The NHL is serving up a nine-game slate to bet on Thursday night, giving us plenty of betting markets to find value on the board. Last week, my NHL Best Bets went 1-1, as New Jersey handled Ottawa 3-1 on the road to cash their -142 moneyline odds, while San Jose continued to flounder, losing 4-2 on the road to Chicago and currently the only winless team in the league.
In this article, I’ve got two best bets for Thursday’s October 24th NHL slate. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more NHL free bets and weekly analysis.
Thursday’s NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Dallas Stars vs. Boston Bruins
Dallas and Boston will face off at TD Garden during one of five 7 p.m. ET games tonight. Both teams are coming off of multi-goal losses, while the Bruins have lost three of their last four games outright. Oddsmakers are backing the Stars as moneyline favorites, making Boston a home underdog.
In their last four head-to-head matchups, dating back to 2022, Boston has won all four games outright. The Stars have failed to cover the puck line as road favorites in four straight outings and have lost five consecutive games at TD Garden. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman has allowed three or more goals in three of five starts to start this season, but he’s faced 73 shots during their two-game losing skid to Utah and Nashville.
Returning to home ice should help the Bruins, while the Stars have scored only scored more than three goals once in six games. This should be a low-scoring affair, which is why the goal total is set to 5.5. I think this matchup favors Boston, so at even odds as home underdogs, let’s back the Bruins to get off the schnide and beat a Stars team that just lost 4-2 to Buffalo on the road.
Pick: Bruins Moneyline (+100)
Colorado Avalanche vs. Utah Hockey Club
We’re heading out west for a late-night puck drop between the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Hockey Club. Utah has exceeded expectations to start the season, going 4-2-1 SU, while 4-3 to the goal total over.
Goaltending is the focal point of this matchup, as Avalanche netminder Alexander Georgiev has allowed a 4.98 GAA in four starts, surrendering three to five goals every time he’s been in the crease for Colorado. Utah goalie Connor Ingram has regressed as well, allowing four to five goals in four of six starts this season.
This over feels free, considering how much talent each team rosters on offense, while facing two goaltenders that have been among the worst in the net to start the 2024-25 NHL season. Plus, each of Colorado’s last eight road games against Central Division teams have gone over the total goals line. Let’s stake a unit on over 6.5 total goals, which may hit before the third period gets underway.
Pick: Over 6.5 Total Goals (-110)
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.