NHL Pick 3 – Saturday, March 16
This article focuses on tonight’s ten-game NHL main slate, highlights a few DFS players that stand out, and gives you a few potential wagers against the spread. Feel free to jump in our sports betting Slack channel for additional information and updates when it comes to tonight’s action.
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Please note that the nine-game evening slate starts at 7:00 PM EST for all your sports betting needs.
The biggest game on the slate
Washington @ Tampa Bay, 7 PM EDT – Washington remains one of the better teams in the league at 42-22-7 while Tampa Bay is 54-13-4. Tampa Bay is chasing history as they are just eight wins from tying the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings for most wins in a season (62). Both teams are 4-1 heading into this matchup with eerily similar splits. Washington is allowing just 2.2 goals per game in this span which is a full goal below their normal road output. The records explain why Tampa Bay is a hearty -185 favorite. Part of that stems from the fact that Tampa Bay is a league-best 29-6-2 at home averaging 3.97 goals per game.
If the moneyline drops to -165 to -175 for Tampa Bay, that would be a good number to bet. Washington can keep this close and these two former division rivals from the Southeast know each other very well. Braden Holtby is expected to face Andrei Vasilevskiy based on current projections.
Washington has no one on the injury report, while, Tampa Bay, on the other hand, is missing Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi. The over/under projects to stay at 6 1/2 but has been flirting with 7 all day.
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DFS Targets
William Nylander – Toronto Maple Leafs – $3900 DK – Ottawa’s penalty kill improved in the last few weeks up to 79.7% but still allows the fifth most high-danger chances per 60. Toronto’s power play still clicks near the league’s best when it is moving the puck. Nylander also has four points in his last two games and created six scoring chances in that span. The Toronto forward played over 19 minutes last night against Philadelphia and helped key the third-period comeback. Value plays on this large slate carry more weight than most expect. Nylander is one of those — particularly on DraftKings.
Kevin Labanc – San Jose Sharks – $3900 DK – Spotlighting values on this slate is important tonight because there is an elevated amount of them, so we want to find the best ones. Labanc exceeded four DraftKings points in five of his last seven games. Will the forward keep seeing 15+ minutes of ice time? That answer is not definite, however, Nashville is struggling once again as March rolls on. San Jose carries value but monitor the status of Evander Kane. This is more to see who is deployed where. Labanc currently projects to still be on the third line.
Games Against the Spread
San Jose (-145) vs Nashville – Nashville plays the last leg of the California trip looking to win another game. With the expected return of Evander Kane, San Jose gets closer to a healthy lineup (still no Erik Karlsson). Martin Jones appears likely to start against Pekka Rinne in this tilt. Nashville allows three goals a game in their last five games and has given up 3.2 road goals per game since February 1st. The San Jose Sharks remain top-5 in the league when it comes to scoring goals at home. They average 3.68 goals per game and that number jumps to nearly four a night since February 1st. If that number stays around -145, San Jose is worth a play.
Arizona (-130) vs Edmonton –  This matchup sets up well for Arizona. Arizona has won eight of their last ten and 10 of their last 12 games overall. Edmonton just allowed six goals to the New Jersey Devils of all teams on Wednesday. That effectively dashed any playoff hopes the Oilers may have had. The over is at 5 1/2, which indicates a game for the goalies. Arizona averages just 2.63 goals per game on the road while Arizona yields just 2.5 per home contest. Edmonton’s penalty kill functions at just 75.1% (73.5% on the road). Arizona presents good value around -130.
An Extra Sports Betting Bonus
Toronto vs, Ottawa (Over 6 1/2) –Â This is a late entrant but only if the over stays at 6 1/2. The Toronto Maple Leafs cannot stop the bleeding defensively and neither can the Ottawa Senators. Goal projection suggests a combined total of at least seven on Saturday night for this game. Toronto has yielded 18 goals over the last five games and the over has easily hit in the previous two contests. Ottawa gives up three goals a game at home but still allows the second most shots per game in the league. With Garret Sparks facing Anders Nilsson, goals are almost guaranteed. Toronto playing this game without rest adds to the goal potential by approximately a half goal in the numbers. Again, if that over stays below seven, the value is there.
Notable Score And Period Props
Take a look at the Montreal at -130 to score first. Chicago allowing a quick goal early is almost inevitable. Montreal will carry some risk because they will come out more aggressively. The over period prop for the Toronto and Ottawa at +106 is not bad. Please note the over/under is set at 2 for the first-period prop between Toronto and Ottawa. Arizona scoring three or four goals is at +130. Given how many goals Edmonton has allowed lately (3.29 goals per game on the road), that is not a bad bet. Finally, the Arizona Coyotes “60-minute line” prop is at -125, which is better than the -130 moneyline currently offered.
If you have any NHL questions, find me in the sports betting channel on the Awesemo.com premium Slack chat or @ChrisWasselDFS on twitter.
