Wednesday night wasn't kind to us. The Toronto Maple Leafs only managed to play in the opening frame against the Buffalo Sabres, while the Nashville Predators blew a 2-0 lead against the Seattle Kraken. Not fun!

We'll look to rebound as we comb through our best bets for Thursday evening's slate.

Wild (-200) @ Flyers (+165)

The Minnesota Wild are in quite a funk. They've dropped four consecutive games and have been outscored 19-8 on aggregate. Not good.

I expect the tide to turn for the Wild in this contest. Their inability to create high-danger chances at five-on-five has been one of their biggest issues lately. That shouldn't be a problem against the Philadelphia Flyers. Only three teams have given up high-danger chances at a higher rate than the Flyers this season. With the talent Minnesota possesses, it should create opportunities in bulk against Philadelphia.

The Wild also figure to have an edge in goal with Kaapo Kahkonen back between the pipes. He's appeared in 13 of Minnesota's last 20 games and owns a rock-solid .922 save percentage.

That's well above what Carter Hart has managed (.904 SV%) over the same stretch.

In short, I don't think the Flyers have the star power - or depth - to hang with the Wild at even strength. When you add a potential edge in goal on top of things, it's hard to see Minnesota's losing streak extending to five games.

Bet: Wild in regulation (-125)

Avalanche (-395) @ Coyotes (+310)

The Colorado Avalanche have run a train on the Arizona Coyotes this season. While that wasn't evident on the scoreboard in two of the three meetings, the reality is the Coyotes have shown little to no resistance against the Avalanche.

Colorado has generated 9.84 expected goals and 98 scoring chances against Arizona thus far, while it's given up only 5.67 expected goals and 47 scoring chances.

That means the Avalanche have controlled more than 63% of the expected goal share and upwards of 68% of the scoring chances. Those numbers are downright insane.

With Colorado as close to full strength as it has been in months, there's every reason to expect a huge chance discrepancy again in this game.

That should translate to success on the scoreboard. While Karel Vejmelka put forth some strong showings earlier in the year, his play has fallen off. He's conceded 11 more goals than expected, which ranks second last among all netminders who have appeared in at least 15 games this season. Colorado's lethal attack should be able to put pucks past him early and often.

I like the Avalanche to take care of business in this contest.

Bet: Avalanche -1.5 (-150)

Canucks (+100) @ Islanders (-120)

The New York Islanders haven't enjoyed anywhere close to the level of success we've grown accustomed to under Barry Trotz. Even so, they're still a competent defensive side, especially on home soil.

Over the last 10 home games, the Islanders conceded 47.57 attempts per 60 minutes, 1.94 goals per 60, and 8.23 high-danger chances per 60 at five-on-five. New York also ranks top six in each of those key categories.

Based on the goaltending Ilya Sorokin has given them over the last couple of months, the Islanders really shouldn't allow many goals since they give up so few opportunities.

The Vancouver Canucks should limit the damage the Islanders cause. Thatcher Demko has been one of the NHL's best netminders since Bruce Boudreau took over. Not to mention, the Islanders' offense tends to be very lifeless; they rank 28th in goals per 60 this season.

Even with a low total, I'm inclined to play the under in this game.

Bet: Under 5.5 (-125)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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We have a busy nine-game slate on the docket Thursday night, which means the return of our props article.

Let's look at three player props that stand out the most.

Mikko Rantanen over 3.5 shots (+105)

The Arizona Coyotes have been a doormat franchise for quite some time. Everyone seems to excel against them. But Mikko Rantanen takes it to a whole different level.

Rantanen has played the Coyotes three times this season. His shot totals over those games: six, six, and eight. That's right, Mikko has amassed 20 shots through just three contests.

There's no reason to expect him to slow down in this game based on his current form. Rantanen leads the Colorado Avalanche with a whopping 69 shot attempts over the last 10 contests. He is shooting the puck a ton.

Expect that to continue against a Coyotes team that ranks dead last in shot attempts against per 60 minutes over the previous 10 games.

Jakob Chychrun over 2.5 shots (-118)

Backing Jakob Chychrun on home soil has proven to be a profitable endeavor. He's cooled off a little bit of late, but Chychrun has recorded at least three shots in 65% of his home games this season.

He's averaging 3.2 shots on goal in contests at Gila River Arena and has been more efficient in generating shot attempts.

While the Avalanche are a strong defensive team that limits shots quite well, they give up a lot to opposing defenders. They're one of just nine clubs to concede more than 500 shots to blue-liners this campaign.

Chychrun is a shoot-first defender who likes to get involved in the play, and he's more effective on home soil. I'm happy to back him at this price.

Elias Lindholm over 2.5 shots (-125)

Elias Lindholm is another guy who benefits mightily from more favorable matchups at home. He's averaged upwards of 15 shot attempts per 60 minutes of hockey in Calgary this season. That number drops to 11.80 per 60 on the road; quite the difference.

I also love the matchup for Lindholm tonight. The Montreal Canadiens have played better under Martin St. Louis, but they're still subpar at suppressing shots.

Best of all, Lindholm should see plenty of the opposing line that gives up the most shots. Rem Pitlick, Jake Evans, and Artturi Lehkonen allow more than 40 shots on goal per 60 at five-on-five. The sample size isn't large, but the early returns suggest this line can be exposed. Lindholm's line will be matched up against them for much of the night, offering plenty of opportunities to get pucks on goal.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Ivan Miroshnichenko, a top prospect in the upcoming NHL draft, was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Miroshnichenko was told his diagnosis is the most common form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma - a cancer of the lymphatic system - and is curable.

The 18-year-old is currently receiving treatment in Germany and could miss all of next season.

Miroshnichenko was playing for the VHL's Omskie Krylia in Russia this campaign. He recorded 10 goals and six assists in 31 games with the club. Miroshnichenko captained Russia's U18 team to gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2021, managing nine points over five games.

Miroshnichenko has been projected to go near the top of the 2022 NHL Draft, rating as high as No. 2 on The Athletic's Corey Pronman's rankings and No. 6 on TSN's Bob McKenzie's rankings.

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Welcome to the fifth edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings.

These rankings focus on analytics and the all-around ability of defensemen rather than just points or reputation.

• xGF% = the share of expected goals a team produces while a player is on the ice at five-on-five
• xGA/60 = expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five

5. Adam Fox, Rangers

Previous rank: 4th

Fox continues to slide on this list. He was first in December, third in January, fourth in February, and now fifth in March. If Charlie McAvoy hadn't had a down month himself, Fox may have found himself outside the top five.

This is not entirely Fox's fault - it's more indicative of the players ahead of him on this list. He's coming off a stellar month with six assists and a 55.9 xGF% in his last seven games.

The Rangers are one of the worst underlying squads in the league, especially as far as playoff teams go. They rank 27th in the NHL in xGF%, but that mark improves over six percentage points when Fox is on the ice compared to when he's off.

4. Roman Josi, Predators

Previous rank: N/A

Josi is appearing on this list for the first time since the opening month of the season when he found himself at No. 1 after a scorching-hot start. His play since then has been nothing to balk at, but there have been five defensemen consistently playing at an elite level in front of him.

We cannot ignore Josi any longer, though. The Predators captain has reeled off 11 points in his last eight games with a 51.7 xGF%. His defensive metrics are solid, too, as he ranks in the top 50 in xGA/60 among blue-liners.

What's most impressive about Josi's season is that he's doing it without his longtime partner Ryan Ellis, who was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason. He's been playing primarily with youngster Dante Fabbro, but it hasn't affected his performance one bit - the sign of a true No. 1 D-man.

3. Aaron Ekblad, Panthers

Previous rank: 3rd

The Panthers had some significant time off during what was supposed to be the Olympic break, so Ekblad's only played six games since the last edition of these rankings. He made the most of them, though, churning out four goals, four assists, and an xGF% of 60.7%.

Ekblad is firmly entrenched in the No. 3 spot right now. He's widened the gap between No. 4 and No. 5 but still has work to do to crack the top two.

2. Victor Hedman, Lightning

Previous rank: 1st

It was a rather quiet month for Hedman. He only played six games, registering a goal, three assists, and a 54.7 xGF%. The reason he's dropped out of the top spot has more to do with the player ahead of him on our list rather than his own play. That says a lot about our No. 1, considering Hedman is having arguably the best season of his Hall of Fame career.

Hedman is still very much in this race and could easily find himself back at No. 1 next month. It should be a compelling finish between the 31-year-old veteran and the young, hotshot defenseman who holds the top spot.

1. Cale Makar, Avalanche

Previous rank: 2nd

Makar owns our top spot in part because of his play since the last edition of these rankings. Although he was held goalless over his last 10 games, he still tallied 14 assists - 12 of them at even strength - and a 60.7 xGF%. While his torrid goal-scoring pace from early in the season is drying up, Makar is still impacting the game with his elite playmaking and defensive play.

Makar is still on pace for 90 points. He would be the first defenseman to reach the 90-point mark since Hall of Famer Ray Bourque recorded 91 in 1993-94.

The impact he has on his team can't be understated, as well. Colorado's xGF% increases by seven percentage points when he's on the ice compared to when he's off it. Tampa Bay's xGF% increases the same amount when Hedman hits the ice, too, but Makar's strong play of late gives him a slight edge in what's shaping up to be one of the most memorable Norris races ever.

Honorable mentions: Charlie McAvoy, Kris Letang, Devon Toews

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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The Edmonton Oilers traded goaltender Alex Stalock to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for future considerations, both teams announced Wednesday night.

Stalock was selected by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He made 62 appearances in San Jose over the course of five seasons and authored a .911 save percentage in that span.

"The acquisition of Alex gives our club another goaltender with significant NHL experience," Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said. "He is a player we are very familiar with and someone who is extremely well-liked by his teammates."

The 34-year-old missed the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign after being diagnosed with myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart - in November 2020.

He last played in 2019-20, suiting up for 38 regular-season contests with the Minnesota Wild. He registered a 20-11-4 record while posting a .910 save percentage. Stalock also started four playoff contests during the Wild's qualifying-round series against the Vancouver Canucks that season.

The Oilers claimed Stalock off waivers from the Wild in March 2021.

Stalock was initially expected to miss the entirety of the 2021-22 season with the heart condition, but the Oilers waived him in January with the intention of playing him in the AHL as he continued his NHL comeback.

During his stint with the Bakersfield Condors, Stalock logged an .862 save percentage across five showings.

The Sharks have been dealing with some injuries in the crease. Adin Hill has been sidelined since late January with a nagging lower-body injury, but he's expected to return soon; James Reimer exited Tuesday's contest against the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body ailment.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe didn't mince words after the Buffalo Sabres snapped a six-game losing streak by defeating his club 5-1 on Wednesday night.

“It was terrible from start to finish," the Leafs bench boss said, according to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.

"In terms of how we played with the puck, we were really careless and didn’t have much happening," Keefe added, per the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "Offensively, we were abysmal. All four lines."

The Leafs head coach had harsh criticism for the team's top line led by superstar Auston Matthews.

"That’s as bad as they’ve played in quite some time," Keefe said, according to Sports Illustrated's Mike Stephens.

Keefe experimented with a defensive pairing of Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin in the loss and said he will "probably not" keep the duo together in the future.

The Sabres only outshot the Maple Leafs by one (31-30), but Buffalo controlled 60% of the scoring chances at five-on-five and 55.27% of the expected goals in those situations, according to Natural Stat Trick. Sandin tied the game at 1-1 in the first period but the Sabres replied with four unanswered goals over the final two frames.

Toronto had won three consecutive contests before the loss.

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With the Washington Capitals in a slump, general manager Brian MacLellan is thinking about switching up his approach to the March 21 trade deadline.

"I don't know that we're going to be as aggressive as we've been in the past," MacLellan told the media Wednesday. "Sometimes, just to add depth pieces, we might overpay a little bit because we felt, 'We have a good team, we're gonna go a long way, and we just need players.'

"I don't know that we're in that mode, but we'd still like to try and improve the team."

The Capitals were tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first in the league Dec. 31 with a points percentage of .712. Washington has since gone 8-12-2.

"In the beginning of the year, I would say (we were) a legit contender. There's probably three, four teams that are at the next level, but we're not next level. (We were) at the high end of that next level of teams," MacLellan said. "Now, I'd say we're at the low level of that next level of teams. We need to improve. We need to get back to where we were."

MacLellan pointed to the Capitals' "inexperienced" goaltending duo of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek as a potential area of improvement.

"The concerning thing for me is sometimes the goals, the timing of the goals, game-situation goals that some veteran guys would tighten it up and make that save," he said. "It's not the overall save percentage, it's when and how the goals happen."

Samsonov owns a .901 save percentage across 32 appearances this season while Vanecek has authored a .915 save percentage in 25 showings.

MacLellan said he's tested the goaltending market with less than one month to go before the deadline.

"We called around earlier. The difficult situation, I think, is it's gotta be an obvious upgrade for us for it to make sense, or otherwise, we go with our guys," he said. "Is this going to get us over a hump on the goaltending side? I don't know that there's that many guys out there that are that quality. There might be one or two."

The Capitals are fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-18-9 record.

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Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk pledged his support to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion in an open letter published Wednesday.

"I am a proud and patriotic Canadian, born and raised in this special country. I am also a proud Ukrainian, the son of parents who were both born in Ukraine," he wrote. "The steadfast will and determination that is my heritage has attracted the admiration and respect of people around the world. Today, we are all Ukrainian."

The 62-year-old outlined ways the Senators will show their support over the remainder of the season. The team will play the Ukrainian national anthem before every home game and find ways to use the Canadian Tire Centre as a drop-off point to collect donations of clothing and medical supplies.

"As an organization and a community, I am confident that our collective actions and contributions will make a significant difference in the lives of Ukrainians who are currently under siege," he said.

Melnyk took out a full-page ad in two Ottawa newspapers to promote his message.

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