Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, March 21

Expert NHL picks & best bets for March 21: Jets vs Penguins, Stars vs Wild & more. Get betting previews, odds, player props & winner predictions.

March 21, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, March 21

By:

Daniel Dobish

March 21, 2026

NHL Picks

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NHL Best Bets & Picks: Jets vs Penguins, Stars vs Wild & More – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has 11 total games on the schedule for Saturday, with two nationally-televised games. The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins meet at 1:00 p.m. ET on NHL Network, and the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings renew acquaintances at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Saturday's NBA and/or NCAA Tournament college basketball 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.

Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Jets (28-29-11) and Penguins (34-18-16) meet at PPG Paints Arena at 1:00 p.m. ET on NHL Network.

Last season, the Jets were streaking toward a President's Trophy for the best record in the regular season. In 2025-26, there has been a lot more turbulence for the Jets, as they're five points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, with three other teams above them, and two others within three points below them. It's all hands on deck at this point, and every point matters.

Pittsburgh lost a wild 6-5 overtime game to the division rival Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday, splashing a little cold water on an impressive 7-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Still, the Penguins are 3-1-3 in the past seven games, scooping up nine out of a possible 14 points in the span.

The Over is 6-0 in the past six games for the Penguins as well, averaging 4.5 goals per game (GPG) in the span, while allowing 4.4 GPG.

The Jets were routed 6-1 in Boston on Thursday, and they're just 2-3-1 in the past six matchups, with all three regulation losses by three or more goals.

Let's back the Penguins on home ice, and we'll go high based on Pittsburgh's recent total trends.

Penguins ML (-160 at Bet365, Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Over 6.5 (+110 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Vegas Golden Knights at Nashville Predators

The Golden Knights (31-24-14) and Predators (31-28-9) hook up in the Music City at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

The Golden Knights routed Nashville 7-2 in the most recent meeting on Jan. 17, avenging a 4-2 win by the Predators in Vegas on New Year's Eve. The Golden Knights have won three of the past four meetings, outscoring the Predators 17-10, with the Over going 2-0-1 in the past three matchups in the series, including a 1-0-1 record this season with an average of 7.5 goals per game.

The Predators sit a point out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Kings, while also jockeying with the Seattle Kraken (71 points in 68 games, tied with Nashville), San Jose Sharks (70 points in 67 games), Winnipeg Jets (67 points in 68 games), St. Louis Blues (65 points in 68 games) and Chicago Blackhawks (64 points in 68 games).

Nashville has won back-to-back games while going 3-1-1 in the past five matchups. The Under has a slight 3-2-1 edge in the past six games, while going 7-3-2 in the previous 12 contests.

Nashville is a bit more desperate lately, and Saturday's game is on home ice. Let's take the Predators, and we'll go Over on the total based on the series trends.

Predators ML (+110 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
Over 6.5 (+105 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild

The Stars (43-15-10) and Wild (39-19-12) meet in the Twin Cities at 4:00 p.m. ET in a Central Division battle, and likely, a playoff preview.

The NHL matches up some its best teams in the first round, and that's likely what we'll get in the first round, barring any changes to the top seed, which could also happen.

These teams have split the season series so far, with the home team winning each meeting 5-2. The Wild won 5-2 at Grand Casino Arena on Dec. 11 in the most recent battle as slight underdogs (+110) as the Over (5.5) cashed.

Dallas won 2-1 in a shootout over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday as slight underdogs (+115) as the Under (6) cashed behind Jake Oettinger. The Stars are a sparkling 15-1-1 in the past 17 games, and the Over is 6-3 across the past nine matchups.

Minnesota was upset 2-1 by the Chicago Blackhawks at home Thursday, and the Under is 5-1-1 in the past seven games.

Filip Gustavsson is likely to go for Minnesota, and the Wild have won three of his past four starts. However, we'll back the Stars, as they've been red-hot, and they're hurtling toward the top of the Central Division standings. Let's also go low on the total in this matinee game, as this should have a playoff-like feel.