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Top NHL Odds, Picks, & Predictions: Thursday (1/18)

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The NHL is set to give us an 11-game slate to wager on Thursday night, so let’s make the most of it!

We’ve been heating up on the rink lately, going 2-1 with official NHL picks for two consecutive weeks. This past outing saw the Los Angeles Kings collapse late in a tight game on the road against Florida, allowing the Panthers to score an equalizer in the final two minutes while surrendering the game-winning goal in the last two seconds of overtime. Otherwise, it was a perfect slate for our NHL wagers. The Kraken dominated on the road in Washington, winning 4-1 to comfortably cover their -1.5 puck line at +215 odds. Edmonton continued to be profitable for us, running back a second straight SPG that cashed again, this time, in the waning minutes of the game against Detroit. The Oilers wound up winning in overtime, cashing their -170 moneyline odds, while also managing to stay under 7.5 total goals in a 3-2 win. This paid out our +151 SGP wager.

This Thursday, there’s a ton of value sitting on the board, with several matchups to target in various NHL online betting markets. Make sure to follow Matt MacKay on Twitter to get more free plays and NHL best bets.

Thursday's NHL Best Bets

Colorado Avalanche (+125) vs. Boston Bruins (-150) | O/U 6.5 (-102/-120)

We’re being treated to a great matchup in the early window between Colorado and Boston. The Avs recently beat the Bruins 4-3 in a shootout win at home and they have gone 2-1 straight up during their current three-game road trip. Boston will have an extra day of rest in this contest but they’ve gone 2-3 straight up in their last five games, while Colorado has either won outright or lost by one in 14 of their past 15 games.

The Avs have won nine of their last 10 night games against Atlantic Division opponents, but we’re playing it safe and laying the juice at -188 odds to cover the puck line as a slight road underdog. Colorado ranks second in goals per game at 3.73, significantly more than Boston at 3.30, although the Bruins’ defense is its strength, surrendering 2.63 goals per game. Upon closer inspection, Boston has allowed three or more goals in four of their previous six matchups, so this should be a high-scoring affair with Colorado keeping it close, if not seizing an outright win.

Bet: Colorado Avalanche Puck Line +1.5 (-188)

Minnesota Wild (+118) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-142) | O/U 6.5 (-102/-120)

Tampa Bay hosts Minnesota on Thursday night, entering this game as a marginal home favorite. The Lightning have won four straight at home, while the Wild just ended a four-game losing slump with a resounding 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Tampa Bay has won four of their last five games outright, including a 4-1 road win against Minnesota back on January 4th.

The edge belongs to the Lightning, who average 3.3 goals per game, tied for 11th-highest in the league, while Minnesota is bottom-ten in the league when it comes to scoring production, averaging 2.86 per contest. Even worse, the Wild allow 3.30 goals per game, 11th-most, while Tampa Bay is also performing poorly in this area, allowing 3.39 goals per game. It’s less than encouraging to back a team with porous goaltending, but the Lightning have held two of their past three opponents to three combined goals.

Excluding the Wild’s 5-0 burst against New York a couple of days ago, their offense had been struggling, scoring five combined goals during their four-game losing slump and they haven’t been very good on the road either. For these reasons, we’re riding with the Lightning to win outright at home with -142 moneyline odds.

Bet: Tampa Bay Lightning Moneyline (-142)

Seattle Kraken (+188) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-230) | O/U 6.5 (-108/-112)

Seattle and Edmonton have both been lucrative teams for us lately, so this matchup is going to test our loyalty to both teams. Oddsmakers are giving the Oilers a significant edge in betting markets, sitting at -230 moneyline odds, likely due to their current 11-game winning streak. A slow start resulted in the firing of Edmonton’s head coach, but this has seemingly sparked the offense into a frenzy, as the Oilers have scored 3.5 goals per game, fifth-most in the league.

One of Edmonton’s primary goal scorers is Zach Hyman. He skates on the first-line attack alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, earning extra minutes on the top powerplay unit. Hyman leads the team in goals (26) and is currently on a two-game goal and point drought. This will change tonight while hosting the Kraken. Hyman hasn’t gone more than two consecutive games without a goal since mid-November, plus he poured in three goals against Seattle for a hat trick on November 11th.

At +125 odds, we’re landing great value with backing Hyman to notch his 27th goal of the 2023-24 season, extending his lead as Edmonton’s primary goal scorer. Let’s stake a unit on the talented right-winger to light the lamp ahead of Thursday’s home ice tilt against the Kraken.

Bet: Zach Hyman Anytime Goal Scorer (+125)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:


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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.

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