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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (4/14)

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On the final day of the 2022-23 NHL regular season, we have a mini two-game slate. Below, I give out my best bet for Friday’s NHL action.

Follow me on Twitter to get all my plays on days without full write-ups.

Today’s Best NHL Bet

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

Buffalo Sabres (-155) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+125) | O/U 7 (+110/-134)

To kick-off Friday’s mini-slate, there is an Eastern Conference tilt with the Metropolitan Division’s Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Atlantic Division’s Buffalo Sabres. After scoring in last night’s contest against the Ottawa Senators, superstar forward Tage Thompson possesses the chance to become Buffalo’s first 50-goal-scorer since Alexander Mogilny buried 76 in 1992-93.

Thompson will need a big game to accomplish the feat, but we are going to back him to find the back of the net at least once at -106 via BetRivers. A monster on the power play, Thompson is in the top-five this season among goal scorers on the man-advantage, which could provide Columbus a lot of trouble.

This season, the Jackets rank just 25th in the league in penalty kill goals against per 60 minutes. Furthermore, Columbus falls even shorter at even-strength, ranking third-to-last in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

To make matters worse, half of the Jackets’ roster is going to miss the season finale due to maintenance or injury. Backing up this AHL-level lineup is goaltender Jon Gillies, who is projected to start on Friday evening.

Through two appearances in the crease this season, Gillies possesses a fade-worthy .846 save percentage and 4.62 goals against average. If he qualified, he would rank last among starting goaltenders in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

Thompson has scored in each of his two appearances against the Jackets this season, including his five-goal outburst against them on December 7. In fact, Thompson has scored at least one goal in five of his last six outings against Columbus, a trend likely to continue on Friday as he looks to cap-off his monstrous season.

Best Bet: Tage Thompson 1+ Goals (-106)

Best of luck!

Check out our other best bets for Friday:

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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.

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