NHL Picks for Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Nearly every team in the NHL will be in action on Tuesday night. There are 13 games on the schedule, and there is bound to be value on the card with so many teams on the ice. Given the nature of the standings, and the race to the bottom in order to have the right to select Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick, we shouldn’t see a lot of upsets with non-playoff teams defeating playoff teams the rest of the way. That has had a major influence on Tuesday’s picks, but the NHL betting lines with some of these favorites may be a bit steep.

NHL Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook

Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are looking to make history. Boston is looking to win 63 games in order to set the new single-season record, and the Bruins are currently at 53 wins with 13 games left to play. They are 27-3-3 at home this year, and they are ready to lay the smack down on the Ottawa Senators considering two of their defeats were on the road against the Sens earlier in the season.

Ottawa has fallen apart and is no longer a postseason contender. The Senators have lost five straight games since a narrow win over Seattle back on March 9, and they have surrendered at least four goals in seven straight games as the goaltending has been terrible with Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg sidelined by injury. Mads Sogaard has seen most of the action, and he has an abominable 3.49 GAA and an .881 save percentage.

Boston can essentially name the score in this game. The Bruins don’t have a lot of animosity for most teams, but they do have some frustration to let out against the Senators, so this could get ugly. We have seen Boston outscore its opponents 15-2 in three straight wins, and the Bruins will have a big edge on the Senators here as they get to play at home on a day’s rest while Ottawa has to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Steel City on Monday night.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals

This is a must-win game for the Washington Capitals. Currently, they are five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they have played two more games than Pittsburgh. Washington can’t afford to drop points in any home game, and that is especially the case when the NHL’s worst team comes to town.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have just 49 points through 69 games, and they are in line to have the best chance to select Conor Bedard. They are 2-6-2 in their last ten games, and the front office has made some roster moves to try to ensure this team finishes at the bottom of the pack.

Justin Danforth and Jake Bean could have returned from injury earlier this month if needed in all likelihood, but they have been given the chance to have extra time to recover from their shoulder injuries. Additionally, Elvis Merzlikins has not played for the last two weeks even after the Blue Jackets traded top goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the Los Angeles Kings. That has led to Columbus starting Daniil Tarasov and Michael Hutchinson in net, and both goaltenders have been bad. Needless to say, Washington could easily have five or six goals in a rout here.

Arizona Coyotes at Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg is the team that I feel the least confident in on Tuesday, but the Jets have a very good home ice advantage. They are 21-12-2 at home, and they are fighting to keep the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference over Calgary and Nashville. The Jets have been up and down recently with a 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games, while the Arizona Coyotes are 6-2-2 and have won four in a row.

All of those wins for the Coyotes came at home though. Arizona hasn’t won a road game since February 13, and southern teams tend to struggle mightily on their Canadian swings. They are 0-2 against the Jets already this season, and it’s unlikely they get a win here.