NHL Best Bets Today, 3/12: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Wednesday

Welcome to our expert NHL Best Bets today!
The final stretch of the regular season is here, and teams are fighting for every single point they can get in the playoff races, giving us some of the best action you could possibly want as a hockey fan to set up our NHL predictions.
NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 3/12
We've seen a ton of scoring lately and hopefully, we get much more of that, at least when it comes to the teams/players we are looking to back for our NHL best bets today.
Sabres vs. Red Wings Prediction: Wednesday, March 12th
The Detroit Red Wings are faltering right now on a six-game losing streak and if they want any shot at grabbing a wild-card spot, they NEED to come away with a win over the Buffalo Sabres tonight.
I mentioned this the other day about the Red Wings, and it holds true today, they aren't scoring a ton, but their underlying metrics are great. Over the last two weeks, the Red Wings are only scoring 1.41 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-lowest in the league.
However, if we look at their Expected Goals Scored over that same time and in the same situations, they are up at 3.09, which is the fifth-best in the league. They are generating a ton of chances and they simply aren't on the right side of variance over this recent stretch of games. I will continue to buy into a team that does the right thing but isn't getting the results.
The matchup against the Sabres is one they should be able to jump on since Buffalo has allowed 3.19 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last two weeks, which is the third-worst in the NHL.
One of the players for the Red Wings doing his part on offense is Alex DeBrincat, who comes in with 19 shots over his last four games but no goals. He's helping drive the offense forward but also isn't getting the puck to the back of the net. As one of the primary shooters on the team, I love this matchup for him to break out of this slump and finally light the lamp to start out our NHL best bets today.
- Expert Sabres vs. Red Wings Picks:
- Detroit Money Line (-142 on FanDuel)
- Alex DeBrincat To Score a Goal (+175 on FanDuel)
Ducks vs. Utah Hockey Club Prediction: Wednesday, March 12th
The Utah Hockey Club sits just three points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot, and this is a favorable matchup against the Anaheim Ducks to pick up two points.
The Ducks played last night and simply aren't a good team overall, so I love targeting them on a back-to-back. We should see some offense from Utah tonight since the Ducks have allowed 3.16 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations over the last two weeks, which is the fourth-worst in the league.
We saw that on display last night against the Washington Capitals and hopefully, that continues tonight with the Utah offense.
Let's turn to Dylan Guenther for this part of our NHL best bets today, who is having the best season of his young career. He comes in with a team-high 41 shots on goal over the last 10 games while seeing time on the second forward line and the first power-play unit. He's coming off of back-to-back games with seven shots on goal in each game but no goals. Again, I love a player who is going the right thing and generating chances but not getting the results.
With a terrible defense on the other side, Guenther and the Utah offense should take charge tonight.
- Expert Ducks vs. Utah Hockey Club Picks:
- Dylan Guenther To Score a Goal (+145 on FanDuel)
Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 3/12
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames Under 5.5 (-122 on FanDuel)