NHL Best Bets, Score Predictions for Friday Mar. 26

NHL Daily Free Picks & Predictions

VegasInsider.com NHL expert Matt Blunt provides his score predictions and best bets for one NHL game on Friday, Mar. 26, 2021.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames

  • Money-Line Odds: Winnipeg +106; Calgary -122
  • Total (Over-Under): 6

Score Prediction: Winnipeg 4 Calgary 3

Best Bet: Over 6

Calgary Flames backers better hope the saying “home is where the heart is” actually rings true for their team tonight, because after getting past Toronto by a 4-3 score to start their four-game road trip, the rest of the time away from home was filled with some pretty uninspired efforts.

The return match with Toronto ended with a 2-0 defeat for the Flames, and then Calgary went into Ottawa north of -160 chalk for two games and lost both, failing to score more than a single goal in either game. Both of those losses to the Sens saw Calgary collapse in the 3rd period, giving up a goal late in the first game to lose 2-1, and then seeing a 1-0 lead entering the final frame turn into a 3-1 defeat 20 minutes later.

That run of offensive futility on the road shrunk their goals per game average to 2.58 overall, but at home, Calgary still is averaging 3.29 goals per game and even with it being a quality Winnipeg team sharing the ice with them, returning home for three games (all vs the Jets) could be exactly what this Flames offense needs to get going again.

Scoring three goals tonight still might not be enough for Calgary to snap the losing skid though, as the Jets have been playing some quality for some time now. The Jets just outscored Vancouver 9-1 in two games against the Canucks, boosting their goals per game average on the road up to 3.18 for the year.

They are clearly the side that's coming into this game with more confidence at the moment, and it's why that even with the thought process being Calgary's offense will score some goals tonight, I'd still prefer to take the plus-money with the Jets if I was forced too.

And with the last three meetings between these two all cashing 'under' tickets on top of Calgary's offensive struggles on the forefront of the minds of many, I do believe the 'over' has much more value.

Laying chalk with the Flames may not be a comfortable option, but five of the last six times Calgary's been a home favorite the total has landed on or above the number (4-1-1 O/U), and before those two ugly performances in Ottawa, Calgary had seen nine of their previous 10 games as a favorite anywhere land on or above the total (7-1-2 O/U).

The Jets are 7-1-1 O/U in their last nine games as an underdog in their own right, and with a 9-2-1 O/U run going overall right now for Winnipeg games, expecting to see goals in their contests isn't hard to do.

Remember, the last three meetings may have all cashed 'under' tickets, but they all finished with five goals scored, and the first two meetings of the year prior to that saw these two teams split 4-3 wins in extra time.

That's the type of game I think we get from these two again tonight.