Us hockey fans are in for a busy Thursday, as we have a 14-game slate on our hands. With playoff races heating up and trade deadline acquisitions getting more and more familiar with their new teams, it is sure to be an eventful night of NHL action! If you will be enjoying the action and want to have even more stake in the game, I’ve picked out my NHL best bets for Thursday with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. In addition, don’t forget to sure to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season.
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NHL best bet: Columbus Blue Jackets ML over Florida Panthers (-105)
The Blue Jackets were finally able to get over the hump and snap a 9-game losing streak to the Panthers with a 4-2 win over Florida last week on March 5. Heading on the road to face them just one week later, I expect the Blue Jackets to be victorious once again. Columbus continues to push for a playoff spot, as they are now just 2 points behind Boston for the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Columbus is playingits best hockey at the right time, and the head coaching change from Dean Evason to Rick Bowness continues to pay off in the best possible way.
The Blue Jackets are now 14-2-3 with Bowness at the helm, and they have out-scored their last 15 opponents by a margin of 60-41. Columbus has also been great on the road lately, winning 7 of its last 8 road games. The Panthers are enduring their toughest regular season in a while, and are well outside the playoff hunt. Florida is extremely vulnerable this season, and I expect Columbus to take advantage of its opportunities en route to another win in this matchup.
Read our full Blue Jackets vs Lightning prediction
NHL best bet: New Jersey Devils ML over Calgary Flames (-185)
New Jersey has a strong scheduling advantage in this matchup against Calgary, as Sheldon Keefe’s squad has not played since Sunday against Detroit, giving them 3 days of rest between games. On the other side, the Flames are in the midst of a 5-game road trip and will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. The Flames have lost each of their first 2 games on the trip, falling to the Capitals 7-3 on Monday and the Rangers 4-0 on Tuesday. The Flames have struggled on the road all season long, as they own a less-than-ideal road record of 9-20-3.
Calgary has also moved on from some key pieces in recent weeks, trading away veterans Rasmus Andersson, Nazem Kadri, and Mackenzie Weegar. The Flames were already having a tough season, but finishing out the campaign without those veteran presences could make for a long final stretch of the season. After struggling for most of the season, the New Jersey offense has woken up lately scoring 18 total goals over its 4-game win streak. The Devils were held scoreless in their last outing, so I expect them to come out firing with an aggressive plan in the offensive zone in a winnable game on home ice.
Read our full Flames vs Devils prediction
NHL best bet: Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning over 6 (-115)
The Lightning enter this game against the Red Wings on a roll offensively, as they’ve scored 14 total goals over their last 3 games. Nikita Kucherov continues to post other-worldly numbers, as he’s up to 104 points on 34 goals and 70 assists in 59 games this season. Kucherov has torched the Red Wings in his career, totaling 54 points on 21 goals and 33 assists in 41 career games against Detroit. With key contributors like Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel also rolling, Kucherov should be able to lead the Bolts to a solid offensive effort tonight.
The Red Wings have been without captain Dylan Larkin over the last 2 games, as he is dealing with a lower body injury. However, they’ve still been alright offensively, scoring 6 total goals in those 2 games. It seems that there’s a decent chance he is able to suit up for this one, which would be a big boost for Detroit. But even if he isn’t able to go, Detroit forwards Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Patrick Kane are more than capable of picking up the slack. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not been great since the Olympic break, as he’s allowed 3+ goals in 4 of 5 games since February 28. All in all, both offensive attacks seem to have the edge in this matchup.
Read our full Red Wings vs Lightning prediction
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