Richard Masana 
Let’s get ready to dig in. We have an interesting nine-game slate with a ton of high totals. The Chicago/Florida game certainly stands out but we have a few more spots to key in on.
3/31 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET
New Jersey Devils (+200) at Boston Bruins (-250) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Montreal Canadiens (+300) at Carolina Hurricanes (-400) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Columbus Blue Jackets (+165) at New York Islanders (-190) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Winnipeg Jets (+175) at Toronto Maple Leafs (-205) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Chicago Blackhawks (+270) at Florida Panthers (-350) – 7 Projected Goal Total
Pittsburgh Penguins (+100) at Minnesota Wild (-120) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
San Jose Sharks (+250) at Colorado Avalanche (-320) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total
Los Angeles Kings (+225) at Calgary Flames (-285) – 6 Projected Goal Total
Dallas Stars (-165) at Anaheim Ducks (+145) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total
3/31 NHL Favorite Lines Per Dollar
Top Line – Colorado One “Valeri Nichuskin ($5,200), Nazem Kadri ($6,900), Mikko Rantanen ($6,700)“
With both Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon out, both Valeri Nichuskin and Nazem Kadri have moved up to the top line. In the process, they provide us considerable savings and also all share top power-play participation. This, all for a low, low price!
The Avs are coming off a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Flames. Tonight, they rival the Panthers for the status of the night’s largest favorite coming in as a heavy -320 home favorite as of writing, with a 6.5 game total to boost.
Secondary Line – Chicago One “Alex Debrincat ($7,200), Dylan Strome ($4,800), Patrick Kane ($7,600)”
Well, with the Panthers so heavily favored at -350 money line favorites, the assumption is if writing up a line from that game, it would be from Florida. However, with a slate high whopping seven total, I think we can safely say the expectation is a lot of goals. Furthermore, none of the Panther’s lines stand out from another right now.
However, on the other side of this game, we certainly have a line that stands out. The Blackhawks’ top line has been on absolute fire as of late. Over the last ten games, they lead all NHL lines in goals scored by a decent margin.
3/31 NHL Honorable Mention: Toronto Maple Leafs One “Auston Matthews ($9,300), Mitchell Marner ($6,400), Michael Bunting ($3,800)”
In terms of a third line, why not roll with the second-highest scoring line on the graphic above in the form of Toronto One? The Bruins probably have a better matchup but I think the way their lines are split up makes life harder.
Much like the Blackhawks’ top line, the Leaf’s top line has strong peripheral stats within the timeframe, launching 109 total SATF. They are heavily favored at -200 on the money line hosting the Jets so at least a decent spot. Provided their upside, they make an interesting tournament pivot from the lines mentioned above.
Top Defender
Brandon Montour – Florida Panthers – $3,200 – We don’t have any Roman Josi types on this slate so I think you punt here. Montour spends some time on the second power-play unit for the high-flying Panthers and it gets us some exposure to this game. One way or another he is usually good for 5-6 points a game mainly through SOG/assists and allows us to spend elsewhere.
Top Goalie
Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars – $7,800 – Jake Oettinger had a strong outing stopping 26 of 28 shots against the Ducks in a 3-2 win Tuesday night. He should draw the net against them once more with Dallas off on Friday. He has been terrific this season with a 2.49 GAA and the Stars are favored here in the only 5.5 total game on the slate. Furthermore, his sub $8,000 price is more than fair.
3/31 NHL Best Bet
Dallas Stars 60 Minute Moneyline (-106) DraftKings – We slightly touched on this game right above under Jake Oettinger but this is just a story of two teams headed in different directions. Stars come in winners of four of their last five while the Ducks really couldn’t be any worse right now, losers of ten straight. Let’s take the hot hand.
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