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NHL Betting Odds, Picks, & Predictions: Thursday (3/23)

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We have a stacked 12-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Below, I give out my two best bets for this NHL slate.

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

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Thursday:

Thursday’s Best NHL Bets

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

Minnesota Wild (-157) @ Philadelphia Flyers (+128) | O/U 6 (+100/-120)

To kick off Thursday’s NHL slate, the Metropolitan Division’s Philadelphia Flyers host the Central Division’s Minnesota Wild on ESPN. There have now been six or fewer total goals scored in eight of the last 11 meetings between these two clubs, a trend likely to continue on Thursday.

First of all, the Wild boasts one of the best blue line and goalie combinations in the league, which is part of the reason why the Under has been so profitable for them this season. At 5-on-5, Minnesota ranks second in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).

Backing up this terrific defense is Filip Gustavsson, who has quietly put up one of the best seasons among goaltenders. Through 33 appearances in the crease this year, Gustavsson is 18-9-5 with a .932 save percentage (SV%) and 2.04 goals against average (GAA).

Meanwhile, both of these offenses are fade-worthy as they each rank among the bottom ten of the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5. To make matters worse for Minnesota, star forward Kirill Kaprizov remains sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Best Bet: Under 6 (-120)

Tampa Bay Lightning (-143) @ Ottawa Senators (+120) | O/U 6.5 (-121/+100)

We are going to head in the opposite direction and take the Over in this Atlantic Division tilt between the fifth-place Ottawa Senators and third-place Tampa Bay Lightning. There have been seven or more total goals scored in five of the last seven meetings between these two clubs, a trend likely to continue between two strong offenses.

At 5-on-5, both teams rank in the top 10 of the league in xGF/60. However, things are much shakier defensively, as each squad ranks in the bottom half of the league in xGA/60 at 5-on-5.

Backing up Ottawa’s poor blue line is goaltender Mads Sogaard, who is just 6-6-2 with a .887 SV% and 3.33 GAA through 14 career starts with the Senators. There have now been seven or more total goals scored in five of his last six outings.

Across the ice, all-world goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is projected to start between the pipes for the Bolts. While Vasilevskiy is obviously the biggest obstacle for this Over, it is worth noting that he has allowed three or more goals in eight of his last 10 starts.

Over that stretch, he is a disappointing 3-5-2 with a .888 SV% and 3.40 GAA.

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-121)

Best of luck!

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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.