Ryan Hodges
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With a week and a half until a 3-day holiday break in the NHL, we are firmly in the thick of the regular season. Every night brings a new headline, highlight, or some kind of surprise. Thursday’s 8-game slate should bring more of the same. Tonight’s schedule is highlighted by two games. First, Hurricanes vs Red Wings on ESPN+ and HULU at 7:30 pm ET. Then, ending the night will be Panthers vs Canucks at 10:00 pm ET. Outside of those games, there are plenty of teams grinding out big games to try to move up in the standings. I have created a 3-game NHL mega parlay for tonight’s action at +1031 odds, which you can read below. You can also check out our NHL predictions for picks on today’s games.
Maple Leafs -1.5 (-112)
Blues 3-way ML (+130)
Oilers -1.5 (+160)
NHL parlay odds: +1031
Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 over Columbus Blue Jackets (-112)
These are a couple of very different-caliber teams going in different directions. For all intents and purposes, the Maple Leafs are the better team in this game. No need to justify that to yourself. But it may not be as clear cut if Toronto was not playing well. But they are playing well and after crushing the Rangers at MSG they should be able to follow that up with a comfortable win over the Blue Jackets.
Toronto is 5-0-2 in their last 7 games with those overtime losses coming to hot Bruins and Islanders teams. Columbus has won 2 of their last 7 games with an average loss by 2.4 goals. Their wins in that stretch were against fellow struggling teams. This one looks good for the Leafs.
St. Louis Blues 3-way ML over Ottawa Senators (+130)
In this matchup between a couple of struggling teams, what gives the Blues a bit of an edge is their coaching change. Craig Berube was far from the problem and the Blues players now have more accountability for results. Look for the Blues to come out with some extra jump at home in this one.
Both the Oilers and Wild experienced turnarounds on the back of making coaching changes earlier this year. The Blues are hoping to follow suit. The Senators have also been very inconsistent and will face a team that has actually played well at home this year. St. Louis should play with some jam for a convincing win at home on Thursday.
Edmonton Oilers -1.5 over Tampa Bay Lightning (+160)
The Oilers are on a badly needed tear after a brutal start to the season. They have won 8 straight games and 5 straight at home. They have catapulted back into the playoff picture and appear to be here to stay as widely expected entering the season.
Meanwhile, the Lightning have won 3 of their last 9 games and just 1 of their last 6 on the road. When it looks like Tampa may be back to winning form, they have another up-and-down (mostly down) week. During Edmonton’s current 8-game win streak, they have won by an average of 3.25 goals which includes elite opponents. Until they cool down, the Oilers’ puck line is good value, even against good teams.
Read our full Tampa Bay Lightning vs Edmonton Oilers predictions
