This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
What a beautiful board we have tonight. There are some absolute beauties for matchups. If you're a fan of good hockey and excellent television, tonight is the night to have multiple screens up consuming as many games as you can. While you plop into your viewing cushion of choice, here are the 5 bests bets in the NHL tonight to add some flavor to your evening.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Sports betting comes to Massachusetts tomorrow (!) and hockey fans in the state can get all the latest info on Massachusetts Sports Betting Promos, Massachusetts Betting Apps, and Massachusetts Sportsbooks here at RotoWire. If you haven't signed up at DraftKings, use DraftKings Massachusetts Promo Code upon registration to redeem $200 in bonus bets at launch.
Thursday's NHL Best Bets
Stars vs Sabres
The Sabres beat the Stars in their only other matchup this season, taking a 3-2 win out of their trip to Dallas on January 23. The Stars have been pretty solid down the stretch of late, going 3-1-1 in their last 5 games and posting 4-plus goals in each of those contests. The Sabres are just 1-4 in their last 5 games, but after beating the Lightning 5-3 on March 3, they've dropped two 1-goal losses to the Oilers and Islanders respectively. I expect them to play tight in this one tonight too as they continue to charge for a playoff berth. The Stars have shown chinks in the armor recently too, dropping games to the Blue Jackets, Blackhawks and Canucks in late February.
Sabres PL -175
Devils vs Capitals
The Devils bring the NHL's best road record of 23-4-4 into DC tonight. The Caps just got back from a 4-game road swing that took them from Buffalo to the West Coast and went 2-2 in those contests. The Devils are the most formidable foe the Caps have faced since besting the Rangers 6-3 on February 25. Alex Ovechkin's bunch has been reeling since the calendar flipped to 2023, going 10-15-1 which is just 1 victory shy of the 11 total wins they achieved in the month of December. They have a few key injuries to an already depleted defensive core, and the Devils have been firing on all cylinders. Not only are known names like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier producing for the Devils of late, but youngster Dawson Mercer has 17 points in his last 10 games, including 10 goals. The Devils play a much faster offensive game than the Caps' aging roster can skate with, and just have more mojo coming into this one.
Devils ML -145
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Predators vs Coyotes
The Predators have won 5 of their last 7 games heading into Mullett Arena tonight. They're 2-1 against the Coyotes this season too. They won 6-2 at Mullett Arena on February 26, lost 4-2 in Nashville on February 13, and picked up a 4-3 shootout win in Nashville way back on November 13. The Yotes just snapped a 3-game losing streak in their 6-2 win over the Blues on Tuesday. Clayton Keller has 22 points since the All-Star break which trails only Connor McDavid for most in the NHL in that span. Nick Schmaltz is also in the midst of a special span, scoring at least 1 goal in 9 of his last 13 games. I think the Coyotes will mix it up enough tonight to play tight with their Central Division counterpart. Bring back the Mullett Arena bias!
Coyotes PL -180
Senators vs Kraken
The Kraken are my new favorite team mostly because I am a wagon when I play with them in NHL 23. But they've also been a wagon in real life lately too, riding a 5-game win streak coming into home tonight's tilt with the Senators. The Sens are just 1 game removed from their own 5-game win streak, but somewhat surprising 5-0 loss to the Blackhawks at the United Center. I can't trust a team that gets blanked by the undisputed worst team in the league, especially since they also got totally outgunned in recent road games against the Hurricanes and Bruins. The Kraken can skate with teams like the Canes and B's, so I expect them to stay hot at home tonight too.
Kraken ML -140
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Golden Knights vs Lightning
It's hard for me to best against the Lighting at home in any fashion, but if I were to do so, their opponent would have to have done the following:
- Posted a 17-7-5 record on the road this season
- Beaten the Devils and Hurricanes in recent memory
- Played 1-goal games with the Stars and Panthers
- Beaten the Lightning in recent memory
The Golden Knights have done all of the above, including that 5-4 win over the Bolts in Vegas on February 18. Vegas is also 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, while the Lightning are reeling (for their championship-level standards) at 3-5-2. This should be a slugfest, but I expect both teams to keep it close.
Golden Knights PL -180
