NHL Picks: How To Bet on Games Before Teams Make Moves

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NHL Picks: How To Bet on Games Before Teams Make Moves
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The NHL heads into the weekend before the trade deadline with at least a half dozen games or more each night. 

Expect a few more moves to happen, which will impact some rosters. It shapes up to feature some eventful slates. 

To get you ready for your NHL betting, here is a look at the weekend.

Schedule Breakdown

Let us do this by the number of games each day. 

  • Friday – 6
  • Saturday – 11
  • Sunday – 7

Saturday comes at us with only three late-night games this time around. Friday and Sunday, see, the games end early with nothing later than an 8 p.m. ET start on either of those nights.

Who plays back-to-back this weekend? Here are those teams below. 

  • Philadelphia (Friday, Saturday)
  • Ottawa (Friday, Saturday)
  • Montreal (Friday, Saturday)
  • Colorado (Friday, Saturday)
  • Washington (Saturday, Sunday)
  • New York Rangers (Saturday, Sunday)
  • Pittsburgh (Saturday, Sunday)
  • Tampa Bay (Saturday, Sunday)
  • Columbus (Saturday, Sunday)

Again, this is easy to follow. The Sunday games begin at 1 p.m. ET. 

Boston Has A Few New Parts For Their Run

The weekend sees many possibilities. For one, the Washington Capitals altered their team by shipping Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to Boston. Washington got a first-round pick this year, a couple more picks, and Craig Smith. Here is a breakdown of the trade. 

  • The draft picks the Bruins gave up fit the trend in the league in the run-up to the deadline (2023 first, 2024 third, 2025 second).
  • Craig Smith was an extra forward for the Bruins.
  • Washington retained 50 percent of Orlov’s cap hit ($2.55 million).
  • Minnesota absorbs 25 percent of Orlov’s cap hit ($1.275 million), purchasing a 2023 fifth-round pick for their assistance. Already retaining the salary of Ryan O'Reilly and now Orlov, the Wild can broker a trade in this way one more time.
  • The Bruins inherit $1.275 million of Orlov’s cap hit.

Again, Boston gets even better as Don Sweeney has gone all in for his Bruins. The Bruins play at Vancouver on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see if the acquisitions are in the lineup. Does Vancouver try to sell even more now? What about Columbus? The Vladislav Gavrikov trade fell through to Boston. Now, what do they do?

The Saturday ABC Doubleheader

ABC/ESPN executives looked at this double dip months ago and probably thought this would be a gem. Now, a little bit of the luster has been taken away. Sure, the Rangers traveling to Washington to play Alex Ovechkin is nice. However, with Washington selling, the only draw the Capitals have is their 800+ goal scorer. Also, New York has more trade ambitions, but at least this matchup got a little easier. 

Expect more goals in both ABC games. Pittsburgh travels to St. Louis as the Penguins almost struggle as severely as Washington. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can only carry this team so much. Fortunately, St. Louis is selling off pieces too. It showed in a 3-2 overtime loss to Vancouver on Thursday night. 

Pittsburgh figures to see a Blues team that will try and score more and showcase a couple more players. There are rumors that Tory Krug is even on the trade block. Again, a game on ABC helps the Blues’ cause there. 

The road teams are favorites here on Saturday. Does one risk getting some plus money on the Puckline? That is a great question.

More On The Weekend

Hockey bettors are in for a nice Sunday slate, too. However, do not sleep on what figures to be an entertaining matchup in New Jersey as the Flyers play the Devils. Typically, goals are on the docket, and New Jersey will crank up the tempo after their 2003 Stanley Cup Ceremony err anniversary. 

Any Ottawa and Montreal matchup carries its brand of entertainment as well. Can Ottawa keep their momentum rolling, or does Montreal pull off another upset (they beat NJ on the road Tuesday)? Calgary, Colorado, and Dallas and Vegas headline the late games on Saturday. Do not sleep on those. Bet the Over-Under in Colorado. Calgary just blew another two-goal lead in Vegas on Thursday night.

For Sunday, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh could be chaos. There are a few instances of teams playing each other on the back end of a back-to-back. Fans and experts, why scoring stays up. This is why. Toronto and Seattle are the underrated matchup on the Sunday card. If anyone saw last night’s Boston-Seattle game, that was some back-and-forth tussle. 

Some Quick Points To Consider

  • Calgary is still a mess, but it makes for some entertaining hockey.
  • Nashville has no Forsberg or Ryan Johansen now. Goals, again, could be hard to come by.
  • Los Angeles could give up quite a few goals to the Rangers, especially.
  • The late Saturday night betting shifts are becoming a staple. Watch Dallas and Vegas, especially.
  • Jack Hughes versus a less-than-mobile Philadelphia defense and a red-hot Dawson Mercer. Get in those player props.
  • Be aware of more players being scratched for “trade reasons.”
  • See our note below.

Good luck, and once more, thanks for reading! Expect a few more plays and tips via social media later.

Thanks to BetMGM for the solid weekend lines and to TSN, and ESPN.com for the easy-to-follow schedules. 

Upcoming Games
March 28th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Blue Jackets Blue Jackets CBJ
--
U 6.5 1.95Bet365
2.95Bet365
Penguins Penguins PIT
--
O 6.5 1.87Bet365
1.42Bet365
March 28th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Capitals Capitals WSH
--
U 6.5 1.87Bet365
2.40Bet365
Maple Leafs Maple Leafs TOR
--
O 6.5 1.95Bet365
1.61Bet365
March 28th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Blackhawks Blackhawks CHI
--
U 6.5 1.83Bet365
2.65Bet365
Senators Senators OTT
--
O 6.5 2.00Bet365
1.50Bet365
March 28th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Islanders Islanders NYI
--
U 6 1.95Bet365
2.45Bet365
Panthers Panthers FLA
--
O 6 1.87Bet365
1.59Bet365
March 28th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Flyers Flyers PHI
--
U 6 1.91Bet365
1.65Bet365
Canadiens Canadiens MTL
--
O 6 1.91Bet365
2.30Bet365
March 28th | 7:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Red Wings Red Wings DET
--
U 6 2.00Bet365
3.10Bet365
Hurricanes Hurricanes CAR
--
O 6 1.83Bet365
1.39Bet365
March 28th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Sharks Sharks SJ
--
U 6 1.95Bet365
4.00Bet365
Wild Wild MIN
--
O 6 1.87Bet365
1.26Bet365
March 28th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Flames Flames CGY
--
U 6 1.91Bet365
2.15Bet365
Blues Blues STL
--
O 6 1.91Bet365
1.74Bet365
March 28th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Golden Knights Golden Knights VGK
--
U 5.5 2.00Bet365
2.10Bet365
Jets Jets WPG
--
O 5.5 1.83Bet365
1.77Bet365
March 28th | 9:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Kings Kings LAR
--
U 6 2.00Bet365
2.25Bet365
Oilers Oilers EDM
--
O 6 1.83Bet365
1.67Bet365
March 28th | 9:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Rangers Rangers NYR
--
U 6.5 1.87Bet365
2.35Bet365
Avalanche Avalanche COL
--
O 6.5 1.95Bet365
1.63Bet365
March 28th | 10:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Stars Stars DAL
--
U 6 1.95Bet365
1.87Bet365
Canucks Canucks VAN
--
O 6 1.87Bet365
1.95Bet365
March 28th | 10:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Ducks Ducks ANA
--
U 5.5 1.95Bet365
2.90Bet365
Kraken Kraken SEA
--
O 5.5 1.87Bet365
1.44Bet365
March 28th | 10:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Predators Predators NSH
--
U 6 1.91Bet365
1.59Bet365
Coyotes Coyotes ARI
--
O 6 1.91Bet365
2.45Bet365
March 29th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Devils Devils NJD
--
--
--
Sabres Sabres BUF
--
--
--
March 30th | 12:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Red Wings Red Wings DET
--
--
--
Panthers Panthers FLA
--
--
--
March 30th | 3:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Golden Knights Golden Knights VGK
--
--
--
Wild Wild MIN
--
--
--
March 30th | 4:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Ducks Ducks ANA
--
--
--
Oilers Oilers EDM
--
--
--
March 30th | 6:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Predators Predators NSH
--
--
--
Avalanche Avalanche COL
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Penguins Penguins PIT
--
--
--
Blue Jackets Blue Jackets CBJ
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Blackhawks Blackhawks CHI
--
--
--
Flyers Flyers PHI
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Bruins Bruins BOS
--
--
--
Capitals Capitals WSH
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Senators Senators OTT
--
--
--
Jets Jets WPG
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Hurricanes Hurricanes CAR
--
--
--
Canadiens Canadiens MTL
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Maple Leafs Maple Leafs TOR
--
--
--
Sabres Sabres BUF
--
--
--
March 30th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Islanders Islanders NYI
--
--
--
Lightning Lightning TAM
--
--
--
March 31st | 3:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Ducks Ducks ANA
--
--
--
Canucks Canucks VAN
--
--
--
April 1st | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Penguins Penguins PIT
--
--
--
Rangers Rangers NYR
--
--
--
April 1st | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Avalanche Avalanche COL
--
--
--
Blue Jackets Blue Jackets CBJ
--
--
--
April 1st | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Red Wings Red Wings DET
--
--
--
Lightning Lightning TAM
--
--
--
April 1st | 9:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Oilers Oilers EDM
--
--
--
Blues Blues STL
--
--
--
April 2nd | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Panthers Panthers FLA
--
--
--
Canadiens Canadiens MTL
--
--
--
April 2nd | 7:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Blackhawks Blackhawks CHI
--
--
--
Islanders Islanders NYI
--
--
--
April 2nd | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Senators Senators OTT
--
--
--
Wild Wild MIN
--
--
--
April 3rd | 10:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Canucks Canucks VAN
--
--
--
Coyotes Coyotes ARI
--
--
--
April 4th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Penguins Penguins PIT
--
--
--
Capitals Capitals WSH
--
--
--
April 4th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Panthers Panthers FLA
--
--
--
Senators Senators OTT
--
--
--
April 4th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Lightning Lightning TAM
--
--
--
Canadiens Canadiens MTL
--
--
--
April 4th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Bruins Bruins BOS
--
--
--
Hurricanes Hurricanes CAR
--
--
--
April 4th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Flames Flames CGY
--
--
--
Jets Jets WPG
--
--
--
April 4th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Avalanche Avalanche COL
--
--
--
Wild Wild MIN
--
--
--
April 4th | 8:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Blues Blues STL
--
--
--
Predators Predators NSH
--
--
--
April 4th | 10:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Kings Kings LAR
--
--
--
Sharks Sharks SJ
--
--
--
April 5th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Capitals Capitals WSH
--
--
--
Hurricanes Hurricanes CAR
--
--
--
April 5th | 10:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Kraken Kraken SEA
--
--
--
Ducks Ducks ANA
--
--
--
April 6th | 3:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Panthers Panthers FLA
--
--
--
Bruins Bruins BOS
--
--
--
April 6th | 4:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Jets Jets WPG
--
--
--
Wild Wild MIN
--
--
--
April 6th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Devils Devils NJD
--
--
--
Senators Senators OTT
--
--
--
April 6th | 7:00pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Flyers Flyers PHI
--
--
--
Blue Jackets Blue Jackets CBJ
--
--
--
April 6th | 7:30pm
Puck Line
Over/Under
Win
Predators Predators NSH
--
--
--
Islanders Islanders NYI
--
--
--