February 25th NHL Odds, Lines and Best Bets for All 10 Games

• With 10 NHL games on tap, there’s action aplenty for Thursday, February 25th, 2021  
• Robert Duff split his Saturday picks, leaving his NHL record at 11-9 (+0.53 units won)
• The Montreal Canadiens will make their debut under new coach Dominique Ducharme at Winnipeg

Coaching changes always impact the NHL odds. The Montreal Canadiens will take the ice as favorites against the Jets in the February 25th NHL odds under interim coach Dominique Ducharme.

Claude Julien was fired on Wednesday. He’s the first NHL coach to be handed his walking papers this season.

Eight teams made in-season coaching changes during the NHL’s 2019-20 campaign. In their first game under a new bench boss, those teams were a combined 3-3-1-1 straight up.

Since their last Stanley Cup win in 1992-93, the Habs have made seven midseason coaching changes. In their first outing after the switch, they’re 2-4-1 SU.

This is the second time Julien’s been fired as Montreal’s coach. The Canadiens were 4-2 winners over Dallas in the first game after Julien’s initial dismissal in 2006.

The San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

February 25th NHL Odds

Odds taken Feb. 24th at DraftKings

Changing Bad Hab-its

While it’s often the players who cause a team’s downslide, it’s always the coach who pays the price. On February 10th, Montreal was 8-2-2 and battling the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division.

The Canadiens are 1-3-2 in their last six games and 2-4-2 over their past eight contests. Back-to-back losses to the NHL-worst Ottawa Senators sealed Julien’s fate.

They’ve surrendered 13 goals over the last three games. The undisciplined Canadiens are the NHL’s most penalized team per game. That’s really bad news when they’re also the league’s 22nd-best penalty killers.

Expectations were high this year. Julien pays the price. He had one more year left on his contract next season at $5 million. https://t.co/FU7I6pl16x

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 24, 2021

Montreal does seem to maintain a fondness for Winnipeg, however. The Canadiens have won four in a row in Manitoba’s capital city. Three of those four games have gone over.

Curiously, when Julien replaced Michel Therrien behind the bench during the 2016-17 season, his debut was a 3-1 loss to the Jets. That game was played in Montreal.

Third in the North, one point ahead of Montreal, the Jets have won three of their last four.

Pick: Winnipeg Jets (-104)

Bruins A Hurting Bunch

The Boston Bruins are visiting Long Island to face the New York Islanders and could be minus four of their top six defensemen. The latest addition to their rearguard injury list is Jeremy Lauzon. He’s out four weeks with a broken hand. Lauzon was playing in the top D pairing with Charlie McAvoy.

Jeremy Lauzon back to the room. pic.twitter.com/zGQ645w8XQ

— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) February 22, 2021

Already in sick bay were Kevan Miller (knee), Matt Grzelcyk (lower-body), and Jakub Zboril (upper-body). Zboril practiced Wednesday, and there’s hope he’ll be available Thursday.

The Islanders have won two straight against Boston, allowing just a pair of goals in the process. Overall, the Isles are 4-2 SU in their last six, including a 4-2 win over the Bruins on  February 13th. They’ve won six straight against teams not named the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pick: New York Islanders (+108)