Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Tuesday, March 31

Get expert NHL picks & hot betting odds for Hurricanes vs Blue Jackets & Kraken vs Oilers — pro previews, parlays & value bets to boost your bankroll.

March 31, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Tuesday, March 31

By:

Daniel Dobish

March 31, 2026

NHL Picks

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NHL Best Bets & Picks: Hurricanes vs Blue Jackets & Kraken vs Oilers – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has 10 total games on the schedule for Tuesday night, including seven games in the 7 p.m. ET window. The Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets meet at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and hulu, with two games at 8:30 p.m. ET or later.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Tuesday's MLB and 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.

Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

The Hurricanes (46-21-6) and the Blue Jackets (38-24-12) meet at Nationwide Arena in Columbus at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+ and hulu.

Carolina has nearly sewn up the Metropolitan Division, sitting with 98 points with nine games remaining, and an eight-point cushion over the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Canes have a game in hand. The Hurricanes are 20-11-4 on the road, too, while they're second in the Eastern Conference with a plus-42 goal differential.

Columbus is in fourth place in the Metro, but they're just two points back of the aforementioned Penguins for second place, so this is a giant opportunity, as is every game from here on out. The Jackets also hold the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, just two points clear of the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, all with 86 points.

The Hurricanes lost 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday as a moderate favorite (-170) as the Under (6.5) cashed. They've managed just two points in the past three outings, with the lone win going to Brandon Bussi. He is expected to be back in between the pipes on Tuesday.

However, the last time these teams met, on March 17 in C-Bus, the Jackets came away with a 5-1 win against Bussi, who stopped just 25 of 30 shots. Charlie Coyle and Mason Marchment each managed power-play goals, while Andrei Svechnikov had the only tally for the visitors.

Let's roll with the Blue Jackets as short 'dogs at home. Columbus has a lot more to play for, while Carolina might not be quite as hungry with a big cushion. We'll also go low on the total, especially at 6.5 total goals.

Blue Jackets ML (+120 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 (-115 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)

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Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers

The Kraken (32-29-11) and the Oilers (37-28-9) tangle at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, with a puck drop at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

While Seattle won the first meeting 3-2 on Oct. 25 at Climate Pledge Arena, the Oilers have won the past two meetings by a combined score of 13-4, including 9-4 in the most recent battle in Edmonton on Dec. 4.

The Kraken are on the outside looking in, posting just 75 points to date, two games back of the Nashville Predators, although Seattle does have two games in hand on the Preds. However, the Kraken are also a game behind the Los Angeles Kings (76 points), too, with the San Jose Sharks (75 points), Winnipeg Jets (74 points), St. Louis Blues (73 points) and, even, the Calgary Flames (70 points) giving chase.

Seattle has been sucking wind lately, going 1-3-2 across the past six games, collecting just four of 12 available points, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four outings, and 6-2 in the previous eight contests.

Edmonton doubled up the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Saturday as moderate favorites (-145) as the Under (7) cashed. The Oilers have won three in a row, sitting just four points back of the Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division, while leading the Vegas Golden Knights (84 points) by one point for second place, with one game in hand. If Edmonton ends up in the second spot in the Pacific, it would have home-ice advantage against VGK, or whoever finishes in third place.

This is a wildly important game for both teams for different reasons. We'll back the Oilers laying the goal and a half, while going Over.