Best NHL Bets Today: Expert Picks for Tuesday, March 11

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on March 11, 2025

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The National Hockey League has a total of 11 games on the slate for Tuesday night, including four puck drops at 10 p.m. ET or later. We're going to preview just two games, digging deep for some solid parlay opportunities. The only nationally televised game will be the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, offered up on ESPN+, as well as hulu and Disney+. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Tuesday, March 11

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Carolina Hurricanes

The Lightning (37-22-4) and the Hurricanes (38-22-4) meet at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. at 7:30 p.m. ET.

It's the second time Jake Guentzel returns to Raleigh, and he is sure to get booed after spurning the Hurricanes for Tampa Bay last offseason. The Canes didn't want lightning to strike twice, pardon the pun, so they dealt Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars prior to the trade deadline, after it was obvious he wasn't willing to sign long term. So far, so good for the Canes on that front.

The Hurricanes acquired Logan Stankoven, and he had a power-play goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Lenovo Center was electric again, as it seems there was a black cloud over the Canes with Rantanen's uncertainty, and the worry about if he would stay, go, etc. Once that situation was resolved, the fans were back to having a good attitude, and they cheered on the new guys. Mark Jankowski wasn't a headline-maker after being acquired, but the bottom-six forward made a huge splash in his debut. He scored twice to get the party started in Raleigh.

And, if you're counting, Rantanen had two goals and four assists with a minus-3 rating in 13 games with the Canes. Jankowski has two goals and a plus-1 in one game, and Stankoven has a PPG, and a GWG, in his only game in Raleigh.

Guentzel is sure to get some added guff from the crowd, perhaps even catching some strays because of some pent-up Rantanen hatred from the fans. He had two assists in the regular-season opener in Raleigh on Oct. 11, much to the ire of the home fans.

Tampa Bay had back-to-back games with six goals scored in wins over the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets, but the Lightning were blanked 4-0 by the Boston Bruins last time out on Saturday. Still, the Lightning is white-hot with 10 wins in the past 12 games, while going 11-2-1 across the past 14 outings. The Under is 6-2 in the past eight contests in that span, too.

For Carolina, despite the turmoil, the Rantanen kerfuffle and the new additions, it might be playing its best hockey of the season. Through smooth waters, or choppy waters -- or should we say 'Stormy' seas -- head coach Rod Brind'Amour does his best to keep this team navigating with an even keel. The Hurricanes have won four in a row, including three one-goal games. The Under is 4-1 in the past five outings, with Carolina goaltending allowing just 11 goals in the past six outings, or 1.8 GPG. That's Hurricanes hockey, baby! And, apparently, that's what Rantanen hated about it. Or Raleigh. Or both. Hard-nosed, defensive hockey isn't for everybody.

Look for the Lightning to come away with the win, though. They've won three in a row in this series, and five of the past six meetings, while the Under is 5-1 in that six-game span. We'll go low, too, as that's the trend for both sides lately.

Lightning ML (+120 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (+102 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Nashville Predators at San Jose Sharks

In the late game, Predators (24-32-7) and Sharks (17-39-9) might not jump off the page at you as an interesting game, but there are some intriguing trends in this one.

First off, Nashville has won the first two meetings this season, but they've both been wild affairs. The Predators won 6-5 in the most recent visit to San Jose on Jan. 23, cashing as heavy favorites (-205). In the Music City, the Preds outlasted the Sharks 7-5 on Jan. 21. The Over easily cashed in each of the outings.

Nashville has won 12 in a row in the series dating back to Nov. 9, 2019, which is the last victory for the Sharks in the series. San Jose won 2-1 in a shootout that day, with Martin Jones getting the victory, while Tomas Hertl scored in regulation. So, yeah, it's been a hot minute for the Sharks.

The Over is 4-0-2 in the past six meetings in this series, and that's a slam-dunk play based on the series trends lately. And, the Nashville offense has rung up 14 goals in the past three games, so it heads to the Bay Area brimming with confidence, while having won three in a row.

The Over is 2-0-1 in the past three games for the Sharks, and they've given up 11 goals in the past two games. If San Jose can ever get some goaltending, it might start trending up. The Sharks have scored 20 goals in the past six games, and at least three goals in five of those outings.

Predators ML (-165 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
Over 6 Goals (-115 at BetRivers Sportsbook)

Today's Best NHL Bet(s)

We're in a nosedive, and having a difficult time pulling out of it. This section might be a 'best bet' for you, but only if you're going the other way, and not tailing lately. We were on fire for a while, but now ice-cold.

Let's shake off this funk with a play on the Over in the Predators-Sharks, although nobody would blame you if you went the other way, even with the overwhelming trends which suggest it is a sound play. And, we'll go with the Under in Lightning-Hurricanes, too.