{"id":485393,"date":"2026-03-17T13:16:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=485393"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:16:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:16:04","slug":"nhl-predictions-march-17-boston-bruins-vs-montreal-canadiens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/03\/17\/nhl-predictions-march-17-boston-bruins-vs-montreal-canadiens\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: March 17 Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<\/span>Last Word On Hockey<\/em>\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. Our featured game of this edition is the Boston Bruins taking on the Montreal Canadiens. D<\/span>on\u2019t forget to check out more\u00a0NHL Predictions<\/a>, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n

Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens<\/h2>\n

Head-to-Head: Bruins 2-1 Canadiens<\/h3>\n

How to Watch<\/a>:\u00a0<\/span>US TV: NESN. Canada TV: TSN2; RDS.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>7\u00a0<\/span>p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

Our first and featured game of our St Patrick’s Day edition of NHL predictions has the Boston Bruins<\/a> taking on the Montreal Canadiens.<\/a> Jeremy Swayman<\/a> is the expected starter for Boston but always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Bruins are coming into this game with a 5-3-2 record, but they are coming off a loss to the New Jersey Devils.<\/a> David Pastrnak<\/a> is leading the club in assists (55) and points (81).<\/p>\n

Jakub Dobes<\/a> is the confirmed starter for Montreal, which is also 5-3-2 in its last 10 games. The Habs have dropped their last two games and are looking to even up the season series in the final regular season meeting between the old rivals. Cole Caufield<\/a> is one goal away from 40 mark with 39 scored so far this campaign.<\/p>\n

These games are always tight. However, Montreal gets back on track with the victory.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Canadiens win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n

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(Credit Image: \u00a9 David Kirouac\/Cal Sport Media)<\/em><\/p>\n

New York Islanders vs Toronto Maple Leafs<\/h2>\n

Head-to-Head: Islanders 1-0 Maple Leafs<\/h3>\n

How to Watch<\/a>:\u00a0<\/span>US TV: MSGSN; ESPN+. Canada TV: SNO.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>7\u00a0<\/span>p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

Our second game of NHL predictions has the New York Islanders<\/a> taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>. Ilya Sorokin<\/a> has been locked in as the starter for this game. The Islanders are 7-3 in their last 10 games, including victories in three of the last four games. Mat Barzal is first in assists (42) and points (60) for the Isles.<\/p>\n

Joseph Woll<\/a> is the confirmed starter for the Maple Leafs, who will be donning the Toronto St Patrick’s jersey this evening. The Leafs are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games but do have wins in two of their last three games. Toronto is without captain and top-scorer Auston Matthews<\/a> for the rest of the season. William Nylander<\/a> is first on the club in assists (40) and points (63).<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs have been playing better. However, luck won’t be on their side against the Islanders.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Islanders win 4-3.<\/em><\/p>\n

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(Credit Image: \u00a9 Luis Santana\/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire)<\/em><\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets<\/h2>\n

Head-to-Head: Hurricanes 1-0 Blue Jackets<\/h3>\n

How to Watch<\/a>:\u00a0<\/span>US TV: Fan Duel Sports South; Fan Duel Sports Ohio; ESPN+. Canada TV: Sportsnet+.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>7\u00a0<\/span>p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

Our final game<\/a> of NHL predictions is a Metropolitan Division has the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a>. Brandon Bussi<\/a> is the probable starter for the Hurricanes, who are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Sebastian Aho<\/a> is first in assists (44) and points (68) so far this campaign.<\/p>\n

Jet Greaves<\/a> has been locked in as the starter for the Blue Jackets, who are 5-1-4 in the last 10 games. Columbus is only two points off Boston for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Kirill Marchenko<\/a> is tops in goals (25) and points (57).<\/p>\n

Both clubs need points for different reasons. However, Carolina gets the win.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Hurricanes win 4-1.<\/em><\/p>\n

Best Bets<\/h3>\n

We close out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let’s go back to the featured game for our preferred prop bets. The over\/under for the Bruins versus the Canadiens is 6.5, and we like the under in this game.<\/p>\n

As for individual props, go with Morgan Geekie<\/a> to get a goal for Boston. On the Montreal side of things, take Nick Suzuki<\/a> to get at least a point.<\/p>\n

Main photo by: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word On Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. Our featured game of this edition is the Boston Bruins taking on the Montreal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":477888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4524,5,4547,7,4548],"tags":[6081,6010,6083,6016,6084,6062],"class_list":["post-485393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-bruins","category-hockey","category-canadiens","category-nhl","tag-boston-bruins-predictions","tag-carolina-hurricanes-predictions","tag-columbus-blue-jackets-predictions","tag-montreal-canadiens-predictions","tag-new-york-islanders-predictions","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":485394,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485393\/revisions\/485394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}