We have nine games on the NHL schedule Thursday, including two in which both teams are in playoff spots. Read on for our top NHL best bets for Thursday based on the best NHL odds.
A pair of runners-up look to gain ground on their respective division leaders Thursday. The Los Angeles Kings, in second place in the Pacific Division, visit the New Jersey Devils, the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division.
Later, the Boston Bruins travel to Seattle to take on the Kraken. The Bruins are on top of the league, seven points ahead of the second-place Carolina Hurricanes, while the Kraken hold third spot in the Pacific but are just a point back of the Kings (and have a game in hand).
If individual matchups are more your thing, we've got a doozy in Pittsburgh as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. McDavid is cruising to his fifth scoring title in seven years while Crosby has turned back the clock in his age-35 season, ranked inside the top-15 in points.
Here are our best NHL picks for Thursday's schedule (odds via DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
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Thursday's NHL schedule and odds
(odds via FanDuel)
- Los Angeles Kings (+120) vs. New Jersey Devils (-144)
- Edmonton Oilers (-108) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (-111)
- Anaheim Ducks (+255) vs. Washington Capitals (-320)
- Buffalo Sabres (+176) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-215)
- New York Rangers (-172) vs. Detroit Red Wings (+142)
- Vancouver Canucks (+100) vs. St. Louis Blues (-120)
- Calgary Flames (+116) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-140)
- Boston Bruins (-176) vs. Seattle Kraken (+146)
- Nashville Predators (-125) vs. San Jose Sharks (+104)
Thursday's NH L best bets
- Spread: Capitals -1.5 (-122 via FanDuel) vs. Ducks ???
- Upset: Flames ML (+118 via FanDuel) vs. Golden Knights ????
- First Period Total: Canucks-Blues Over 1.5 (-180 via FanDuel) ????
- Prop: David Pastrnak anytime goal (-105 via DraftKings) ????
Thursday's NHL top picks
The Capitals have hit a low point in their season – but there are two compelling reasons to favor a rebound Thursday night.
After missing the past four games following the death of his father, Alex Ovechkin should be back in the lineup for the Washington Capitals Thursday. His return can't come too soon, with Washington has dropped five straight games.
And as bad as the Capitals have been over this recent stretch, the Ducks are mired in a season-long slump that has reached a new nadir. Anaheim is 0-5-1 in the past six games, with the five regulation losses all by a margin of three goals or more.
It gets worse. The Ducks surrender a league-high 4.15 goals against per 60 minutes, while scoring just 2.43 goals per 60, which ranks 29th. Their net of -1.72 goals per 60 minutes on the road is easily the worst in the NHL.
The moneyline and 60-minute moneyline are both expensive (as is standard for teams facing the Ducks), so look to the puckline for value.
BetMGM has the best puckline price for the Capitals among our top-rated sportsbooks, with Washington -1.5 (-120), which is slightly better than FanDuel at -122. DraftKings, Caesars, and PointsBet all have the Capitals on the puckline at -125.
Consistency has been elusive for the Flames, which is why they're on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture. But the underlying metrics are strong – hence my pick.
Calgary has been one of the premier possession teams in the league, ranking second in score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempt percentage and expected goals percentage during five-on-five play. And the Flames have outshot opponents by at least 10 in seven straight games.
The Flames outshot the Coyotes 51-14 in Wednesday's 6-3 win at Arizona, and are a solid 3-2-1 on the second half of a back-to-back.
The Golden Knights have surged to the top of the Pacific Division with a 5-0-2 record in the past seven games – but they've shown vulnerability despite their recent hot spell. They're just 6-5-3 since captain Mark Stone was sidelined, and their top two goaltenders are out.
That means Laurent Brossoit is expected to make his second NHL start of the s eason – and he could find himself unbearably busy against a surging Flames offense.
FanDuel has the best moneyline price for a Flames upset, with Calgary at +118, which is a little more appealing than the +115 at most of the other top-rated sportsbooks. DraftKings is lagging behind at +110.
When the goaltending matchup features Arturs Silovs against Jordan Binnington, you should run (not walk) to see which sports betting site has the best Over values.
Silovs is a 21-year-old who has started two NHL games, posting a .891 save percentage and 3.54 goals against average. Binnington has a larger sample of games, but he has a .893 save percentage in 25 home games, allowing 5.68 goals above expected at Enterprise Center.
Vancouver has hit a total of seven goals or more in 11 straight games. Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to Nashville snapped a streak of nine consecutive Canucks games in which the total went Over 1.5 in the first period.
The game total Over 7 at plus money is certainly playable, but the Canucks going Over 1.5 in the first period has been the way to go. DraftKings and FanDuel have the best price at -180, while BetMGM goes as steep as -208 for the first period Over.
David Pastrnak is a volume shooter with the second-shortest odds to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer.
He's averaging a career high 4.82 shots per game, which ranks second behind only Nathan MacKinnon. And that shot barrage has allowed Pastrnak to score just about anywhere: he has at least one goal in 15 of 27 road contests.
Thursday represents a solid matchup against Martin Jones and the Seattle Kraken. While the Kraken are a solid defensive team, their goaltending is suspect. Jones had some s uccess early in the season but has a .890 save percentage and has allowed at least four goals against in six of his past eight starts.
Most of the market agrees on the price for a Pastrnak anytime goal, though Caesars is on an island at -155. FanDuel does not have goal props listed for the Bruins and Kraken. My price would fall in between, around -125, so there is value to be found even for a high-profile sniper.
NHL best bets made 2/23/2023 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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