NHL best bets today (Rangers will best Bruins at MSG)

We had another successful night of NHL picks last night, thanks to the underdog San Jose Sharks who stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Dallas Stars, 5-3.

Now, have have a massive slate of games to watch and bet on tonight. There are 13 total games in the NHL on Thursday night. In celebration of that, I have a whopping five (5) plays for tonight’s slate.

Let’s dive into them.

NHL best bets record-to-date

• 141-114-3 (+16.68 units)

NHL best bets today (Thursday, January 19)

• Rangers -102 vs. Bruins
• Ducks/Blue Jackets UNDER 6.5 (-115)
• Hurricanes -165 vs. Wild
• Kraken +118 vs. Devils
• Kings -125 vs. Stars

Side note: For transparency, some times the numbers I have bet on games are no longer available due to me placing the bets the night before writing the article. All of my bets are verified and tracked on BetStamp here.

If I am putting the pick in my article, it means I still like it at their current and most up-to-date odds.

Rangers -102 vs. Bruins

I may get burned attempting to fade the Boston Bruins once again, but the stats tell me they aren’t playing as good as their record indicates, and as a result, are being overvalued in the betting market.

For example, they’re 21st in CORSI% over their last 10 games and 20th in expected goals for per game. Not only that, but Jeremy Swayman is expected to get the start in between the pipes in place of Linus Ullmark tonight. Swayman has been solid, but Ullmark has been the best goaltender in the league this year. Swayman is a significant downgrade.

Ducks/Blue Jackets UNDER 6.5 (-115)

I’m absolutely shocked that the total in this game is set at 6.5. These two teams are averaging a combined 4.06 goals per game over their last 10 games, two and a half goals fewer than what the total is set at in this game.

Sure, the goaltenders in this matchup have been terrible this season, but I have no faith their offenses can do enough for seven goals to be scored in this game, no matter who is in net.

Hurricanes -165 vs. Wild

The Hurricanes, in my opinion, are the best team in the NHL. Over their last 10 games, they lead the league in CORSI% at 60.69%, that’s almost 5% better than the next best team. They also lead the league in expected goals percentage, with an expected goals for of 3.87 and an expected goals against of 2.76.

The Wild are an average team at best, and Marc-Andre Fleury has a disappointing .905 save percentage this season. I’ll lay the juice on the Canes at home tonight.

Kraken +118 vs. Devils

The New Jersey Devils started the season as one of the best defensive teams in the NHL, but they have fallen off a cliff in their own zone in 2023. Over their last 10 games, they’re 29th in expected goals against.

That may be bad news for them tonight as they take on the best shooting team in the NHL. The Kraken are averaging 4.4 goals per game over their last 10, while sporting an ultra-impressive shooting percentage of 15.33%.

You can’t give a team like that plenty of high-danger scoring chances, but that’s what the Devils are going to do tonight. The Kraken are a solid home underdog tonight.

Kings -125 vs. Stars

The Stars starting goaltender, Jake Oettinger, has been one of the top goalies in the NHL this season. He has a .924 save percentage and is a big reason why the Stars are in contention in the Central Division.

In what’s bad news for Stars fans, backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood is likely going to get the start tonight, and he’s a significant step down from Oettinger. He has a .905 save percentage on the year, and allowed six goals to the Calgary Flames in his last game.

With the Kings at home tonight, I think they’re the smart play against the Stars, who are coming off a tough loss to the Sharks last night.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.