Welcome back to NHL Predictions, March 13th edition! Each day, the Last Word On Hockey team will break down every game and give our NHL predictions for each game. This is the middle slate of NHL Predictions for March 13th featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Winnipeg Jets. Be sure and check out the early-game and late-game slate of NHL Predictions, too!
NHL Predictions
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues
Head-to-Head: Golden Knights 0-1 Blues
The Blues, on the other hand, has obtained a point in six of their last seven games. They sit just a single point behind the Golden Knights in the standings and seek to secure their spot for the foreseeable future. Goaltender Jordan Binnington just signed a six-year, $36 million contract with the Blues. With a 9-6-3 record on the season, Binnington has secured his role as the starter for the next half-decade for the Blues, who are seeking to put some distance between them and third-place Minnesota Wild.
Prediction: Golden Knights win 4-2
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks
Head-to-Head: Oilers 3-1 Canucks
Connor McDavid became the first player this season to reach 50 points. The best part? He did it in just 29 games. The Edmonton Oilers are on fire as of late, winning each of their last five games. Thanks to an outstanding effort from Leon Draisaitl and McDavid, the two have yet again run away with League scoring records. Will McDavid reach 100 points this season? How close will Draisaitl be behind him? It’s a real treat to watch two players so wildly talented. They’ll look to test their mettle against the Vancouver Canucks tonight, who appear ready to bite back after a gruelling 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canucks have finally started to pick up steam. Goaltender Thatcher Demko sports a stellar .954 save percentage in his last five games. Brock Boeser is nearly a point-per-game player. Quinn Hughes is beginning to show more consistency as the season evolves. While the Canucks still sit sixth in the division, improved play from Demko and co. may propel them past the Calgary Flames with enough consistency. Tonight’s game against Edmonton will be the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. Which will give first? This writer says the Canucks have their work cut out for them.
Prediction: Oilers win 5-1.
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks
Head-to-Head: Sharks 2-2 Ducks
The Battle of the Basement in the West rages on. Following a 6-0 win on Friday by San Jose, the Sharks and Ducks face off again to see which team will give way first. The Sharks have shown an uptick in scoring, potting 21 goals in their last seven games prior to Friday. Unfortunately, two of those games were also 4-0 shutouts against the Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Consistency has been the downfall of this Sharks team all season long, and they’ll need it if they hope to stand a chance against the Ducks, who have shown a recent scoring streak themselves.
Speaking of the Ducks, let’s talk about Rickard Rakell. The two-way forward has been the talk of the town lately as trade rumours run amok throughout the NHL. Whether he’s headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs or another contender remains to be seen, but it’s very clear that a variety of teams are interested in the forward. Rakell has 19 points in 27 games and would be a highly-valuable top-six forward for any NHL roster. The return price will come at a cost, as Rakell offers a lot in his toolkit. Perhaps tonight is the night Rakell shows off some of that skill against the Sharks, who have among the worst goaltending tandems in the League.
Prediction: Ducks win 5-3, with Rakell scoring the go-ahead goal.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Winnipeg Jets
Head-to-Head: Maple Leafs 2-1 Jets
If the Jets can obtain a Vezina-worthy performance out of Hellebuyck again, they can all but secure a win for their team. All they need is insurance in the form of offence. It will likely come down to another outstanding performance from Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele, who will no doubt serve as showstoppers in Toronto. If they can feast on defensive lapses from players like Morgan Rielly, this one is all but set in stone. Having said that, it’s never a good idea to get too cocky against a team equipped with Auston Matthews. That’s a recipe for disaster the Jets have known all too well.
Prediction: Jets win 2-1. Matthews is the only scorer for the Maple Leafs.
Main Photo:
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