NHL Best Bets & Picks: Lightning vs Bruins & Senators vs Islanders – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) a total of 15 games Saturday after a rare day off for all teams on Friday. We have some important games with playoff ramifications in the matinee games on Saturday afternoon, so we'll focus on those key contests. That includes the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC, as well as the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Saturday's MLB and/or NBA action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
Tampa Bay Lightning 
at Boston Bruins 
The Lightning (48-25-6) meet the Bruins (43-26-10) at TD Garden at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Tampa Bay has 102 points, which puts it in third place in the Atlantic Division, two points behind the Montreal Canadiens, and four points back of the Buffalo Sabres, although the Lightning have a game in hand on Buffalo.
The Lightning have managed a 23-12-5 record on the road this season, and its plus-59 goal differential is the best mark in the Eastern Conference, and second-best total in the NHL.
The Bruins are in fourth place in the Atlantic, sitting with 96 points. They've managed an impressive 28-10-1 mark at home, second-best in the Eastern Conference. Boston occupies the top wild-card spot with three games remaining in the regular season.
Tampa Bay has won each of the first three meetings this season as a favorite of -170 or higher in each of the games. The Over is 2-1 this season, and it has cashed in three of the past four meetings.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (36-15-4, 2.36 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to start for Tampa Bay, while Jeremy Swayman (30-17-4, 2.77 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO) is likely for Boston.
Let's back the Bruins, who have been money at home, while the Lightning haven't been hitting on all cylinders lately, going 0-3-0 in the past three outings, and 2-4-0 in the past six games. We'll go low on the total, too.
- Bruins ML (+105 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 Goals (-130 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Ottawa Senators 
at New York Islanders 
The Senators (42-27-10) and Islanders (43-31-5) meet at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Ottawa sits with 94 points, currently occupying the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. With three games remaining, Ottawa is two games back of Boston, while it leads the Detroit Red Wings and the Islanders by three points, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have 90 points, while the Washington Capitals are still breathing with 89 points.
The Senators posted a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers as gigantic favorites (-385) as the Under (6.5) cashed. Ottawa has won three in a row, and it has averaged 5.7 GPG in the span, scoring at least five goals in each of the victories. The Over has cashed in two of the past three outings.
These teams just met on March 19 in Ottawa, with the Sens winning 3-2 as slight favorites (-120) as the Under (6) cashed. Matthew Schaefer and Shane Pinto (SHG) exchanged second-period goals to make it 1-1, while newcomer Brayden Schenn put the Isles ahead 2-1 early in the third. However, Warren Foegele tied it up early in the third, and Brady Tkachuk scored the winner with just 13 seconds left in regulation to stun New York.
James Reimer stopped 17 of 19 shots for the win, while Ilya Sorokin allowed three goals on 27 shots. Sorokin (28-22-2, 2.71 GAA, .906 SV%, 6 SO) is confirmed to start Saturday, while Linus Ullmark (27-12-8, 2.78 GAA, .888 SV%, 2 SO) is expected to go for the visitors.
Let's back the Islanders to get the job done behind Sorokin, while we'll go low on this game with playoff implications.
- Islanders ML (+102 at FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 Goals (-130 at Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+1210 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Bruins ML (+105) vs. Lightning
- Under 6.5 (-138) - Bruins vs. Lightning
- Under 5.5 (+114) - Islanders vs. Senators
- Islanders ML (+102) vs. Senators
2-Leg Sides Parlay (+314 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Bruins ML (+105) vs. Lightning
- Islanders ML (+102) vs. Senators
2-Leg Totals Parlay (+269 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-138) - Bruins vs. Lightning
- Under 5.5 (+114) - Islanders vs. Senators
