Top NHL Picks and Predictions Today (Can Wild Upset Maple Leafs?)

There's plenty of action in the NHL on Thursday night, and BetSided's Matt De Saro has three picks, including an upset, for tonight's games.

Here are each of his picks with all odds via WynnBET Sportsbook:

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks Prediction and Pick

While the Flames have been burning hot, it is worth noting that seven of the ten wins during this streak happened on their home ice. Calgary actually hasn’t even played a game on the road since Feb. 4 at Arizona. Having said that, the Flames have won three of their last four road games. While they got a lot of help from an extended home stint, the Flames were not playing a lot of pushovers and came away on top of a lot of very good teams.

This is especially true on the defensive end of things. The Flames have not given up more than two goals in their last eight games including a shutout of the Golden Knights and Blue Jackets. They also shut out the Canucks the last time they met on Jan. 30.

I see no reason to go against the hottest team in the NHL and will look for them to dominate Vancouver for the second time in a row. 

Pick: Flames -1.5 (+152) -- Matt De Saro

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE.

Minnesota Wild vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction and Pick

One thing I didn’t mention above about the Leafs’ losing streak was the caliber of teams there are losing to. Let’s take a quick look back, shall we? 

First, Toronto loses to the Saint Louis Blues as favorites of around -200 depending on when you grabbed them. Things get worse in their next game against the Montreal Canadiens who beat Toronto as -400 favorites. That game also burned me personally so, thanks Toronto.

Last, and also least, was an overtime loss to the Blue Jackets are -250 favorites or somewhere thereabouts. So. What does all this tell us? First off, I can’t trust Toronto right now in any way, shape, or form. And while Toronto has a very good ATS winning percentage at 64.01, the Wild’s is better at 64.58. 

The Wild’s offense is clicking, scoring almost 3.80 goals per game, and they look like a good bet to hand Toronto a third straight loss as a betting favorite. 

Lean: Wild +125 to win -- Matt De Saro

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Florida Panthers Prediction and Pick

This is a game between two teams that have burned me in the past week but I am not deterred. These two teams are also at totally different ends of the playoff race.

The Panthers are second in the NHL in points behind the Colorado Avalanche while the Blue Jackets are right on the playoff cut line and fighting for their playoff lives. While the Blue Jackets are looking better these days, they still have basically zero success when playing against the Panthers. Columbus has lost eight in a row to Florida including twice already this year.

What makes those games all the more noteworthy are the final scores. The Blue Jackets got crushed in both games and gave up 17 goals between the two.

The Panthers are also coming into this game pissed off that they lost me money on Tuesday. I mean, that they lost some points on Tuesday. Either way, both the team and myself are looking for a big rebound tonight. The puck line value is awful but I’m willing to bet that the Panthers put up big numbers on offense again against Columbus. 

Pick: Florida Panthers OVER 4.5 Goals -- Matt De Saro