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NHL Odds & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Thursday

Scott Cullen

Last Updated: January 26, 2023 1:21 PM EST • 3 min 34 sec read.

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

Thursday brings a nine-game schedule to the National Hockey League, including a premier Atlantic Division matchup and a great modern-day rivalry.  Read on for today’s NHL Best Bets based on the latest odds.

The first-place Boston Bruins might be running away from the rest of the league, but they face a tough test Thursday night against the Lightning in Tampa Bay. Can the Lightning stop Boston’s six-game winning streak?

As for the rivalry, it is always an event when Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals visit Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ovechkin and Crosby have been the faces of the league for a long time, and they are still getting the job done. Crosby is 12th in the NHL with 57 points in 47 games and Ovechkin is tied for sixth with 31 goals in 49 games.

Here are our NHL Best Bets for Thursday (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out all of our NHL best bets!

Thursday’s NHL Schedule and Odds

(odds via DraftKings)

  • Boston Bruins (-115) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-105)
  • Pittsburgh Penguins (+110) vs. Washington Capitals (-130)
  • Detroit Red Wings (-165) vs. Montreal Canadiens (+140)
  • Philadelphia Flyers (+200) vs. Minnesota Wild (-240)
  • New Jersey Devils (-130) vs. Nashville Predators (+110)
  • Buffalo Sabres (+155) vs. Winnipeg Jets (-180)
  • Anaheim Ducks (+310) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-380)
  • Chicago Blackhawks (+330) vs. Calgary Flames (-410)
  • St. Louis Blues (-155) vs. Arizona Coyotes (+135)

Thursday’s NHL Best Bets

  • Moneyline: Devils (-130 via DraftKings Sportsbook) vs. Predators ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Spread: Flames -1.5 (-145 via Caesars Sportsbook) vs. Blackhawks ⭐⭐⭐
  • Total: Flyers-Wild Under 6 (-110 via DraftKings Sportsbook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Prop: Jordan Kyrou Anytime Goal (+150 via Caesars Sportsbook) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday's NHL Top Picks

Moneyline: Devils ML (-130 via DraftKings) vs. Predators ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Devils are one of the top teams in the league – and that has been most evident on the road, where they have a ridiculous 18-2-2 record.

Part of the Devils’ success away from the Prudential Center is based on their scoring balance. Jack Hughes has 16 goals in 22 road games, but the Devils also have 10 players – including nine forwards – with at least 11 points in those games.

The opposition can get whatever line matchups they want on home ice – and it hasn't mattered all when facing New Jersey.

While the Predators have a solid 13-7-3 record at Bridgestone Arena, they do not control play, earning just 50.3% of expected goals during five-on-five play at home (good for 23rd in the NHL). That puts a lot of pressure on goaltender Juuse Saros, who has fared well for the most part but has allowed five goals in two of his past five starts.

Most of the top-rated sportsbooks are in agreement on the odds, with the Devils moneyline at -130 (or -131 at PointsBet). FanDuel is the outlier (and not in a good way) with New Jersey -137.

Spread: Flames -1.5 (-145 via Caesars) vs. Blackhawks ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although the Flames have not been terribly consistent this season, they have pulled their weight on home ice.

Calgary has a 14-8-2 record at the Scotiabank Saddledome – and while the .625 home points percentage ranks 10th, they are controlling 56.5% of give-on-five expected goals, which ranks fourth overall.

The visiting Blackhawks have shown signs of life with a 6-3 record in the past nine games, but they are pulling a league-worst 36.8% of expected goals during five-on-five play away from the United Center.

The moneyline price is awfully steep, going beyond -400, so take the Flames to cover the puck line instead. Caesars has the best price among top sportsbooks, with Calgary -1.5 (-145), while FanDuel and BetMGM have already pushed the line to -2.5.

Check out our latest Hart Trophy odds!

Total: Flyers-Wild Under 6 (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

Philadelphia has improved quite a bit since the holiday break and is playing a much more responsible two-way game. The Flyers are 9-4-1 in 14 games since the break, with better than league average results in terms of shots, expected goals, and goals allowed.

As a result, Philadelphia has hit a total of six goals or fewer in six straight road games.

Flyers goaltender Carter Hart has been excellent on the road this season, posting a .921 save percentage and a 2.69 goals against average. He can keep this game Under pretty much by himself.

The Wild, meanwhile, rank second in the league in expected goals against at home, and while their goaltending has been better away from Xcel Energy Center, they have hit a total of six goals or fewer in eight consecutive home games.

Sportsbooks are unanimous in having no idea which way this game will go, with -110 on both the Over and the Under. Based on Philadelphia's improved defense, I’ll take the Under.

Check out our latest Norris Trophy odds.

Prop: Jordan Kyrou Anytime Goal (+150 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kyrou is a consistent goal-scoring threat, putting up 23 goals in 45 games – and that includes at least one goal in 11 of 21 road games. He has 13 goals in his past 17 games overall.

Kyrou is matched up against a Coyotes team that ranks 23rd in goals against on home ice with 3.42 goals against per 60 minutes at Mullett Arena.

I have a Kyrou anytime goal priced closer to +110, so getting him at +150 at Caesars or +148 at FanDuel is strong value.

NHL Best Bet picks made 1/26/2023 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Scott Cullen
Scott Cullen is SportsbookReview.com's Sports Betting Analyst and is one of the most well-known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years, and he has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight, and McKeen's Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen was an Economics major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team.