Massive 9 game slate in the NHL this Wednesday, the 28th of March. We take a look at some of the key games of the day including the Fox Sports televised Flyers at Stars and give our betting tips below.
Philadelphia Flyers at Dallas Stars (11.30am AEDT Fox Sports 503 HD)
With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, things are looking really interesting with teams looking to secure a spot in the postseason. This is one game that both teams will be hoping to gain two points, with the Flyers hanging on to the first wildcard position and the Stars out of wildcard contention by five points.
Philadelphia are 19-12-7 on the road this season and are coming off a OT loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers tied the game with a goal from Sean Couturier with 43 seconds remaining in regulation but the Penguins controlled the extra period with four shots including a goal by Bryan Rust. The Flyers are now 4-6-3 in the month of March but are still three points clear of the Devil's in the first wild card spot. Petr Mrazek will get the nod for the second game of the three game road trip. Mrazak has struggled with only two wins in his last 10 appearances and has a 3.26 goal against average. The Flyers got the 2-1 win last time these two teams met, can they produce the goods again?
Dallas have lost eight straight and are slowing saying goodbye for a chance to play playoff hockey. The Stars are ranked sixth in the Central Division and are currently five points behind the second wild card slot. The Stars are 2-7-4 through the month of March and haven't won since the Anaheim game back in March 9th. It's looking like the Stars will almost need to go perfect for the final six games to have a chance. Kari Lehtonen 12-13-3 will play the home game for the Stars who are 24-12-3 at home this season.
TIP: Dallas Stars H2H - $1.78 at Sportsbet
San Jose Sharks at St Louis Blues (11.00 am AEDT)
The Sharks continue their four game road trip with back to back games against the Blackhawks and then the Blues. The Sharks have been fantastic, winners of their past seven and now sitting comfortably in second position in the Pacific Division. It almost feels that since the Evander Kane trade the Sharks have been unstoppable. Evander Kane now has seven goals and 12 points since his arrival in San Jose. The Sharks have a 19-12-6 away record and also had a shutout over the Blues in their last match up.
The St Louis are also making a run for playoff hockey. The Blues have won five straight and are 7-2-1 in their past ten. St. Louis are now in the second wild card slot and are tied with the LA Kings on 89 points. Jake Allen is to start between the pipes in this game, he has won his last five and has only dropped two of his nine games played through the month of March. The Blues will be the fresher team on the ice as the Sharks play back to back games, this may be the difference in this match.
TIP: St Louis H2H - No market available yet
Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers (12.00pm AEDT)
After that win streak of ten straight the Blue Jackets find themselves now third in the Metropolitan Division. The streak was broken last game with a 2-1 loss to the St Louis Blues. Columbus are 17-17-3 year on the road this season and will be hoping to give Edmonton a better run for their money after losing the last game at home 7-2. The Jackets still have work to do if they are to keep their position on the standings as they are on equal points with Philadelphia. They will have to replaced injured Nick Foligno who is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.
The Oilers are showing some late form after a disappointing season. They are 6-2-2 in their past ten but are also coming off a loss Anaheim in OT. Connor McDavid is currently on a four game point streak with five goals in his past three games and four assists to go with that. He now has 39 goals and 60 assists for the year as he closes in on a 100 point year. The Oilers are 17-17-4 on home ice this season and are currently playing for pride after missing out on the playoffs this season.
TIP: Columbus Blue Jackets H2H - $1.70 at Sportsbet
