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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (3/30)

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We have a stacked 11-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Below, I give out my two best bets for this NHL slate.

Follow me on Twitter to get all my plays on days without full write-ups.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Thursday:

Today's Best NHL Bets

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

New York Rangers (+107) @ New Jersey Devils (-130) | O/U 6 (-121/+100)

The New Jersey Devils are coming off an extremely disappointing 5-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday. However, that extra day of rest compared to the New York Rangers could be crucial in this Metropolitan Division tilt. 

One of the best two-way teams in the league and a legit Stanley Cup contender, the Devils rank in the top-7 in both Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5. Meanwhile, New York trails them in both of those categories by a wide margin. 

Once again, keeping the Rangers' season together is goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is the confirmed starter on Thursday. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner enters this contest in terrific form and will undoubtedly be New Jersey's biggest obstacle in achieving two points. 

With that said, Shesterkin has struggled mightily against the powerhouse New Jersey offense. Over his last four starts against the Devils, he is 1-2-1 with a .880 save percentage (SV%) and 4.31 goals against average (GAA). 

Those numbers are far more of a proclamation of New Jersey's offense than it is an indictment of Shesterkin. Across the ice, goaltender Vitek Vanecek is projected to start between the pipes for the Devils. 

Through 47 appearances in the crease with his new club this season, Vanecek is 29-10-4 with a .909 SV% and 2.50 GAA.

Best Bet: Devils ML (-130)

St. Louis Blues (-155) @ Chicago Blackhawks (+132) | O/U 6.5 (-106/-115)

There is a Central Division tilt on Thursday evening, with the eighth-place Chicago Blackhawks hosting the sixth-place St. Louis Blues. Utterly dominating this matchup over the last couple of seasons, St. Louis has won nine of the last 11 meetings between these two clubs, a trend that is likely to continue on Thursday.

The bad news for the St. Louis Blues is that they are a terrible hockey team. The good news for the St. Louis Blues is that they are not nearly as bad as the Chicago Blackhawks.

Even better news for St. Louis is that they enter this contest in relatively decent form, winning seven of their last 11 games. While the Blues’ underlying metrics still are not anything to brag about, they do outrank Chicago in every key category.

At 5-on-5, St. Louis ranks four spots higher than the Hawks in Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and five spots higher in Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are right where one would expect in the standings considering the organization's efforts to tank for Connor Bedard.

After trading any and all assets of value at the deadline, Chicago saw a brief uptick in performance with a bunch of AHL guys playing on the big stage with an opportunity to earn a future roster spot. However, reality quickly set in for a team with this type of roster construction, losing 13 of their past 16 games.

One of the worst teams in hockey, Chicago is a disaster both offensively and defensively. At 5-on-5, the Hawks rank last in the league in xGF/60 and second-to-last in xGA/60. Backing up this inefficient team is goaltender Petr Mrazek, who is projected to start between the pipes for Chicago on Thursday.

It has been a difficult campaign for the veteran netminder, who is 8-20-3 with a .896 SV% and 3.61 goals against average (GAA) through 35 appearances in the crease. Based on his underlying metrics, positive regression is unlikely.

Among starting goaltenders, Mrazek ranks 20th in Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5.

Best Bet: Blues ML (-155)

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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