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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (2/16)

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We have a strong eight-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Below, I give out my two best bets for Thursday’s NHL slate.

And here are our other top picks for Thursday:

And let’s take a look at our other best bets for Thursday:

View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>

Thursday’s Best NHL Bets

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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)

Philadelphia Flyers (+170) @ Seattle Kraken (-210) | O/U 6 (-110/-110)

Later in the evening, the Pacific Division’s Seattle Kraken host the Metropolitan Division’s Philadelphia Flyers. There have been six or fewer total goals scored in five of Philadelphia’s last six games and in four of Seattle’s last six, two trends that are likely to continue in this contest as goaltender Carter Hart is expected to start between the pipes for the Flyers.

It has been yet another strong campaign for Hart, who boasts a .913 SV% and 2.78 GAA through 40 appearances in the crease. Entering this matchup in particularly dominant form, Hart is 2-1-1 with .962 SV% and 1.23 GAA over his last four starts.

Based on his metrics, regression should not be an issue for Hart as he ranks 11th among starting goaltenders in GSAx/60 at 5-on-5. However, goal support will likely be an issue once again as Philadelphia ranks just 27th in the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5.

On the other side, Seattle’s sandpaper playstyle should make life hard on the Flyers. At 5-on-5, the Kraken rank 10th in the league in xGA/60.

However, similar to Philadelphia, Seattle may also struggle to score as they rank just 20th in the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5.

Best Bet: Under 6 (-110 via BetMGM)

Best of luck!

Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners â€” or head to more advanced strategy — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread â€” to learn more.

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.