The NHL season has finally reached April, the month in which both the regular season ends and the postseason begins. A lot is going to happen in a short amount of time. There are several teams essentially already playing playoff hockey as they push to make the actual postseason in crowded playoff pictures. Thursday’s loaded 14-game slate only adds to the drama and will be appointment television. If you will be tuning in and want to have some action, I’ve picked out my NHL best bets for Thursday, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also, be sure to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season, including all 14 matchups today.
NHL best bet: Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes over 6.5 (-105)
This game will be the 2nd of a home-and-home series between the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes. Carolina beat Columbus 5-2 on Tuesday, which was the 4th straight loss for the Blue Jackets. In their last 3 losses, the Blue Jackets have allowed 12 goals for an average of 4 goals allowed per game. That is very uncharacteristic for them since Rick Bowness took the reigns as head coach. Columbus does not have long to figure it out, and they have their work cut out for them to do so against a team that just hung 5 on them.
Tuesday’s win marked the 2nd time in 3 games and the 3rd time in 5 games in which Carolina scored 5 goals. Recently, the Hurricanes have been prone to allowing goals in bunches as well. Carolina has either scored or allowed 4+ goals in 8 out of their last 9 games, with 6 of those games having either scored or allowed 5+ goals. Their game totals in that span have averaged 6.78 goals and with that, the over has hit in 5 out of their last 7. Carolina’s recent volatility and high offensive upside, as well as Columbus’ slump and recent results on both side of the puck, bode well for another over.
Read our full Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes prediction
NHL best bet: Bruins vs Panthers over 6.5 (+105)
Bruins vs Panthers has turned into one of the more intriguing matchups in hockey over the last few years. This season has been no different. These teams have met twice this year in games which ended in final scores of 4-3 and 5-4. The Panthers won both games, but this one sets up a bit better for the Bruins. Whether Boston can avoid the season sweep or not, a consistent trend between these teams is high totals.
Dating back to last season, the over has hit in 5 out of the last 6 played head-to-head. Those game totals averaged 7.5 combined goals. Another over between the Bruins and Panthers would only reinforce their respective recent trends, too. The over has hit in 6 out of Boston’s last 7 games, and they have scored 20 goals over their last 4 games. In the 3 games prior, they scored 12 goals. Boston games have not seen a total lower than 6.0 in 7 games. Meanwhile, the Panthers have either scored or allowed 4+ goals in 7 out of their last 9 games. The pure matchup and recent trends look great for another high total between these teams.
Read our full Bruins vs Panthers prediction
NHL best bet: Oilers -1.5 over Blackhawks (+105)
To no surprise, the Oilers have won both games played against the Blackhawks this season. Edmonton has a good chance to sweep the season series in convincing fashion on Thursday. Chicago enters this game having dropped 4 consecutive games by an average loss of 3 goals per game. That contributes to a stretch in which they have dropped 6 out of their last 7 and own a 5-8-5 record since the Olympic break. The Blackhawks have taken a step forward and played hard this season, but they are still several steps away from hanging with the likes of the consecutive defending conference winning Oilers. Chicago has their work cut out for them tonight.
This year has not been the smoothest for the Oilers. Despite bouts with inconsistency, they still have a chance to win the Pacific and are as poised for a deep run as any team in the West given their last few years. Edmonton has turned it on when they need to, having won 4 straight entering Thursday as part of 6 wins in their last 8. The Oilers are already the better team in this game, but they also will play with added urgency to collect 2 important points to keep pace for the Pacific lead. The better team will come out with some added pep in its step and has a good chance to run up the score for an important win.
Find out our NHL predictions for all 14 matchups tonight!
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