Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin looks to end his 13-game goal drought along with scoring his first goal against the Oilers since 2017 in Sunday's Best Bets
Sunday night has four great matchups for hockey fans, who can get their week started with some NHL action and will have sports bettors looking to capitalize and start their week on the right foot. The most intriguing matchups look to be the Sharks trying to end their six-game losing streak against Minnesota while the Jets look to put the Sabres in their place on the road and two generational icons in Piittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid face off in an epic showdown.
It could be an exciting Sunday of NHL action and if you want to get in on all the action, here's a breakdown of the matchups with some insights for potential betting opportunities that could win you some cash.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
San Jose Sharks @ Minnesota Wild
Minnesota will be playing their second leg of a back-to-back after losing to the Blues last night and should look to beat the Sharks for the second time this season. The Sharks regularly keep it close with the Wild when they aren’t beating them with a 7-4 record against the puck line in their last 11 matchups.
They should keep things close once again thanks to youngster William Eklund. The 21-year-old Swede is third on the team in points and has stepped up when San Jose has seen their stars go down as he has the most points on the team since mid-January with three goals and nine points and should see additional chances thanks to Filip Gustavsson starting for the Wild as he has a 3.31 goals against average on the season.
Pick: Sharks +1.5 (+115), William Eklund over 0.5 points (+110)
Winnipeg Jets @ Buffalo Sabres
The Jets are still one of the league’s best teams with wins in eight of their last ten games and starting netminder Laurent Brossoit still playing well with a .908 save percentage despite a 3.08 goals against average in the month of February. Their defense is also just outside the top ten during the month with 30 goals allowed that has them tied with the Penguins and Red Wings.
A few spots ahead of them is the Sabres, who have allowed just 25 goals but should see an increase with Eric Comrie starting for Buffalo tonight. The 28-year-old Edmonton native has allowed 26 goals this season in just eight starts and has won only one of his starts. The Jets have also won seven of their last 11 matchups against the Sabres with two straight victories at the KeyBank Center and should make it three tonight.
Pick: Jets ML (-120)
Vancouver Canucks @ Anaheim Ducks
The Canucks are given a chance to find some momentum with just one win in their last seven games and could find another against the Ducks. Anaheim has been a team that started hot but quickly flamed out and have been mediocre for most of this season. The Canucks can finally start to correct the ship and move in the right direction with a favourable matchup but will need to score with Casey DeSmith expected to start in net.
The former Penguin has been tossed around in his last few starts with a 4.15 goals against average in his last five starts with each being spaced out which means he hasn’t been given a chance to really find a rhythm. The Canucks should get some offensive help from forward Elias Lindholm, who has been cold as of late but has a great history in this matchup with seven goals and 11 points in his last nine games against Anaheim.
Pick: Elias Lindholm over 0.5 points (-130)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Edmonton Oilers
An elite defense on the road against a powerhouse home offense with the Penguins look to stave off Connor McDavid and company as they allow the fifth-fewest goals on the road this season. The Oilers have a dynamic home offense that has scored an average of 3.79 goals per game and should bring the heat. Edmonton has been dominant in this matchup in recent years with five wins in their last six matchups while covering the two goal puck line in each win.
They have also seen seven or more goals in five of their eight matchups with the Penguins struggling to find offense consistently which has been a theme for them for the majority of this season. A player who has been ice cold is Evgeni Malkin who hasn’t scored in 13 games and also hasn’t scored against the Oilers since 2017. It’s a long shot but if the game ends up being high-scoring then Geno should come up clutch and end his goal drought.
Pick: Evgeni Malkin anytime goal (+220)