Welcome to our expert NHL Best bets today! 

It's a smaller five-game slate tonight but it's highlighted by two national TV games and some top-tier talent across the board – good news for us making NHL predictions today! 

 

 

 

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 3/5

The NHL Trade deadline is just over 48 hours away and we are primed for a big few days. 

Injuries are starting to pile up for some teams and when we combine that with players being rested, be sure to check if all players are active before officially tailing any of our NHL best bets today. 

 

 

 

Capitals vs. Rangers Prediction: Wednesday, March 5th

We all know that Alex Ovechkin is chasing history, so let's buy into the narrative a little bit for our NHL best bets today. 

The matchup against the Rangers is solid and it's one that Ovi has historically dominated. He has three goals in two games against them this season and that's the norm for him with 45 goals in 75 career games versus the Rangers. Chasing history? Great career stats? Does any of that matter? All of that can be fun and point us to certain things but let's take a look at the Rangers' recent form. 

While the back-to-back shutouts jump off the page, that doesn't tell the entire story. The Rangers are still allowing 2.64 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is 14th in the league on this side of the 4 Nations break. Over that same time, the Rangers have allowed 15.03 High-Danger-Scoring Chances per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the NHL. 

On the other side, the Capitals have created 12.72 High-Danger-Scoring Chances, which is the seventh-best over that same time. The Rangers' recent results don't tell the entire story and regardless of storylines or historic success, this is simply a solid matchup for Ovechkin. 

 

 

 

Senators vs. Blackhawks Prediction: Wednesday, March 5th

The Ottawa Senators are off to a bit of a slow since the 4 Nations break, and they need to start picking up wins as they are just point out of a Wild Card spot. 

Let's keep things as simple as possible and trust Brady Tkachuk of the Senators to pile up the shots tonight. Since the 4 Nations Break, the Chicago Blackhawks have allowed 67.89 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-worst in the league. Conversely, the Senators are generating 60.68 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is 13th in the league. 

Tkachuk is coming off a game where he had just two shots on goal and I love looking for an elite player in a bounce-back spot. Tkachuk has piled up at least four shots in 12 of his last 20 games, with eight of those games being at five shots or more. 

I know it's a bit of juice to make one of our NHL best bets today at -162 but he brings a high level of consistency and has an extremely favorable matchup tonight. 

 

 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 3/5