Top NHL Parlay Picks for Thursday

We should have our busiest NHL night in a while with 11 games still scheduled on Thursday. Here are three moneyline favorites we like for our NHL parlay picks.

Good news for Calgary Flames fans! The NHL has regularly been postponing games in Canada because of limits on attendance due to COVID-19. Thus, the Flames haven’t played a home game since Dec. 11, but they are scheduled to on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. I would love Calgary on the moneyline there but as of this writing, it’s not 100% certain that Flames No. 1 netminder Jacob Markstrom will play due to a minor injury. If he does play, it’s a safe wager.

We don’t have much choice but to take huge favorites because every home favorite it at least -180 for Thursday’s games, and I don’t see worthwhile action on puck lines or totals for our NHL parlay picks.

Here’s a look at my top parlay picks for Thursday’s NHL action (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale):

Thursday's Top NHL Parlay Picks

Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks (-195) ?????New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders (-200) ?????Buffalo Sabres vs. Nashville Predators (-300) ?????

SEE ALSO: Anaheim Ducks Feeling Heat in Playoff Race

Top NHL Parlay Predictions

Blackhawks (-195)

The Dec. 9 game between these two in Montreal was incredibly memorable for Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a Quebec native who grew up a Habs fan. He blanked Montreal, 2-0 to become the third goalie in history with 500 career wins (now 503).

It should be Fleury in net on Thursday, and he has won back-to-back starts, while allowing three total goals on 57 shots. Those were both on the road and against teams a lot better than Montreal. Thursday also will be the debut of Chicago's 2020 first-round pick, left wing Lukas Reichel. The 19-year-old had 11 goals and 20 points in 20 games with Rockford of the AHL this season and was practicing on the top line with Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome on Wednesday.

Frankly, though, this is a total fade of Montreal, which is in the second half of a back-to-back after losing 5-1 to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. The Canadiens' roster remains obliterated by COVID-19 absences and injuries, although a few guys returned against the Bruins. 

Sam Montembeault should start in net for the Canadiens, and he’s 1-6-2 with a 3.99 goals against average and .895 SV. He had to relieve Jake Allen in Boston after Allen got injured. Just a slight mismatch vs. the future Hall of Famer Fleury.

Montreal is 4-11 in its last 15 games in the second of a back-to-back. The Blackhawks are a safe start to our NHL parlay picks.

Islanders (-200)

The Islanders are just 4-5-3 at their new billion-dollar home but beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Dec. 11 – that was New York’s first-ever win at UBS Arena.

Goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 shots in that victory, and he should be in net on Thursday. He has been great at home with a 2.12 GAA and hasn’t allowed more than three goals in any of his last five starts overall. The Islanders are quite healthy, although head coach Barry Trotz is in protocols.

Like the above game, this is a fade on a visiting team that is ravaged by COVID and injuries as New Jersey is without a few top-six forwards, No. 1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton, and both top goaltenders. Thus, it will be 27-year-old journeyman Jon Gillies on Thursday.

He has made only 14 appearances in the league since 2016 and is 0-1-1 in two outings this season (one with the St. Louis Blues), allowing three goals in each outing. It's a major mismatch vs. Sorokin, and New York is 4-0 in its last four games as a favorite.

Predators (-300)

The Predators look like Stanley Cup contenders right now while on a five-game win streak. They won a terrific back-and-forth matchup and the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, 5-4 in overtime, to end the Avalanche’s five-game win streak. Find me a better goaltender right now than Juuse Saros, who has started each game in the streak – there’s no shame in allowing four to high-powered Colorado. At home, Saros is 11-5-0 with a 1.99 GAA.

While Nashville is without top forward Filip Forsberg (18 goals and 11 assists), that’s nothing compared to how short-handed the Sabres are. Buffalo lost its sixth game in a row on Tuesday in embarrassing fashion, 6-1 at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

To make matters worse, current No. 1 netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left due to a lower-body injury and then his replacement, Malcolm Subban, also got injured even though he finished the game. Craig Anderson (upper body) and Dustin Tokarski (COVID-19) are still unavailable, so the team had to sign Michael Houser off the street and call up Aaron Dell, who should start on Thursday.

In addition, several forwards and defensemen are out for Buffalo, which has all of three wins in its last 20 games. Back the Preds to complete our NHL parlay picks.

Combined NHL Parlay Odds: Blackhawks (-195) + Islanders (-200) + Predators (-300) = +202

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com's community forums and betting tools.

NHL parlay picks made 1/13/2022 at 8:57 a.m. ET.