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Oilers vs. Bruins: Today’s Best NHL Bets & Picks

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We have a stacked 11-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups. Below, I give out my best bets for Thursday’s 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

Edmonton Oilers (+150) @ Boston Bruins (-182) | O/U 6.5 (-114/-107)

Later in the evening, the Atlantic Division’s Boston Bruins host the Pacific Division’s Edmonton Oilers. While the mighty Bruins are rightfully favored in this matchup considering they are the best team in hockey, the price is a bit steeper than it should be.

The Oilers have been playing some great hockey lately, which is a product of the efforts of perhaps the most dominant athlete in North American sports, Connor McDavid. The guy has gone absolutely nuclear over his last eight games, potting 12 goals while adding 10 assists over that stretch.

At 5-on-5, Edmonton now ranks third in the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5, which is nine spots higher than Boston. While the Bruins are obviously stronger defensively, they rank just nine spots higher than the Oilers in xGA/60 at 5-on-5.

Boston also boasts the edge in net in this contest, with Vezina Trophy favorite Linus Ullmark slated to go against rookie netminder Stuart Skinner. However, the disparity in play this season is not as drastic as one would think.

Among starting goaltenders, Ullmark ranks first in GSAx/60 at 5-on-5 while Skinner ranks just two spots behind. Edmonton should be able to hang around with the Bruins in this contest, at least much more so than this price would indicate.

Best Bet: Oilers +1.5 (-152)

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.

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