Hockey Game Predictions - March 28, 2009

Last night we connected with Edmonton as a +150 dog, but missed on our other two picks. Today we return to the ice with five plays including a 5-unit selection.

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Today's NHL Hockey Picks:

Game: New York Rangers at Pittsburgh (1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Game Total UNDER 5.5 -105 (risk 3 to win 2.9)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have really gotten it going now, and appear to be on track to make their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins have now won 13 of 17. Over their last 11 wins, the Penguins have allowed one goal or less six times. That might be bad news for the Rangers who have scored fewer goals on the season than any team in the Eastern Conference except the New York Islanders. The Rangers have also played to the UNDER in 11 of their last 16 as a road dog, and in the last seven meetings between these clubs, the under has prevailed to the tune of 5-1-1. I like this one to go UNDER.

The New York Islanders have the dubious distinction of being the lowest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference. They will be playing the Flyers who are one of the top stop units in the NHL. The Flyers have been at their best defensively when on the road which has led to a 20-8-3 mark to the UNDER in their last 31 road games. This extends to 8-1-1 vs. teams with a losing home record, such as the Islanders. The Islanders have also played 8 of 11 under after a win, and this series has been under-oriented with a 15-7-1 mark to the UNDER in the last 23 played. I'll play this one to finish UNDER the total.

The good news for the Carolina Hurricanes is that they have now won five in a row. The bad news is that four of those wins were on home ice. They are now 1-3 in their last four on the road. New Jersey has been a very tough out at home this season, with 26 already tucked away in the win column. One of the Carolina wins at home was vs. this New Jersey team, so they will be playing with a chip on their shoulder here. Not that they need it. The Devils have erased every opponent at home since February 7 and that is 11-0. They have been doing it to the tune of out-scoring these 11 opponents 43-15, so basically they haven't even been challenged. The New Jersey Devils get the call in this one.

The Kings have been on the road for a longtime. Jonathan Quick is heating up behind the net, as in their last game vs. Dallas he stopped 29 shots and shut them out, which included an OT session as well. He has now stopped 50 of the last 52 shot attempts on the Kings’ net. Nashville is not clicking right now and have dropped three of four at home, and in their last four overall they have produced just nine goals, or just over two per game. This is not a good ingredient when facing off against a hot net-minder in Quick. I'll go with the dog here and back the Kings.

The Dallas Stars have been hurting and have now lost five straight. They just can't get anything going offensively. They are now 4-13 in their last 17 games, and have managed to score just 33 times, or just shy of two per. The Florida Panthers haven't done much better with just 43 goals in their last 18, good for just 2.38 a game. Florida has also played under to a mark of 13-3 in their last 16 against the Western Conference, and these teams have featured low-scoring contests in their last 10 meetings, which have resulted in a 7-1-2 mark to the UNDER. We have two struggling offensive teams, with a history of low scoring games. I'll play the UNDER here.

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Check out the last five NHL Hockey Picks Newsletters:

NHL-Hockey-Picks-March-27-2009
Only the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Redwings have more home wins on the season than the New Jersey Devils. They actually have more road wins than the Blackhawks have home wins, so certainl...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-March-26-2009
The Tampa Bay Lightning have not been that great on the road at 12-18, but what they have done is won some huge games as a big dog. One of those came on the road vs this same Montreal team as a +260 u...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-March-25-2009
The Sabres have been piling up the goals of late as they have scored 30 in their last nine good for 3.3 a game. That puts pressure on Florida in this one because the Sabres, in their last five played ...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-March-24-2009
The Dallas Stars have done a better job at home than the Vancouver Canucks have done on the road, so there is value off the bat with Dallas listed as a plus moneyline on home ice. Dallas has lost thre...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-March-22-2009
Pittsburgh has won 12 of 13 matchups between these two teams over the past three years here at home. Their offense is clicking right now, averaging 4.4 goals per game over their last five. Philly aver...