Top NHL Parlay Picks for Friday: Can the Wild Pounce on Sabres?

Ryan Gilbert

Last Updated: March 4, 2022 3:31 AM EST • 2 min 25 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 16: Mats Zuccarello #36 and Marcus Foligno #17 of the Minnesota Wild high-five after the team's 1-0 overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game One of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 16, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Ethan Miller / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

We’re kicking the weekend off right with seven NHL games on the schedule. Let's dive in with Friday's top NHL parlay picks.

There are a few rivalry games and some interesting matchups around the league on Friday. For tonight’s parlay picks, I’m going Wild in Buffalo, fading a backup goalie, and looking at a Metropolitan clash.

Here are my top NHL parlay picks for Friday’s matchups (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Friday's NHL Parlay Picks

Wild -1.5 (+125) vs. Sabres????Red Wings team total Over 2.5 (+115) vs. Lightning?????Devils vs. Rangers (-165)????

NHL Parlay Predictions

Wild -1.5 (+125)

The Wild bounced back Thursday night in Philadelphia, overcoming a third-period deficit with two goals over 25 seconds. Minnesota also needed to overcome Cam Talbot's poor goaltending.

The game will go differently tonight in Buffalo. Kaapo Kahkonen should start, and he's 12-5-2 with a .917 save percentage this season, compared to Talbot's .907. Furthermore, Kahkonen boasts a .919 save percentage over his last 10 games compared to Talbot's .891 during the same stretch.

Also, Craig Anderson isn't too formidable in the Sabres' crease. He's 7-7-0 with a .909 save percentage in 2021-22, including 4-6-0 with a .895 save percentage across his last 10 outings.

The Wild are simply the better team, too. They've posted a 51.73% xGF during 5-on-5 play this season, which is much better than Buffalo's 44.82%, the league's second-worst mark.

The Wild should win this one with ease. The Sabres have suffered multi-goal defeats in nine of their last 10 losses. That trend should continue Friday.

Red Wings team total Over 2.5 (+115)

The Red Wings go into Tampa Bay following a 4-3 win in Carolina. That came a few nights after scoring seven goals in a wild loss against the Leafs.

Detroit has been netting lots of goals recently, with 30 markers across seven games (over four per contest) since the All-Star break. The Red Wings have scored three-plus goals in six of those seven matchups.

The Lightning can be a tough team to score against, but that’s usually because Andrei Vasilevskiy is in net. He gave up four last night in a loss to Pittsburgh, and now Brian Elliott should start tonight. Elliott has allowed three-plus goals in seven of nine starts in 2021-22.

The Wings have scored three-plus goals in 33 of 54 games this season, including 13 of their last 16. They'll be able to reach that mark against Elliott and the Lightning.

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Rangers (-165)

The Rangers are 18-5-3 at home in 2021-22, and they've taken their last seven meetings against the Devils. New Jersey is also just 8-17-2 on the road this season, and the club has lost 10 of its last 14 contests in New York.

The Rangers' season has centered around goaltending. Igor Shesterkin is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, and he should be making his way into the Hart Trophy conversation. He's posted a sparkling 26-6-3 record with a .940 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average.

While the Rangers boast the league's best goalie, the Devils' save percentage is the NHL's second-worst. Youngster Nico Daws should start tonight. He's been one of the team's top netminders (3-2-0, .909 save percentage, 2.79 goals-against average), but that's not saying much after a small sample size. It's possible the Devils go with Jon Gillies, who's been worse while posting an .887 save percentage and 3-9-1 record.

No matter who starts for New Jersey, count on Shesterkin and the Rangers to continue ruling this rivalry.

Combined Odds: Wild -1.5 (+125) + Red Wings team total Over 2.5 (+115) + Rangers (-165) = +676

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NHL parlay picks made 3/4/2022 at 4:42 a.m. ET.

Written By:
Ryan Gilbert

Ryan Gilbert is a contributing writer at SportsbookReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.