NHL Betting Trends for This Week (March 14 to March 20, 2022)

The NHL trade deadline is exactly one week away, signaling the final stretch of the 2021-22 campaign. By now, most teams have played close to 60 games, meaning there’s only so much time left to make a playoff push.

There are still a lot of NHL betting opportunities to take advantage of for the week of March 14 to March 20. After all, wagers at this point in the season only up the remaining games’ stakes, which were pretty high to begin with.

Here’s a look at some interesting NHL trends to pay attention to over the coming days.

Bruins Trending Upward as NHL Season Winds Down

The Boston Bruins’ start to the 2021-22 NHL season was filled with its highs and lows, however, things have only been trending upward in recent weeks.

The Bruins are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, which is the best record in the league over that span. They’re also tied for the fifth-month goals scored (42) during that span, while also allowing the fewest goals against (24).

The most impressive part of Boston’s run is that they’re getting offense from everyone. David Pastrnak paces his teams over the last 11 games with nine goals and 15 points. Craig Smith has also been hot with 11 points, while the trio of Charlie Coyle, Taylor Hall and Jake DeBrusk each of 10 points apiece.

The total has hit the over in four of the Bruins’ last six games and, fortunately, there will be an opportunity to score more goals this week.

On Tuesday, Boston will face the Chicago Blackhawks, who’ve been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season. The Bruins will then face the slumping Minnesota Wild on Thursday before facing the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.

Will Matthews’ Richard Trophy Push Be Derailed by Suspension?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to find consistency over their last 10 games, going 5-3-2 over that stretch. Despite the team’s recent hiccups, Auston Matthews continues to be one of the most elite goal-scorers in the NHL.

Matthews has scored at least one goal in eight of his last 10 games. He has a total of 12 goals over that stretch and has found the back of the net in each of his last five games played. That gives him a total of 45 goals in 56 games this season — further cementing his place as the NHL’s lead goal-scorer.

When it comes to his betting odds to win the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy this season, Matthews sits as the -350 favorite on BetMGM to win the award on. He’s six goals ahead of the Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl (+350) and will likely keep that lead unless he hits a slump.

Nevertheless, the door is slightly open, as it will be a tough week for Toronto and a short one for Matthews.

The Maple Leafs will take on the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators this week — all of whom are in the top-10 when it comes to goals against over the last 10 games. And the first two of those matchups will take place without Matthews, who received the first suspension of his NHL career for cross-checking Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin in the neck on Sunday.

But even with the suspension, expect the 24-year-old to continue making good on his goal-related player props and maintain his place atop the league’s goal-scoring table.

Road Woes Show No Signs of Slowing for Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings have been quite the surprise this season. While they aren’t exactly a playoff team just yet, their 24-28-7 record is an improvement over recent NHL seasons.

Having said that, the Red Wings have struggled on the road lately, going 4-5-1 in their last 10 away games, including a 1-4-0 stretch over their last five. The most alarming part of that is how bad Detroit’s special teams have been in that time.

The Red Wings are 4-for-29 on the power play over that stretch, which translates to 13.8%. Their penalty kill has also been a disaster, surrendering 14 power-play goals on 31 opportunities (45.2%). In other words, this road drought likely won’t come to an end until head coach Jeff Blashill gets his PP and PK units clicking on a consistent basis.

Each of the Red Wings’ three games will be on the road this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can shake off the recent slump. Here are their upcoming opponents, as well as their record in their last 10 home games:

• Edmonton Oilers: 6-4-0
• Vancouver Canucks: 5-3-2
• Seattle Kraken: 4-5-1

As you can see, none of those teams is unbeatable. In fact, with the road club usually playing the underdog, there’s some nice NHL betting value to be had if the Red Wings can pull off an upset. They have a lot of talented players on the roster and if they can get the ball rolling early on this week, bettors could make a pretty penny.

Shesterkin Continues to Cement Status as Top Goalie in the NHL

Every year, the Vezina Trophy is given to the NHL’s top goaltender. This year, New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin is BetMGM’s odds-on favorite to take home the award at -350 odds.

Shesterkin is 29-7-3 in 39 games played this season, tallying a 2.07 goals-against average (GAA) and .938 save percentage (SV%), along with three shutouts. The 26-year-old goaltender also leads the league in goals saved above average (37.0) and has 29 quality starts in net, which is the same number that he had combined in the previous two seasons.

What’s even more impressive is that Shesterkin has played even better over the last few months. He’s 16-3-1 in his last 20 games and hasn’t lost consecutive appearances at all this season. He has a 1.99 GAA and .941 SV% over that time, as well as a pair of shutouts.

The Rangers’ upcoming schedule will be busy, with four games set to be played in the next seven days. The teams that they’ll face are a mixed bag, with the Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders being closer to the bottom of the NHL while Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes are among the league’s best.

Even if the Rangers end up being underdogs in the upcoming contests, don’t let that deter you from siding with them. Regardless of who New York is up against, Shesterkin always gives his team a chance to win, while making himself close to a lock when it comes to the Vezina Trophy race along the way.