Eleven games go down in NHL Thursday night, each with a bevy of betting opportunities. We've gone down the wormhole of top NHL betting sites and have hand-picked the three bets worth making Thursday night. You get them free of cost if you keep reading!
Moneyline: Tampa Bay Lightning at New Jersey Devils
Here we have two Stanley Cup contenders doing battle Thursday night, or at least one was thought to be a contender. We’ll get to that shortly, but let’s take a quick look at the current New Jersey-Tampa Bay moneyline odds:
We should first mention this is the second of three games both teams play against one another in less than a week span. The first was on Tuesday, also in the Devils' home arena. And welp, they got smoked. The Bolts won the first meeting 4-1 and the game was never competitive. That’s why we’re a tad surprised they’re pegged as underdogs. In a way, this is a mini-playoff series and Tampa has a blueprint to beat Jersey in their hands.
Though, the Lightning has floundered post-All-Star break. They’re just 3-5-2 in their past 10, and a huge part of its struggles can be pinned on goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. In his past 11 starts, Vasilevskiy has -1.19 goals saved above average, which ranks rank 47th in that span. Not good, especially for a Vezina Trophy winner like Vasilevskiy. If the goaltender can turn around, forget about a fourth straight Stanley Cup Finals trip for the Bolts.
This isn't an easy bet, but we definitely think winning two nights ago helps Tampa here. This team, after all, knows a thing or two about figuring out teams in playoff-like series over the past three seasons. We'll take them as underdogs despite recent blues.
Moneyline: Calgary Flames at Vegas Golden Knights
We'll be honest, we had to do a double take when we saw the moneyline odds for Calgary at Vegas — it's way, way closer than we expected it to be given the caliber of teams. Here, see for yourself:
Goaltender Jonathan Quick has been a net-positive ever since joining Vegas after both Colombus and LA did away with him.He's started four games, all wins for the Knights. Quick isn't just winning because of offense either. No, no, he's defending the net. A few nights ago, he stopped 35 shots and shutout a Stanley Cup contender in Carolina. Vegas is hot, which is why we're stunned they're barely favored to win on their own ice.
On the other hand, Calgary is playing their usual inconsistent selves. In the past week, they've dropped games against bad teams like the Ducks and Coyotes, which hurts their playoff hopes. So yes, this is a no-brainer bet on the Knights. We're not even going to question the moneyline price and just take advantage of it with a good-sized bet on Vegas!
Over/Under 6.5 Goals: Colorado Avalanche at Ottawa Senators
Enough with moneyline bets. For our last Thursday bet of the night, we wanted to hone-on on the over/under between Colorado and Ottawa. At 6.5 goals, it's tied with the highest of the night, with the over being favored to hit. Here's the odds:
The hits don't stop coming for the defending Stanley Cup champions of the world. Colorado has been slowed down by injuries all season long, and they just added another. Forward Artturi Lehkonen broke his thumb this past Monday and is expected to miss four to six weeks. The injury comes at a time when the Avs are starting to get into consistent form as they've won three in a row.
Still, even without Lehkonen up front, Colorado might still light up Ottawa. Get this, the Senators didn't just lose games to Chicago, Vancouver, and Calgary — three of the worst NHL teams in the league — in the last week or so. No, they were blown out in these games too. Ottawa lost those three contests by a combined 12 goals. We expect Colorado to go off on them, which pushes this game into over territory.
How To Bet On NHL Games Today?
Like we said at the start of the article, Thursday is rich with betting opportunities across 11 games. We like the three bets above plenty, but if you want to scour the full betting list, then hit one of the underneath bookmakers. All five sites you see here are there for a reason — they ranked among the best in our latest online sportsbook review section. Not only do these sites have you covered today, but for the rest of the NHL season too.
But here's the real reason you should bet today: your hockey bets could be completely free. That's because there are multiple types of bonuses to take advantage of right now — bonuses that pay hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play! With these deals, your bets could be bankrolled for the next few weeks. Reference the table below to see what offers are available where at the moment.
