Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

We’ve got 11 games on the NHL betting slate tonight, including a cross-conference clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Evan Bouchard’s offensive instincts are off the charts, and it’s resulted in a heavy shot volume lately. My Lightning vs. Oilers predictions expect that trend to continue tonight against Tampa.

Find out more with my free NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Lightning vs Oilers prediction

Lightning vs Oilers best bet: Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 shots on goal (-125)

The Edmonton Oilers are struggling to score, but are averaging 31.6 shots on goal per game over their last five games.

Evan Bouchard is the team leader in shots during this stretch, with 17 in his last five games, averaging 3.5 shots per game.

Bouchard's posted total tonight is set at 2.5, a number he’s eclipsed in five of his last six games.

Additionally, the Oilers blueliner has averaged 3.4 shots on net in his five career meetings against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Bolts are a plus matchup for defensemen, allowing 7.79 shots per game to the position.

Lightning vs Oilers same-game parlay

Bouchard leads all NHL defensemen with 78 points, 59 of them counting as assists. He’s also registered 1+ assists in 10 of his last 13 games.

Nikita Kucherov has 12 multi-point performances in his last 20 games, averaging 2.2 points per game in that stretch.

Lightning vs Oilers SGP

• Evan Bouchard Over 2.5 shots on goal
• Evan Bouchard Over 0.5 assists
• Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 points

Lightning vs Oilers odds

• Moneyline: Lightning -140 | Oilers +120
• Puck Line: Lightning -1.5 | Oilers +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 | Under 6.5

Lightning vs Oilers trend

The Oilers have hit the 1P Over in 14 of their last 20 games (+7.35 Units / 24% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Lightning vs. Oilers.

How to watch Lightning vs Oilers

Lightning vs Oilers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Vegas Golden Knights enter Saturday’s matchup against the Nashville Predators with a pressing need to reverse recent setbacks. A disappointing performance against the Utah Mammoth highlighted multiple areas of concern, leaving the team’s coaching staff and players with little margin for error as the regular season approaches its critical final stretch.

Vegas has now experienced consecutive shutouts, and the past seven periods have yielded no goals. The lack of offensive execution has drawn pointed attention from head coach Bruce Cassidy, who has emphasized the importance of structural adjustments, crisp passing, and sustained pressure in the offensive zone. With time limited to implement significant changes, the Golden Knights must address both systemic and individual performance issues to regain competitiveness.

Pavel Dorofeyev Vs Pittsburgh 🐧

—15:32 TOI
—2 Goals
—1 Assist
—3 Points
—+/- +3

New career high in points (54)
pic.twitter.com/Odp2aZGv2i

— KnightsMuse (@KnightsMuse_) March 13, 2026

Goaltending, Momentum, and the Road Ahead

The recent struggles in net have compounded the team’s challenges. Adin Hill, who showed promise in earlier appearances, saw his performance undermined in Utah, recording no saves in a brief span that erased prior goodwill. Akira Schmid, meanwhile, maintained momentum with strong work in relief. Both goalies now face critical opportunities to reestablish confidence in the back-to-back games against Nashville and the Dallas Stars, with each performance likely to influence goaltending decisions moving forward.

Despite these difficulties, the Golden Knights retain a path to the postseason. The Pacific Division remains highly competitive yet underperforming, with the Anaheim Ducks leading with a point total that would place them outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

For Vegas, strategic victories and timely offensive execution could shift the team from a position of preservation to a meaningful playoff contender. A focused road effort against Nashville represents a pivotal opportunity to stabilize performance and set a foundation for the final weeks of the season.

How To Watch

Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN

Date: Saturday, March 21

Time: 11:00 am PST

How To Watch: SCRIPPS, ESPN+

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Brandon Carlo is one of the best shot blockers in the NHL, ranking 29th among all defensemen in shot blocks per 60 minutes.

My Maple Leafs vs. Senators predictions expect Carlo to put his body on the line early and often against a team sitting 6th in attempts over their past 10.

Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Maple Leafs vs Senators prediction

Maple Leafs vs Senators best bet: Brandon Carlo Over 1.5 blocked shots (-130)

Brandon Carlo has generated blocked shots very efficiently on the road. He’s blocked at least two pucks in 14 of his last 19 away games (74%), averaging 2.3 blocks during that span.

The Unders came against Philadelphia, Vancouver, Seattle, Florida, and Utah – mostly slower pace, lower volume offenses.

The Ottawa Senators rank just outside the Top-10 in shot attempts generated this season and 6th over their last 10 games. There will be plenty of block opportunities for a minute-muncher like Carlo.

Maple Leafs vs Senators same-game parlay

Tim Stutzle has been very productive against Bottom-10 shot suppression teams, averaging 3.6 shots on goal and clearing 2.5 shots in 76% of his games following a day of rest. With every point crucial, the Senators will rely heavily on their star center.

Toronto Maple Leafs games have featured an average of 5.51 goals without Auston Matthews in the lineup. Meanwhile, we’ve seen an average of 5.2 goals over the past 10 Senators games. There isn’t much recipe for fireworks here.

Maple Leafs vs Senators SGP

• Brandon Carlo Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Tim Stutzle Over 2.5 shots
• Under 6.5

Maple Leafs vs Senators odds

• Moneyline: Maple Leafs +210 | Senators -260
• Puck Line: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-115) | Senators -1.5 (-105)
• Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+120) | Under 6.5 (-140)

Maple Leafs vs Senators trend

The Ottawa Senators have hit the Game Total Under in 10 of their last 15 games. Find more NHL betting trends for Maple Leafs vs. Senators.

How to watch Maple Leafs vs Senators

Maple Leafs vs Senators latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a move, as they have signed goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle to a three-year entry-level contract. 

D'Aigle was selected by the Penguins with the 84th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. This was after the 6-foot-4 goaltender had a 16-33-2 record and a .883 save percentage in 55 games with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL in 2024-25.

In 39 games this season with Victoriaville, D'Aigle has a 14-21-3 record, a .908 save percentage, and a 3.58 goals-against average. 

D'Aigle is an interesting prospect in the Penguins' system. The potential for him to become a solid goaltender at the NHL level later down the road is there, and it will be intriguing to see how the 19-year-old performs from here. 

Sam Malinski has been nothing short of outstanding this season, quietly graduating from a fringe seventh defenseman to a bona fide NHL defenseman. Yet beyond that quiet rise, he has emerged as one of Colorado’s most dependable and impactful players in the biggest games since the puck first dropped on the 2025-26 regular season in October.

Malinski’s remarkable arrival has been widely chronicled across the Avalanche media landscape, and the story is vividly told through both basic and advanced statistics. He leads all NHL defensemen (minimum 500 minutes played) in on-ice goals percentage at 68.2%, while ranking 30th among blueliners in shots on goal. He has already tallied 30 points from the back end — obliterating his previous career high in just his third NHL season. His ceiling continues to climb, and it feels entirely reasonable to dream that one day he could line up alongside Cale Makar, or at the very least become a steadfast fixture in the top-four group.

One of the key ingredients in Malinski’s ascent has been the four-year deal he signed in January — a heartfelt commitment from the Avalanche and a well-deserved tribute to his relentless hard work and steady development.

After inking that deal, Malinski gave Corey Masisak of the Denver Post the following quote:

“So, just really excited and happy to get it done with kind of earlier rather than later. … Any time you’re playing in this business, you don’t really have that stability in knowing where you’re going to play and where you’re going to live each year. Now that I’m kind of signed to a little bit of term, it’s really nice to have that stability.”

Speaking of stability, that very quality is precisely what has made Malinski worthy of a $19 million contract. He has found it in Colorado, and Avalanche management has clearly found it in him.

“I knew right away. I love Colorado. I love all the guys on this team. The way the coaching staff has treated me, management, and just everyone in Colorado. I’ve had nothing but good experiences here. I always knew I wanted to stay here.” Malinski told the Denver Gazette.

Sam has pointed to hard work and accumulated experience when asked how he has elevated his game and discovered this new level of success, “We all come here and try to get better, just a little bit better every day. I’ve just gained so much more confidence from the experience I’ve gotten throughout the 150 games. Just growing a ton as far as poise with the puck and the way I defend, too,” he told Colleen Flynn in an article with Mile High Sports.

Whatever Sam has been doing, it’s clearly working — and it was on display against Dallas in Colorado’s OT loss earlier in the week. Despite the outcome, his usage spoke volumes: Bednar has deep trust in him and believes in his offensive gifts, as evidenced by icing him during the 3-on-3 overtime period.

Now, as the playoffs draw near, the tantalizing question remains: how will this rising star show up when the lights burn brightest? He appears to be a player who rises to the occasion — and this season, he will receive more playoff opportunities than ever before.

Let us know what you think of Sam Malinski’s play this season!

Most ardent Senators fans could easily quote their team's position in the NHL wild card standings without even looking.

That's because most fans have been engaged in, since at least the end of the Olympic break, the time-honoured tradition of scoreboard watching.

Those same ardent fans also know that the Sens have gone 7-2-2 in that timeframe yet they've barely put a dent in closing the wild card gap.

Part of the reason for this is the dreaded three-point games, where the overtime winner gets two points, and the loser gets one. It's the foundation for some teams being in a playoff spot. Except for teams like Tampa Bay, which have only lost in overtime or a shootout four times all season, the majority of teams are relying on these “loser points," and it's almost impossible to make the playoffs without them. 

In addition to scoreboard watching, Senators fans are also watching opponents' games live, and the Boston Bruins OT loss to the Montreal Canadiens on St. Paddy’s Day gave rise to the need for a solution.

In watching this game, it was hard not to notice how each team played a very passive game where each wanted to win. But they didn't play with a “risk vs reward” approach because there was no incentive to do so. Making sure their respective teams got at least one point was more important than getting two in regulation.

Would the league, and not just the Ottawa Senators, not benefit from adopting the 3-2-1-0 scoring system that is used in the World Championships, World Juniors,  Olympics, and the PWHL?

- 3 points for regulation win
- 2 points for OT/SO win
- 1 point for OT/SO loss
- 0 points for regulation loss

Here are a few reasons that the board of governors might want to at least table the discussion, if they haven’t already.

1) Rewards Regulation Winners

Selfishly, this would benefit this year’s version of the Senators as they are ahead of most of their division and conference foes in this tie-breaking stat.

That said, teams that push the envelope are more exciting. Why not reward that?

It also stands to reason that the better teams will succeed more often in the endeavour for the extra point.

2) Keep teams in the hunt longer

In a world which is increasingly dominated by analytics, what would this to do in-game decision making if there was an extra point to be had?

If you were a team on the outside looking in and seemingly out of the race, wouldn't it be easier to bridge the gap?

If you're chasing a team that would be happy to play for the minimum point and then shoot for the extra point, but your team had a chance to take three points, wouldn't teams and their fans want them to go for that in regulation?

Imagine pulling your goalie late in a tie game because two points isn’t going to cut it. Yes, you might lose and get nothing. You also might gain three points instead of one.

Risk vs Reward is a big part of analytics.

3) Television Ratings

Games like the Montreal/Boston clash mentioned earlier are not unique. It is not uncommon for games that are tied in the third period to remain so.

The third period should be the most exciting period of a close game. If teams are going for it more in the first and second periods because there is more time to make up a gap or deficit, then the third period becomes the pre-cursor to the overtime period where teams open up again.

It was this style of play in the former OT format that gave rise to the loser point in the first place as even overtime periods weren’t exciting.

If the league is looking for people to stay up a bit later or watch games where their favourite teams aren’t playing, they need to give them a reason.

4) Health and Safety

Overtime games are great for the fans. They also take a toll on the players. And not just any players, the star players. Reducing the number of overtime games by having more exciting third periods and ending games in regulation could have long-term benefits to teams and their players.

Granted, three on three is not the most physically taxing part of the game. But it's still extra time, playing at high pace, with dead legs and tanks almost empty.

There is always a tipping point.

This would not be an easy decision to make and it would likely require testing the outcome in the AHL and ECHL to see if there's any benefit.

The number of three-point games has been noticed. The way teams play in the last half of the third period has been noticed.

If the NHL can adopt a loser’s point, they can certainly adopt a winner’s point as well.

Pat Maguire
The Hockey News

This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.

More from The Hockey News:
The Buying and Selling Of Jakob Chychrun Never Quite Worked Out In Ottawa
One Year Later, The Fabian Zetterlund Trade Is Still Taking Shape
With Injuries To Sanderson And Jensen, Sens Top Up Depth At AHL Trade Deadline

'I Just Needed to Get Some Anger Out': Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk Delivers Statement GameTkachuk shook off fan scrutiny and post-Olympic fatigue and led the charge on Thursday with a signature performance.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Moritz Seider is having a spectacular offensive season, and yet he’s found a way to ramp things up a notch without Dylan Larkin in the lineup.

My Bruins vs. Red Wings predictions expect Seider to get plenty of shots off in a high-stakes matchup against a poor shot suppression team.

Let’s take a closer look at my NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Bruins vs Red Wings prediction

Bruins vs Red Wings best bet: Moritz Seider Over 2.5 shots (+140)

Moritz Seider has seen his volume skyrocket without Detroit Red Wings teammate Dylan Larkin. Seider has averaged 3.7 shots on goal and 7.3 attempts per game, well above his season averages of 2.2 shots and 4.9 attempts.

He’s in a great spot to build on those outputs against the Boston Bruins. They rank 27th in shots allowed to Seider’s primary shooting zone (the right point) and 28th over the last 10 games.

This game also has massive playoff implications. Seider is likely heading for 25+ minutes, and he has cleared 2.5 shots in four of the last five he’s seen that usage.

Bruins vs Red Wings same-game parlay

Ben Chiarot has blocked multiple shots in six consecutive games. He’s done so in 72% of his appearances against Top-16 shot generation teams, and the Bruins fit that criteria.

Much like Seider, Charlie McAvoy will see heavy usage as the No. 1 defenseman in a game carrying such weight. He has blocked multiple shots in 69% of road games and 83% against teams ranking in the Top-16 in shots.

Bruins vs Red Wings SGP

• Moritz Seider Over 2.5 shots
• Ben Chiarot Over 1.5 blocked shots
• Charlie McAvoy Over 1.5 blocked shots

Bruins vs Red Wings odds

• Moneyline: Bruins +100 | Red Wings -120
• Puck Line: Bruins +1.5 (-240) | Red Wings -1.5 (+195)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-130) | Under 5.5 (-110)

Bruins vs Red Wings trend

Moritz Seider has registered 3+ shots in six of his last eight games. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Red Wings.

How to watch Bruins vs Red Wings

Bruins vs Red Wings latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Winnipeg Jets are on the road this afternoon for a matchup with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.

Mark Scheifele continues to shine as a playmaker, and my Jets vs. Penguins predictions expect him to get in on the action today.

Read more in my NHL picks for Saturday, March 21.

Jets vs Penguins prediction

Jets vs Penguins best bet: Mark Scheifele Over 0.5 assists (-125)

Mark Scheifele leads the Winnipeg Jets in basically every major offensive category, including assists. He’s tallied 52 of them, and in March, the veteran has nine helpers.

Scheifele has cashed the Over in three of his last five appearances, and he’s collected 20 of his assists on the road across 32 games. Most notably, he already made his presence felt against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the campaign, handing out two helpers.

Pittsburgh also just allowed six goals in its last game. Scheifele will help Winnipeg make some noise here.

Jets vs Penguins same-game parlay

Kyle Connor is one of the best players in the NHL, and he’s lived up to the hype this season after signing a massive contract extension in the offseason. The Team USA gold medalist has 78 points in total, including 31 goals and 47 assists.

He’s cashed the Over in points in four of his last five outings, and Connor even had three points on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. He’s compiled 32 points in 32 road contests this season as well, scoring twice against the Pens already.

Winnipeg has won four straight against Pittsburgh, outscoring them 15-6 across the last three meetings. While the Jets do have a record five games below .500 on the road, and the Pens are set to be in the playoffs, it’s hard to ignore Winnipeg’s recent success against them.

Jets vs Penguins SGP

• Mark Scheifele Over 0.5 assists
• Kyle Connor Over 0.5 points
• Jets moneyline

Jets vs Penguins odds

• Moneyline: Jets +135 | Penguins -160
• Puck Line: Jets +1.5 (-190) | Penguins -1.5 (+160)
• Over/Under: Over 6 (-115) | Under 6 (-105)

Jets vs Penguins trend

The Winnipeg Jets have hit the Game Total Under in 13 of their last 20 games (+6.45 Units / 29% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Jets vs. Penguins.

How to watch Jets vs Penguins

Jets vs Penguins latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.