NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (12/18)
We have 10 games to choose from for our Thursday wagers. Here are my favorite bets.
Thursday’s NHL Best Bets & Picks
Edmonton Oilers (-122) @ Boston Bruins (+118)
The Oilers (16-12-6) head into Boston to take on the Bruins (20-14) in what should be the marquee matchup of the evening. Connor McDavid versus David Pastrňák is typically must-see television, and these two teams have been evenly matched over the last four seasons, with Edmonton holding a 5-3 series lead and having won the previous three. While it seems like this should be an easy OVER bet, six of the last eight games have gone UNDER the total, and the game has been won by more than one goal only twice. So how do we attack this?
Well, the Bruins lead the league in power-play opportunities afforded opponents (124), which spells trouble against the team with the highest power-play conversion rate (32.6%). Our two best bets here are on McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to each pick up a power-play point tonight.
Pick: Connor McDavid PPP (+105)
Pick: Leon Drasaitl PPP (+113)
Minnesota Wild (-111) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+110)
The Wild (20-9-5) head to Ohio to take on the Blue Jackets (14-13-6) in what should be a lopsided matchup in favor of the visiting team. Minnesota ranks second in the league in goals allowed per game (2.53), while Columbus ranks as the fourth-worst in the category (3.45). Additionally, Jesper Wallstedt is in net for the Wild. The rookie goalie has a sparkling 1.95 GAA, a .937 save percentage, and a 9-1-2 record in 2025. Columbus has a decent offense, but the defensive gap is just too wide for them to overcome. The Wild have also been good at covering the spread of late, so that’s the direction we will head for this one.
Pick: Wild -1.5 (+221)
Alex Tuch + Trevor Zegras Point Parlay (+169)
The Sabres host the Flyers this evening, which should be a decent matchup as Buffalo plays much better at home. Alex Tuch has been a point machine this season, picking up at least one in seven of his last 10 as well as one in each of his last four games against Philly. Meanwhile, Trevor Zegras has gotten on the scoresheet in each of the last five games and 71.9% of the time in 2025. Putting the two together makes for very nice odds.
Favorite Goalie Plays
Our four- and five-star UNDER bets on goalie saves are up 15.44 units this season, a 9.9% ROI. Here are today’s best bets:
| Goalie | Matchup | Line | Odds |
| Jakub Dobes | CHI @ MTL | 21.5 | -120 |
| Logan Thompson | TOR @ WSH | 22.5 | -110 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | LA @ TB | 24.5 | -115 |
| Spencer Knight | CHI @ MTL | 23.5 | -113 |
| Samuel Ersson | PHI @ BUF | 22.5 | -108 |
Favorite SOG Plays
So far this season, bets on the UNDER on Shots on Goal rated 3 to 5 stars are up 32.78 units. Here are the best options for Thursday.
| Player | Matchup | Line | Odds |
| Elias Lindholm | EDM @ BOS | 1.5 | -112 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | LA @ TB | 1.5 | +101 |
| John Tavares | TOR @ WSH | 2.5 | -122 |
| Andre Burakovsky | CHI @ MTL | 1.5 | -122 |
| Eeli Tolvanen | SEA @ CGY | 1.5 | +135 |
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