Parlays

Both the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes enter Thursday’s matchup looking to right the ship after suffering back-to-back losses in their last 2 games respectively. The Islanders simply can’t keep the puck out of their own net, but they are scoring goals at a high clip. A big reason for New York’s defensive woes has been the struggles of the penalty-killing unit. The Islanders have killed off just 71% of their opponents power plays, which ranks 24th in the league. The good news is that could be negated by Carolina’s league-worst power play percentage of 10%. Carolina has been better 5-on-5, but New York can also score goals at a high clip.

New York ranks 9th with 3.56 goals per game so far this season. The emergence of No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer has provided a spark, while veterans Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzel, and Anders Lee have also found the score sheet on a consistent basis. The Islanders have had their struggles defensively, but even in their last 2 losses, they scored 5 total goals. That kind of production can keep them in any game, especially against a team in Carolina whose power play is almost non-existent. Playing on the road, back the Islanders on the puck line +1.5 in this one.

Islanders vs Hurricanes prediction: New York Islanders +1.5 (-135) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are in Minnesota on Thursday night to take on the Wild. Both teams are off to relatively surprising starts, but for very different reasons. The Penguins have exceeded expectations thus far, owning a strong 7-2-2 record. On the other side, the Wild have disappointed early on, owning a less-than-ideal 3-5-3 mark. Minnesota’s woes can be attributed to a lack of consistent offense. The Wild rank 25th in the league scoring 2.73 goals per game. They have been extremely reliant on the power play, as they own the best power play percentage in the league at 31.8%, but playing at even strength has been a struggle – which isn’t what you want to see if you’re a Wild fan.

The Penguins are scoring 3.64 goals per game, which is good for 5th in the league. Just how sustainable is that? Pittsburgh is overachieving relative to preseason expectations so far, but they’ve now dropped 2 of their last 3 games and their goals per game average drops to 3.33 on the road. That’s still a solid number, but the Penguins have been much better on home ice. The good news is that Pittsburgh has been stout defensively all season, allowing just 2.55 goals per game. Given the Wild’s 5-on-5 struggles this season, Pittsburgh should be able to hold Minnesota to a low goal total. All in all, this could be a low-scoring affair. Look to the under.

Penguins vs Wild prediction: Under 6.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings meet up for a Thursday night, intra-conference battle in the NHL. These 2 have yet to meet this season, and will hit the ice for the first of 2 matchups this season. To get you set for the action to come, we have provided our expert Red Wings and predictions analysis.

These teams have accumulated a lot of recent wins, as the Red Wings have won 2-straight games, while the Kings are extremely hot at 4-0-2 in their last 6. This is exactly the performance the Kings expect, as opposed to their 1-3-1 start. This game will not be a cake walk for the Kings, though I see them taking it. I am concerned with the fact Detroit has very recently suffered multiple-goal losses to very beatable teams (Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders), and their 2 recent wins came against the coldest team in the NHL in the St. Louis Blues. They are also on the road for this game, where the Kings are extremely due for a win on home ice (0-2-1 this season). For our Red Wings vs. Kings prediction, take the Kings to win.

Red Wings vs. Kings prediction: Los Angeles Kings ML (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to (-160)

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This is one of those plays where the handicap is less about breaking down matchups and more about understanding market psychology. Oklahoma City is the reigning NBA champion, fresh off a franchise-record season in wins, and they’ve stormed out of the gate 5-0 again. The Thunder look every bit as potent as they did last year — deep, athletic, balanced, and relentless. The public loves them. The narrative loves them. And the market is making you pay a tax for them.

Meanwhile, Washington sits at the other end of the spectrum. The Wizards have been a punchline for the better part of the last few seasons, and while they are undeniably improved, reputations linger. The betting public sees “Wizards” and reflexively fades. Combine that with Washington blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead against Philadelphia on Tuesday — and narrowly missing a cover in the process — and the emotion kicks in. Nobody wants them. The “bad beat effect” is real, and bettors run from teams perceived to burn tickets.

This is not about loving the Wizards — it’s about buying the number. Paying for Oklahoma City here isn’t betting — it’s chasing. This is an overlay, and we’ll gladly step into the discomfort and grab the inflated points.

Wizards vs. Thunder prediction: Washington Wizards +15.5 (-110), available at number posted at time of writing. Playable to +15.

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Both the Golden State Warriors (4-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (3-1) are off to stellar starts heading into a showdown on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. I can’t trust the Bucks — at least not against a very good opponent — when they are such a one-man team at the moment. As such, my Warriors vs Bucks pick is on the visitors to win and cover. Giannis Antetokounmpo has led his squad in points and rebounds in all 4 games and in assists in 3 of the first 4 games. Newcomer Myles Turner is a nice all-around player, but he has provided little offense so far this season. Also, Kyle Kuzma has done nothing on that end of the floor.

The Warriors may be one of the oldest teams in the NBA, but early returns indicate that they may have at least one more run left in them. Their only loss through 5 outings has been the second leg of a back-to-back situation on the road. Other than that, they have been outstanding. Three different guys have led the team in points and 5 are averaging in double-figures. Stephen Curry is getting a ton of help, specifically from Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga. Moses Moody is doubtful for Thursday, but Golden State’s depth is such that Moody’s absence should not matter. He already missed Tuesday’s contest against the Clippers and all the Dubs did was dominate by 19 points.

Warriors vs Bucks prediction: Golden State -1.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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After they opened the season with a narrow loss to Orlando, the Heat have put together a 3-game win streak with impressive wins over Memphis, New York and Charlotte. That streak will be put to the test by the Spurs, who are yet to lose a game this season. Miami has had a solid record in head-to-head meetings, beating the Spurs in 5 straight away games. However, this was before Wembanyama became the player he is today. I’m curious to see how Bam Adebayo handles the Spurs big man down low, it could be a struggle dealing with Wemby’s length. While Miami has quite a few players out injured, they rely a lot on Bam for the offense to click.

San Antonio and its superstar Victor Wembanyama have been the talk of the league so far in the early going this season. At 4-0, they are 1 of 4 remaining unbeaten teams in the league, joining the Bulls, 76ers and Thunder. Not to downplay what the Spurs have achieved so far, but it is a bit obvious that they didn’t have the strongest of schedules. I’d argue Thursday’s game against Miami will be their toughest test so far, and the oddsmakers have them as 5.5 favorites.

Despite the success the Spurs have had, I am still hesitant to pull the trigger on this team.  That 5.5 point line looks a tad too big. Instead, I really like the point total market here. San Antonio ranks 1st in points per game allowed and they also hold opponents to just 41.6% shooting from the field. The Heat play at the fastest pace right now, but I don’t think they’ll be able to get to their averages on offense against the best defensive team in the NBA. Back the under here.

Heat vs Spurs Predictions: Under 232.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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