We’ve entered the final 10-12 game stretch of the NHL regular season, making it an exciting time to get action on the ice. Thursday’s board has 10 NHL games to wager. The biggest matchups include the Capitals vs. Wild, Stars vs. Flames, and Kings vs. Avalanche.
My NHL best bets from Thursday, March 20th, resulted in a 1-1 outing. We came close to a 2-0 sweep but Dallas’ lead in the shootout wound up evaporating. The Stars moneyline (-115) looked promising but they lost a rare home game, 3-2, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Our winner was a sweat-free wager on Colorado’s moneyline at -130 odds. The Avalanche scored four 1st period goals to dominate the Senators from start to finish during a 5-1 road win.
I’m here with two NHL best bets to tail ahead of tonight’s loaded slate. Each best bet is worth a one-unit wager. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NHL free bets and weekly analysis.
Thursday’s NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Dallas Stars vs. Calgary Flames
Let’s run it back with Dallas on the second night of a back-to-back against Calgary. The Stars went into Edmonton and built a 4-0 lead on the back of Jason Robertson’s hat trick. Edmonton tried to rally with three 3rd period goals but it was too big of a deficit to overcome.
Dallas now has to face a desperate Flames team that has fallen outside of the Western Conference Wild Card seeding. Calgary is riding a four-game winning streak, so they aren’t a pushover at the moment. However, there’s no doubt that the Stars have more depth and talent on their offense in comparison to the Flames.
Casey DeSmith is expected to start for Dallas in the crease after a three-game rest. His last start resulted in a 3-2 shootout loss against Tampa Bay last Thursday, so he’s had a week to prepare for this matchup against the league’s 30th-ranked scoring offense.
Dustin Wolf is confirmed as Calgary’s goaltender against Dallas tonight. Wolf has allowed three to five goals in four straight starts for the Flames, meaning the Stars will have good scoring chances throughout Thursday night’s matchup. Dallas beat Calgary 3-2 in overtime without Wolf in the net on March 6th. I think the Stars win in regulation this time and snap Calgary’s four-game winning streak.
Let’s bet a unit on the Stars moneyline at -126 odds on the road against Calgary tonight.
Pick: Stars Moneyline (-126)
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche
Two of the best teams in the Western Conference go head-to-head on the late NHL slate tonight when Colorado hosts Los Angeles. The Kings have won four consecutive games, including five of their last six. Most of those victories came at home, where Los Angeles tends to dominate their opponent. Tonight, the Kings will be at Ball Arena in Denver for their first road game in the past week.
The Avalanche are red-hot, winning three straight games, including five of their last six as well. The lone loss came 2-1 on the road in regulation against Toronto. Since that loss, the Avalanche routed Ottawa 5-1, beat Montreal 5-4 in a shootout, and dominated Detroit 5-2 at home.
In their only previous matchup this season, Colorado beat Los Angeles 4-2 at home. Oddsmakers have set the goal total at 5.5, while the Avalanche are -156 home favorites on the moneyline. Rather than taking a side, I’m willing to bet a unit on under 5.5 total goals in this matchup.
The Kings are one of the best under teams in the NHL, going 40-27-3. Colorado is 35-33-4 on the over, so it’s going to boil down to whether the Kings’ defense and expected goaltender Darcy Kuemper can make enough stops against Nathan MacKinnon and company.
Six of the last eight games for Los Angeles have gone under 5.5 total goals, excluding a pair of 7-2 home wins against Carolina and Boston. The Avalanche have only gone under 5.5 total goals once in their previous six games, during their 2-1 loss against the Maple Leafs. In fact, Colorado has scored five goals in every game during this winning streak.
I’m confident in the Kings’ defense and goaltending to slow down Colorado’s pace enough to give themselves a chance to contend for an outright win. Yet, I’d prefer to bet under 5.5 total goals, as I expect a 3-2 win by either side, which will likely go into overtime. Let’s bet a unit on under 5.5 total goals between the Kings and Avalanche tonight.
Pick: Under 5.5 Total Goals (-105)
Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
