NHL picks: 4 best bets for Thursday
13 Jan
NHL
Guy Giles1
Chris Peters makes four money line picks for Thursday night's NHL action.

All the latest NHL lines can be found on the Betway sportsbook. Before finalising your online sports betting selections, make sure to check out our expert’s NHL picks and NHL predictions.

Lightning to beat Canucks 1.42

The Canucks suffered their first regulation loss of the Bruce Boudreau era on Tuesday night when they fell to a 5-2 defeat against the Florida Panthers. Now they head across the Florida peninsula to take on the red-hot Lightning that are healthy and just about fully loaded at this stage of the season.

The Lightning have been a little inconsistent since the COVID pause, with a 4-3-1 record. This week, they’re schedule has been a little more spread out with only two games over the last five days. Stretches like that will become a luxury.

With the Bolts well-rested and the Canucks coming off of a pretty tough loss, I think the Bolts should be able to handle this one as the home side, barring one of those classic Thatcher Demko games that he’s played of late where he can steal a win.

I think depth wins out here and the Lightning are far deeper.

Jets to beat Red Wings 1.80

The Jets have been among the toughest teams to read this season, but we should learn a lot about them soon. They’re playing in the fourth game of an eight-game road swing through the U.S. and coming off of a lopsided loss to the Colorado Avalanche. That said, they’ve had six days between games and look poised to regroup.

The Red Wings, meanwhile are coming off of a three-game road swing through the American West that saw them pick up two points, but both were in overtime or shootout losses as they lost all three games in California.

The Wings have been very comfortable on home ice this season, with the 11th-best points percentage in the NHL when playing at home. Detroit is 12-5-2 in Little Caesars Arena so far this season. They’ll head into this game a little road-weary, however, with three games over the last week all on the road and long travel back to Detroit. I don’t like how that sets up for the Wings, especially when the team on the other side has had time to regroup and recuperate.

That’s not to say it will be an easy road for the Jets. Blake Wheeler is still out and Nikolaj Ehlers is in COVID-19 protocol.

Blackhawks to beat Canadiens 1.45

With wins in each of their last two, the Blackhawks have shaken off an ugly loss to the last-place Coyotes. Now they’ll welcome Montreal into town and the Habs are just hanging on by a thread these days. They are winless since the extended COVID pause, with games spread out due to postponements and rescheduled contests. On top of that, they’re playing the second half of a road back-to-back after dropping a 5-1 decision to the Boston Bruins.

The Blackhawks have a little momentum even though they’ve sustained some roster losses, not the least of which being top defenseman Seth Jones, who has really turned his season around after a rough start.

With the Habs weakened by injury and COVID protocols, the fact they’re on the second half of a back to back and with Chicago playing well in their last few games, Chicago has the schedule and the depth on its side.

Flames to beat Senators 1.35

This is a tough game to look at because neither team has played well of late, and in the Sens’ case, they’ve barely played at all with a 6-0 loss to Toronto on New Year’s Day. They’ve been off since, just practicing and waiting as games get cancelled and postponed all around them. Maybe that’s helpful, maybe it isn’t.

Either way, they’ll be going into Calgary to play against one of the stingier teams in the league and the Sens have struggled to score all season. On top of that, top young player Tim Stützle is unavailable due to COVID protocols, which dings the offensive attack even more.

As for the Flames, they’ve lost three straight, albeit against top NHL teams on the road. Returning home after nearly a full week between games after being humbled a bit by some of the league’s best should put Calgary on its toes. On top of that, the Flames are largely healthy, untouched by COVID-19 protocols to this point and well-rested.

This looks like the Sens could be walking into a bear trap. I’d consider a puckline play here.

BETWAY BOOST: Lightning, Jets, Blackhawks and Flames all to win 6.00