Washington-Pittsburgh and Boston-Columbus highlight a great Tuesday night in the NHL on March 12.

In addition to those battles, San Jose takes on Winnipeg on the road while Arizona travels to St. Louis. Check out analysis along with BetAmerica odds and a free pick for Tuesday’s top hockey action!

[Tuesday, March 12]

Washington Capitals +115 at Pittsburgh Penguins -135 (7:00 pm ET)

It’s almost like the defending champs flipped a switch. Suddenly, the Caps are 2 points ahead of the Islanders in the Metropolitan Standings. They’ve gone an impressive 10-2 SU in their last 12. But, the Pens haven’t slacked with a 4-1 SU record in their last 5.

The trends won’t help us. Washington is 23-9 SU in their last 32 games following a win while the Penguins are 118-50 SU in their last 168 home games. Although these two appear even, the value’s with the Caps. They’re scorching right now, which makes the +115 a gift.

NHL Free Pick: Capitals +115

Boston Bruins +100 at Columbus Blue Jackets -120 (7:00pm ET)

No team in the NHL, not even Washington, is as hot as the Boston Bruins. They’re 15-3 SU in their last 18. That doesn’t make them a slam dunk. Top shooter David Pastrnak is out until late March with a thumb injury. It’s a recent issue that only came up on March 10 in Boston’s 2-4 loss to Pittsburgh.

Columbus suffered a tough injury when Ryan Murray went down in late February. Since then, the Blue Jackets are 4-5 SU. Overall, the trends do not favor Columbus who is 1-4 SU in their last 5 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous, 1-5 SU in their last 6 versus the Atlantic, and 1-4 SU in their last 5 versus a team with a losing road record. Even without Pastrnak, it’s tough not to take Boston at the odds. The Bruins are the play.

NHL Free Pick: Bruins +100

Arizona Coyotes +160 at St. Louis Blues -180 (8:00pm ET)

Everything points to St. Louis taking this on Tuesday night. The Blues are 13-3 SU in their last 16 as a favorite, 8-1 SU in their last 9 versus a team with a losing record, 7-1 SU in their last 8 home games, and 7-0 SU in their last 7 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous.

Arizona is 8-2 SU in their last 10 overall. However, the Coyotes have only won a single game straight up in their last 6 versus a team with a winning home record. St. Louis wins.

NHL Free Pick: Blues -180

San Jose Sharks +100 at Winnipeg Jets -120 (8:00pm ET)

Winnipeg returns home where they’re 22-8-3-1 after a tough 4-game road trip. How tough? The Jets beat Columbus and Carolina and lost to Tampa Bay and Washington.

Decent trends follow Winnipeg back to their ice. The Jets are 65-25 SU in their last 90 home games while also going 52-22 in their last 74 as a home favorite. Unfortunately for the Jets, the road team is 8-3 SU in the last 11 meetings while the Sharks are 4-1 SU in the last 5 meetings in Winnipeg. San Jose has also won 5-of-6 straight up as an underdog. The Sharks upset the Jets on March 12 and I'm looking for a repeat performance.

NHL Free Pick: Sharks +100

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