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Devils vs. Kraken: NHL Best Bets, Picks & Predictions (Thursday)

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We have a loaded 13-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Here are my three best bets for Thursday's NHL slate. And below you can find a closer look at Devils vs. Kraken.

Here are our other best bets for Thursday:

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Today’s Best NHL Bets: Devils vs. Kraken

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New Jersey Devils (-125) @ Seattle Kraken (+105) | O/U 6.5 (+100/-120)

The Pacific Division’s Seattle Kraken host the Metropolitan Division’s New Jersey Devils in this cross-country tilt. New Jersey enters this contest in fantastic form, winning five straight games and seven of its last nine.

This trend will likely continue with goaltender Vitek Vanecek slated to take the crease for the Devils. Through 29 appearances between the pipes this season, Vanecek is 18-5-2 with a .914 save percentage (SV%) and 2.37 goals against average (GAA).

Entering this matchup in tremendous form, he is 6-0 with a .925 SV% and 2.29 GAA over his last six starts. Based on his metrics, regression should not be an issue as Vanecek ranks 10th among starting goaltenders in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5. In his last start against Seattle, Vanecek stopped 29 of 31 shots for a .935 SV% en route to a 5-2 win.

Across the ice, goaltender Martin Jones is projected to start between the pipes for the Kraken. While Jones has put together a somewhat solid campaign, his underlying metrics are concerning. He ranks in the bottom half among starting goaltenders in GSAx/60 at 5-on-5.

Not only do the Devils possess the goaltending advantage, but they also rank higher than Seattle in both expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5. Back the road team with the better goaltender, offense and defense.

Best Bet: Devils ML (-125 via BetMGM)

Best of luck!

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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.

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