Top NHL betting picks for March 31: Surging Wild are tonight’s best bet

There are nine NHL games on Thursday, including a cross-conference heavyweight tilt.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild are playing a big game on March 31. There are a lot of big favourites and long-shot underdogs on the board.

Wild moneyline (-125) is the best bet for tonight's NHL betting. New Jersey Devils vs. Boston Bruins under 6.5 goals (-118) and Calgary Flames -1. 5 (-122) are also good bets.

Minnesota has won seven consecutive games. Cam Talbot has been outstanding in goal for the Wild lately. Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four games and four of their last six on the road. The Penguins have won just two of last 6 away games against teams currently in the playoff positions. Kirill Kaprizov has scored in each of his last 4 games for Minnesota.

The Wild are the best bet for tonight's game against the Bruins. The Bruins were outscored by six goals in their last game. New Jersey has played to the under on this total in two of its last three games.

Calgary lost to the Avalanche 2-1. The Flames are 7-2 against this number in their last nine attempts. Los Angeles has dropped three of its last four games.