NHL Preview & Picks – March 24th, 2023

Fantastic night yesterday as we went 5-0 on plays. We only have three games taking place across the NHL tonight. I’ll break down my best bets along with a few player props to take a look at.

Key Matchups:

New York Islanders @ Columbus Blue Jackets

• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• New York Islanders: 37-27-8, 4th Metropolitan (16-15-5 Away)
• Columbus Blue Jackets: 22-42-7, 8th Metropolitan (13-20-2 Home)

There are only three matchups tonight, so I figured I’d take the one that means something to both teams. The Islanders are in the middle of a playoff race right now while the Blue Jackets are amid the Bedard Sweepstakes. New York currently holds the first wild card spot in the Eastern Division. They’ve underperformed all season but after the acquisition of Bo Horvat, they’ve started to go on a run. New York’s 7-2-1 in their last ten games behind some stellar goaltending from Ilya Sorokin. Despite adding Johnny Hockey, the Blue Jackets have been awful this season and sit at the bottom of the league. They do have some talent, but their smartest move right now is to lose out and give themselves the best chance at acquiring a generational talent in Connor Bedard.

Picks:

[All plays are to win 1 Unit unless otherwise noted]

• New York Islanders team total over 3.5 (Inc. OT & Shootout) (-132) – Barstool
• New York Islanders/ Columbus Blue Jackets over 6.0 (-127) – Barstool

The Islanders come into this game off a great 7-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their offense has been firing on all cylinders as of late averaging 5.67 goals for in their last three games. Despite the absence of Matt Barzal, the Islanders have found ways to generate offense. Columbus has been horrendous defensively allowing at least four goals in their last five games. On the other hand, Columbus has shown signs of like up front scoring 7-2-4 in their last three games. Michael Hutchinson will get the start for them tonight who has a -2.7 GSAx (Goals Saved Above Expected) in his six games. In his last two start’s he’s allowed at least four goals. I’m expecting the Islanders to carry the load in terms of goals tonight. New York’s also been worse defensively on the road so if we can get 2 from Columbus, I think this game should go over the total.

Player Props to Target:

[General Note, Nathan MacKinnon has been bumped to 5.5 shots on goal tonight from 4.5 which he’s been set at the entire season. Just a heads up for the people.]

• Jean-Gabriel Pageau over 0.5 Points (+112) – FanDuel
  • Jean-Gabriel Pageau has gone over this number in each of his last four games. On the road, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of his last three. In his six previous matchups against the Blue Jackets, Pageau has recorded over 0.5 points five times.

• Mikko Rantanen over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-130) – PointsBet
  • Mikko Rantanen has gone over this number in four of his last five games. During that span, he’s averaging 4.4 shots on goal and 8.6 shot attempts per game. At home, he’s recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in each of his last two. The Coyotes rank 31st in shots on goal allowed per game averaging 35.64. On the road, that number drops slightly to 34.37. Arizona has also given up the 10th most shots on goal per game to Right Wingers this season. In his four previous matchups against the Coyotes, Rantanen has gone over this number three times.

• Bo Horvat over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-143) – BetRivers
  • Bo Horvat has gone over this number in eight of his last ten games. During that span, he’s averaging 3.4 shots on goal and 5.4 shot attempts per game. On the road, he’s recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in seven of his last ten. The Blue Jackets rank 30th in shots on goal allowed per game averaging 35.24. At home, that number drops slightly to 34.60. Columbus has also given up the 7th most shots on goal per game to Centers this season.

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.