We have a strong eight-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Here are my two best bets for Thursday’s NHL slate. Below is a closer look at Devils vs. Blues.
And let’s take a look at our other best bets for Thursday:
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- NBA Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA PrizePicks Player Prop Bets & Picks
- NBA Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
- College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NHL Goal in First Ten (GIFT) Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NHL Player Prop Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NHL Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>
Thursday’s Best NHL Bets: Devils vs. Blues
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New Jersey Devils (-150) @ St. Louis Blues (+130) | O/U 6.5 (+100/-120)
The Central Division’s St. Louis Blues host the Metropolitan Division’s New Jersey Devils on ESPN. Simply put, New Jersey is better than St. Louis in almost every facet of the game.
At 5-on-5, the Devils rank seventh in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and eighth in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). On the other hand, the Blues rank just 26th in the league in xGF/60 and 25th in xGA/60 at 5-on-5.
New Jersey also boasts the advantage in net as goaltender Vitek Vanecek is slated to start between the pipes. Through 35 appearances in the crease this season, Vanecek is 23-5-3 with a .916 save percentage (SV%) and 2.31 goals against average (GAA).
Among starting goaltenders, he ranks 10th in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5. Across the ice, goaltender Jordan Binnington is slated to start for St. Louis.
This season, Binnington possesses a worse SV%, GAA, and GSAx/60 at 5-on-5 than Vanecek. With the better offense, defense, goaltender, and potential return of superstar forward Jack Hughes, the Devils are the team to back in this nationally televised game.
Best Bet: Devils ML (-150 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Best of luck!
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View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>
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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.