NHL picks: 4 best bets for Thursday
Chris Peters makes four money line picks for Thursday night's NHL action.
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Maple Leafs to beat Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have started rolling out of nowhere, winning four of their last five games including two straight game where they’ve scored eight or more goals. Forward Nick Schmaltz has 11 points over those last two games in one of the best two-game swings for any player in NHL history. Granted the 17 goals the team scored over the last two games came against the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings, but still, the results have been pretty shocking for a team that had spiraled most of the season.
Now they go into Toronto and have to take on a team that’s won two straight games but remains in a bit of an identity crisis. The Maple Leafs goaltending has been spotty, their defense might actually be worse, and they’ve had to basically score a bunch of goals to give themselves a chance to win. The Leafs have scored a minimum of four goals in five of their last six games and I’d expect them to do it again in this one.
Auston Matthews has been an unstoppable scorer as he makes a stronger case for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. As good as the Coyotes have been the last few days, I fully expect the Maple Leafs to pick up the win and I would also strongly consider betting the over in this game as well.
Kraken to beat Senators
The Senators picked up an impressive 4-1 win over the Blues on Tuesday to halt a five-game losing streak. It closed out a five-game road trip in style and now the Sens are back on home ice. Stringing wins together has been a challenge all year, winning consecutive games in only four instances this season.
The Seattle Kraken, meanwhile, have been awful of late with losses in 10 of their last 11, including a 6-4 loss to Toronto on Tuesday. While they’ve played so poorly, I kind of like the value on them as an underdog in this game. Their recent schedule has been an absolute grinder with nine of their last 11 against teams in a playoff race.
This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams and it’s probably more valuable for either of these teams to lose the game as it improves their draft lottery odds. Neither team has been very good, neither team has played particularly well, but as an underdog play, I think Seattle might have a little more pop in their lineup right now.
Devils to beat Jets
New Jersey, despite winning its last two games, is a home dog for this game. Those last two wins came against Central Division powers St. Louis and Colorado. The Devils have not been the most consistent of teams this season, but they still have played some especially effective hockey of late. Jack Hughes has been driving a lot of it for New Jersey as he has 14 points in his last eight games, registering multi-point efforts in six games over that span.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg is coming off of one of its best wins of the season, a 7-4 upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The issue with the Jets is that no one knows which team is going to show up on a given night. Without a miracle run, they’re not making the playoffs this year. They very well could be trade deadline sellers, too.
Both teams have had some recent success, but I feel a little more confidence in New Jersey as the home team here. That’s even with the expectation that rookie Nico Daws will be between the pipes for New Jersey. He’s had some effective starts in his young career to date. The Devils are better on home ice and the Jets have been middling on the road.
Flames to beat Lightning
Of all the games on the schedule tonight, this is the one I’m most excited to watch. These are two heavyweight teams that have skill throughout their lineup, play with some physicality and it’s also an exceptional goaltending matchup, assuming Jacob Markstrom and Andrei Vasilevskiy get the nets.
Once again, I’m looking at playing a home underdog. There’s no doubt in my mind that Tampa is a better team overall and they already have a 4-1 win over Calgary earlier in the year to prove it, but I really like the Flames at home. They’re 16-5-5 at the Saddledome, they’ll be well prepared for the game to try to slow down Tampa’s relentless attack and Markstrom has been in the net for 15 of those 16 home wins with a .925 save percentage.
Tampa took one on the chin in their last game, losing 7-4 to Winnipeg. I don’t anticipate that trend continuing, but this is a tough road trip for them through the West. I think they’ll rise to the challenge in the game, but I just think this is one the Flames feel like they have something to prove in.
Keep an eye on the goaltending matchup, but I still like the Flames in this one.