Chicago and the last 5 against the Blackhawks overall. The Stars are 8-0 SU in their last eight games and 7-0 SU in their last seven games on the road. The Blackhawks are 7-13 SU in the last 20 games overall and 2-9 SU in the last 11 games against teams from the Central Division.
Prediction and Conclusion
These two teams have completely different seasons. The Stars are among the best teams in the league and have an open road to finishing first in the Western Conference, while the Blackhawks are near rock bottom. The Stars have picked up their game to a new level in the last couple of months, and while many did debut them at the start of the season, they are considered one of the front-runners to win the West at this point. The Stars have won the last eight games and demolished the Oilers in the last one, keeping a clean sheet. Given their form and the stakes on the line, the Stars will win this one easily tonight.
Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins
The Florida Panthers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 48-24-5 record. They have lost 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers are second in the league, allowing 2.48 goals per game, and are ranked third in the league with a 91.6 save percentage. Offensively, they are 13th in the NHL averaging 3.23 goals per game. Sam Reinhart is the best player on the team, with 89 points so far in the season.
The Boston Bruins second in the Eastern Conference with a 45-17-15 record. They have won four of the last five games and are coming off a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins are second in the league with a 91.6 save percentage, sixth allowing 2.68 goals per game and 11th scoring 3.27 goals per game. David Pastrnak is fifth in the league with 106 points and 47 goals for the season.
Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins: NHL betting trends
Ten of the last 14 games between these two teams have gone over the total goal line and five of the last seven between them when played in Boston. The Bruins have gone over in 4 of their last 5 home games.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams were on top of the Eastern Conference at some point in the season, and whoever loses this game will have no chance of getting back there by the end of the schedule. No matter the outcome of this game, both the Bruins and the Panthers will be legit candidates to compete for the Stanley Cup. They have won the last two President Trophies, but the ultimate goal has not been reached yet. Even though both teams are among the top defensive teams in the league, their head-to-head games have plenty of goals, as they have gone over in five of the last seven games played in Boston. This game will make no difference, and therefore, we are going with over 5.5 goals.
San Jose Sharks vs St. Louis Blues
The San Jose Sharks are at the bottom of the Western Conference with the worst record in the league, 17-50-8. They have lost 11 of the last 12 games and are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks are at the bottom of the league, allowing 3.93 goals per game and scoring 2.20. Mikael Granlund leads the team with 52 points so far this season.
The St. Louis Blues are ninth in the Western Conference with a 40-32-4 record. They have lost three of the last five games and are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. The Blues are 15th in the league, allowing 3.04 goals per game, and are ranked 26th, scoring 2.83 goals per game. Robert Thomas is the best player on the team, with 75 points so far in the season.
San Jose Sharks vs St. Louis Blues: NHL betting trends
St. Louis has won 8 of the last 10 games against the Sharks and 5 of the last 6 played in San Jose. The Blues are 8-4 SU in the last 12 games overall and 13-7 SU in the last 20 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Sharks are 1-11 SU in the last 12 games overall and 0-5 SU in the last five home games.
Prediction and Conclusion
The St. Louis Blues are just under the line that separates the playoff teams from the rest of the group in the West. With six games left in the regular season, they are seven points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who are in eighth place. There is no doubt that the Blues have their backs against the wall and have to win every single game left on the schedule. Tonight, they are visiting the worst team in the league, which seems like an easy task for the Blues. The Sharks have only one win in the last 12 games, but that single win came in St. Louis, where they beat the Blues 4-0. Despite that score, we will give the Blues a standing chance to make it to the postseason and go with them to win tonight in San Jose.
Nashville Predators vs New York Islanders
The Nashville Predators are sixth in the Western Conference with a 44-28-4 record. After losing three consecutive games, the Predators won 6-3 against the St. Louis Blues. Nashville is 12th in the NHL, averaging 3.26 goals per game, and is ranked four spots lower, allowing 3.04. Filip Forsberg is the best player on the team, with 87 points.
The New York Islanders are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 34-27-15 record. They have won four of the last five games and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Islanders are 22nd in the league, allowing 3.25 goals per game, and are one spot lower, scoring 2.96. Mathew Barzal leads the team with 78 points.
Nashville Predators vs New York Islanders: NHL betting trends
Nashville has won the last ten games against the Islanders and the last six played in New York. The Predators are 15-5 SU in the last 20 games overall and 9-3 SU in the last 12 games on the road. The Islanders are 4-1 SU in the last five games overall and 6-1 SU in the last seven games against teams from the Western Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams are in the playoff zone, but things are still not secured, especially for the Islanders. They are currently seventh in the East but have only one point more than Detroit, which is tenth. This is a very important game for the Islanders, but seeing that they have lost the last ten games against the Predators does not seem very optimistic at all. Nashville is trying to book their tickets for the playoffs as well, and we are going with a 60-minute tie in this one.
