NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Thursday, December 19

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Published on December 19, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Thursday, Dec. 19

It's a busy night in the National Hockey League Thursday, with nine games on the slate. We'll focus on a pair of late-night games for a couple of parlay opportunities. We'll be looking to bounce back after a couple of disastrous betslips Wednesday.

If you've followed along, I am happy to report my four-month rehab from a torn adductor and groin muscle is in the rear-view mirror, as I played Wednesday night at the Carolina Hurricanes practice facility. It felt good to be back. Now, we have the holidays, and it's a three-week wait again until the next one. Man! Anyway, we'll have to just keep busy and keep betting every night watching 'real' hockey. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

Boston Bruins at Edmonton Oilers

The Boston Bruins (17-13-3) wrap up a five-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers (18-11-2) at Rogers Place. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

The B's started out this journey with an ugly pair of losses in Winnipeg and Seattle by a 13-2 margin. Boston has bounced back with a 5-1 win in Vancouver, and a 4-3 OTW in Calgary. It can end up picking up six out of a possible 10 points with a victory over Edmonton.

This has been a wild series lately, as the road team has won eight straight meetings since Jan. 4, 2020. The last time a home team picked up a victory was back on Oct. 18, 2018 when the Oilers eked out a 3-2 win in overtime.

The Oilers suffered a 6-5 loss against the Florida Panthers on Monday in a Stanley Cup Final rematch, halting a five-game win streak. Despite the loss, Edmonton's offense is averaging 6.0 goals per game (GPG) in the past three outings, while going for four or more goals in eight of the past 10 contests.

We'll take the Over, and bet it rather aggressively straight up. In fact, I've already made my play. And, it's hard to argue against backing the road team. Again, the road team has won eight in a row, so until we see some home cooking, roll the dice on the visitor for a solid value, just don't get carried away.

Bruins ML (+162 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 5.5 Goals (-140 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights

The Canucks (16-9-6) travel to meet the Golden Knights (20-8-3) at T-Mobile Arena, with a puck drop set for 10 p.m. ET. This game is also available on ESPN+.

This will be the first meeting between these teams this season. In 2023-24, the teams split 2-2, with the road team winning once apiece, while the road team is 5-2 in the past seven in the series.

Vancouver is coming off a 3-2 OTL in Utah behind Thatcher Demko, who has been slowly knocking off the rust. He allowed nine goals on 53 shots in his first two starts, going 0-1-1. He is 1-0-1 in the past two outings, allowing just four goals on 62 shots.

Adin Hill is likely to get the nod for VGK, although nothing is confirmed. He is 13-5-2 with a 2.78 GAA and .899 save percentage with 2 shutouts to date.

Vancouver is just 2-2-2 in the past six games, while Vegas is 5-1-0 in the same span. In addition, the Under is 6-1 in the past seven outings for the Golden Knights, while going 3-1 in the past four games for the Canucks. Since the price isn't insanely high, we'll back VGK, and then go low on the total.

Golden Knights ML (-160 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6 Goals (-120 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Before placing a bet on your favorite sports betting apps ensure you have the latest NHL odds to help you craft a well-researched betting card.