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Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (3/5)

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It’s a massive Tuesday in sports, including an exciting nine-game slate in the NHL. Below I’ll break down three games from a betting angle, and let you know my top three plays on the ice tonight. 

Tuesday’s Best NHL Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Florida Panthers (-120) @ New Jersey Devils (+100) | O/U 6.5 (-122/+102) 

The Panthers are playing excellent puck recently, as they’ve moved into the frontrunner position for the President’s Trophy (88 points). They’ll wrap up a three-game road trip tonight in New Jersey, where they square off against the Devils (64 points). Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. 

I’ll ride the hot hand in this spot; give me the Cats on the moneyline. Florida has been on an insane heater since late January, going 15-2-0 over their last 17 games. Even the two losses were by just one goal each. The Panthers bring in the best goal differential in the league (+58), and they’re seventh in scoring (3.3 GPG) and first defensively (2.21 GAA).

Speaking of defense, that’s what I believe will ultimately give the Panthers the edge tonight. However, it’s New Jersey’s defense that’s the issue. They still haven’t really found a true answer in-net. They just wrapped up the “California road trip,” going 1-2-0, conceding 3.7 goals per game. The Devils are 26th in the league defensively, surrendering 3.21 goals per contest. Florida should expose this lousy New Jersey defense tonight. Let’s lock in the Cats.

Bet: Florida Panthers Moneyline (-120)

St. Louis Blues (+142) @ New York Islanders (-170) | O/U 6.0 (-115/-105) 

The Blues have earned two straight victories, taking down the Wild (3-1) and Flyers (2-1). They’ll stay out east tonight, where they square off against the Islanders, who are fourth in the Metropolitan Division (66 points). This cross-conference clash is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. 

These two squads just played on Feb. 22, and St. Louis cruised to a 4-0 victory. However, it’s confirmed that Ilya Sorokin will start tonight for the Isles rather than Semyon Varlamov, who allowed three goals in the defeat. Sorokin has been on fire, going 3-0-0 in his last three starts while posting a .925 SV% over the sample size. 

Meanwhile, the Blues come into this contest with the 13th-ranked defense, allowing only 2.84 goals per game. They’re also 14th on the penalty kill (69.63%). St. Louis has been a pure under team on the road this season, posting the third-best record to the under (20-11 to the under). I expect that trend to continue with two bottom-third offenses taking the ice. Let’s lock in the under. 

Bet: Under 6.0 (-105)

Montreal Canadiens (+180) @ Nashville Predators (-218) | O/U 6.0 (-122/+102) 

The Predators are heating up, having won eight straight games. They’ve climbed to fourth in the Central Division (72 points), where they’re 11 points off of the Jets’ first-place pace. As for the visitors, they enter this contest ranked seventh in the Atlantic, owning a record of just 23-28-10 (56 points). Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. 

These two sides are trending in completely opposite directions at the moment. The Preds have rattled off eight straight victories, winning every game by at least two goals! They’ve out-scored their opponents 37-13. Meanwhile, the Habs have dropped nine of their last 11 games (2-7-2), conceding 3.8 goals per game over the 11-game sample size.

With the way Nashville’s offense is trending, this isn’t a beneficial formula for Montreal. Overall, on the season, the Habs are just 28th defensively, allowing 3.33 goals per game. On the PK, they’re 30th, shutting down just 74.16% of opposing man-advantage opportunities. Finally, the Canadiens have allowed the sixth-most high-danger shots (142) during 5-on-5 play, so I’m fully expecting this red-hot Predators offense to light it up tonight. This feels like a great spot to lay 1.5 goals with the home team. 

Bet: Nashville Predators -1.5 (+114)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday:

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