Free NHL Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (3/1/24)

It's hard to believe the calendar has flipped to March as the playoff races head up across the NHL. We don't have a ton of action going down this Friday evening, but we still have three games to comb through. Attention, fellow sports bettors! We have some exciting news to share as we are now […...

Sam Reinhart Adds Two More Goals Thursday

Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart scored two goals as part of his team's 4-3 shootout victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. The pair of tallies gave the veteran 41 goals on the season, good for second in the NHL behind the Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews who netted his 53rd goal of the season […...

Mark Giordano Suffers Head Injury Thursday

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano suffered a head injury when he crashed into the end boards while jumping up on a rush in the first period of Thursday's 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. It's been a difficult season for the NHL's oldest player as the 40-year-old also missed time earlier in the season […...

Maple Leafs Acquire Ilya Lyubushkin From Ducks

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team deal that also includes the Carolina Hurricanes. The Ducks receive a third-round pick from the Maple Leafs and will retain 50% of his cap hit while the Hurricanes net a sixth-round selection from Toronto as they are taking on […...

Rasmus Dahlin Bags Overtime Winner Thursday

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored the overtime winner as part of his team's come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. He also added an assist on the night alongside a pair of shots on goal. The winner came on the power play 1:42 into the extra frame after Tage Thompson tied […...

Joseph Woll Strong In Return On Thursday

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (ankle) returned for the first time since Dec. 7 on Thursday and was instrumental in a 4-2 win over the visiting Arizona Coyotes. The 25-year-old steered aside 30 of the 32 shots he faced (.938 save percentage) and improved to a 2.75 goals-against average and a .918 Sv% across […...

Brock Nelson Pots A Pair Of Goals Thursday

New York Islanders center Brock Nelson tallied a pair of goals in helping lead his club to a 5-3 road win over the Detroit Red Wings. The veteran opened the scoring 12:11 into the first period before briefly giving his team a 3-2 lead with a power-play marker 5:04 into the second frame. The 32-year-old […...

Kaapo Kahkonen In Goal Thursday

San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen is the starting netminder for Thursday's home game versus the Anaheim Ducks. Kahkonen is the team's starting goalie for the foreseeable future with Mackenzie Blackwood being placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has struggled again this season as he sports a 3.63 goals-against average and a .901 […...

Justus Annunen Starting For Avalanche Thursday

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen is the starting goaltender for Thursday's road game versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It appears head coach Jared Bednar is choosing to give the heavily-leaned-on Alexandar Georgiev a breather against one of the worst teams in the league. It's just the fifth start in the NHL for the 23-year-old this season […...

Anthony Stolarz Starting On Thursday

Florida Panthers goaltender Anthony Stolarz is the starting netminder for Thursday's contest versus the visiting Montreal Canadiens. The 30-year-old has acted as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky this season and has been fantastic when called upon. The London Knights product has registered a dynamite 1.97 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage across 18 outings […...

Cal Petersen Clears Waivers

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Cal Petersen has cleared waivers, paving a path for a demotion to the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 29-year-old started Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins but was shelled for seven goals on 32 shots (.781 save percentage) while taking the loss. It was just the fifth appearance (fourth start) […...

Spencer Martin Gets The Nod Thursday

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Spencer Martin is the starting goalie for Thursday's road game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Interestingly, Martin was claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes from the Blue Jackets recently and has been on fire in his new digs. The 28-year-old has gone 3-0-1 in four starts with the 'Canes while posting a […...

Alex Lyon To Start Again Thursday

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon will once again be between the pipes for Thursday's home game versus the New York Islanders. The 31-year-old won an 8-3 decision over the Washington Capitals his last time out and will make his fifth start over his team's last six games on Thursday. Lyon has been the club's […...

Moritz Seider Good To Go Thursday

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider will suit up for Thursday's contest versus the visiting New York Islanders. Seider was banged up after blocking five shots in an 8-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday but head coach Derek Lalonde said his rugged blueliner is indeed good to go. The German blueliner is having […...

Marc-Edouard Vlasic A Game-Time Decision Thursday

San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Thursday's home game against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The veteran blue-liner was injured during a practice last Friday and has since missed the club's last two games versus the Predators and Devils. The 36-year-old is in the midst of his 18th NHL season, […...

Marat Khusnutdinov To Join Wild As Soon As Possible

Minnesota Wild forward prospect Marat Khusnutdinov will join the team as soon as possible after signing a two-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday, according to Wild general manager Bill Guerin. Visa processing will be the holdup in Khusnutdinov making his move overseas. "I think that Marat is the type of player that can help us right […...

Kent Johnson Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson will be sidelined indefinitely due to an upper-body injury. He managed to get through Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers but was injured at some point during the contest. The 2021 fifth-overall pick has notched six goals and 16 points across 42 games, a little bit of […...

Josh Norris To Miss Extended Period Of Time

Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris is going to miss an extended period of time due to an upper-body injury suffered in a collision with Nashville Predators forward Cole Smith during Tuesday's 4-1 loss. "I don't have any more, really, info, but we'll have some more info later on," Senators interim head coach Jacques Martin said […...

Joseph Woll To Return Thursday

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll (ankle) will be back between the pipes for Thursday's home game versus the Arizona Coyotes. The 25-year-old has been out since suffering a high-ankle sprain in a Dec. 7 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs recalled Woll from his AHL conditioning stint earlier in the week. Woll was […...

Aledmys Diaz Undergoes MRI On Groin

Oakland A's utility player Aledmys Diaz has undergone an MRI on his groin and the club is still awaiting results, as per manager Mark Kotsay. This isn't the first time Diaz has missed time with groin issues as he was limited to just 109 games last season in part due to groin problems to begin […...

Myles Straw Out With Viral Infection

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw is not practicing on Thursday due to a viral infection. The 29-year-old is in a battle with Estevan Florial for the primary center-field role in Cleveland as he is coming off another disastrous season at the plate. Straw hit just .238 with one home run and a .598 OPS across […...

Shane Bieber To Make Spring Debut Saturday

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber is scheduled to make his spring training debut on Saturday in a Cactus League matchup with the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander was the subject of some trade speculation last season and into the offseason but has ultimately remained with the Guardians. It was a down season by his standards […...

Bo Naylor Cleared To Catch Sim Game

Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (back spasms) has been cleared to catch Triston McKenzie's simulated game on Thursday. The young backstop was recently scratched from a Cactus League contest but the ailment appears to be minor in nature. Naylor made his MLB debut in the 2022 season but made a sizeable impact in his true […...

Andre Lipcius Designated For Assignment By Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have designated infielder Andre Lipcius for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for fellow infielder Buddy Kennedy, who the club claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday afternoon. The 25-year-old made his big-league debut in the 2023 season, appearing in 13 games and holding his own with a […...

Tigers Claim Buddy Kennedy From Cardinals

The Detroit Tigers have claimed infielder Buddy Kennedy off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals designated the 25-year-old for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for the recently signed Brandon Crawford. Kennedy has appeared in each of the last two big-league seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, logging 123 plate appearances in […...

Vladimir Tarasenko Garnering Significant Interest

Ottawa Senators forward Vladimir Tarasenko is garnering significant trade interest as the club approaches the March 8 NHL trade deadline. The veteran signed a one-year deal with the Senators in the offseason but the club figures to be trade-deadline sellers as they sit 16 points back of the second and final Wild Card spot in […...

Igor Shesterkin Stays Red-Hot Wednesday

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin remained in the zone Wednesday as the Rangers took down the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 4-1 score. The outing marked Shesterkin's sixth consecutive win while he has now allowed one goal or less five times during that stretch. The 2021-2022 Vezina Trophy winner was uncharacteristically scuffling in the […...

Chris Tanev Dealt From Flames To Stars

The Calgary Flames have traded defenseman Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars in what is a three-team deal that also includes the New Jersey Devils. The Flames will receive the Stars' 2024 second-round pick, a conditional third-round pick in 2026, and defensive prospect Artem Grushnikov. The Flames are retaining 50% of Tanev's cap hit and […...

Elvis Merzlikins Back In Goal Wednesday

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will make his second consecutive start in goal for Wednesday's contest at the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old won his second straight start with a 4-2 win over the very same Rangers on Saturday in Columbus, allowing just two goals for the second straight game. Still, it's been an […...

Logan Couture Does Not Want To Be Moved

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture has made it clear he does not want to be traded ahead of the March 8 NHL trade deadline despite speculation the Sharks captain could be dealt. Couture is currently dealing with a groin injury that has limited him to just six games while he has tallied just one […...