Montreal-NYI and Boston-Winnipeg highlight a great Thursday night of NHL action.

Other games on March 14 include Dallas taking on Minnesota and Washington battling Philadelphia in a classic rivalry. Check out BetAmerica odds, analysis, and free picks for 4 of the top NHL matchups!

[Thursday, March 14]

Montreal Canadiens +115 at New York Islanders -135 (7:00 pm ET)

Montreal’s only got 81 points in the deep Atlantic while division leading Tampa has 110. The Canadiens enter their matchup with the Islanders having won their last game, a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Islanders are 3-1 SU in their last 4. That includes beating the Blue Jackets 2-0 in their last match. NYI has gone 11-5 SU in their last 16 home games while Montreal is 8-1 SU in their last 9 road games versus the Islanders. That’s the key trend here, which makes Montreal the play.

NHL Free Pick: Canadiens +115

Washington Capitals -130 at Philadelphia Flyers +110 (7:00pm ET)

The Capitals’ 3-5 loss to the Penguins in their last ended a terrific 7-game win streak. Washington’s favored to get back on the winning side on Thursday night. It makes sense because the last time the Caps battled the Flyers, they dumped them 5-3. The Flyers are 4-1 SU in their last 5, though, with the only loss happening versus the Caps.

Not only that, but the Capitals can be streaky both ways. They dropped 7 straight in January, which means they could just as well start a losing streak tonight as they could winning the match.

NHL Free Pick: Flyers +110

Dallas Stars -105 at Minnesota Wild -115 (8:00pm ET)

Dallas heads to Minnesota an underdog to take down the Wild. Just looking at the odds, it’s difficult to not pounce on the Stars. The last time they battled Minnesota, they won 3-1 as a -132 favorite. The Stars have also been hot, going 5-1 SU in their last 6.

The Wild are not without a shot in this. Minnesota is 7-5 SU in the last 12 versus the Stars. That’s a winning record. The issue for Minnesota is going 14-14-4-2 at home this season. Not only that, but the Wild are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games. The betting odds should be reversed with the Stars as favorites. Jump on the line before it changes anymore.

NHL Free Pick: Stars -105

Boston Bruins +105 at Winnipeg Jets -125 (8:00pm ET)

Boston opened as a +100 dog, but has already jumped up to a +105 dog. Reason? Well for one they're on the road, but David Pasternak also remains on the bench due to a thumb injury.

The Bruins were the hottest team in NHL, but since Pasternak’s injury, they’ve gone 0-2 in a 2-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and a 4-7 loss to Columbus. Without their top shooter on the ice, the Bruins are finding it difficult to keep up. No trends are going to trump that. Also, Winnipeg is 22-9-3-1 at home. The Jets should take this.

NHL Free Pick: Jets -125

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