It’s an action-packed Thursday night in the NHL with twenty teams battling it out on the ice for our enjoyment. Our expert has identified the four best bets of the night and included them in a mega parlay, but you can also check out our picks for all of Thursday’s NHL matchups here.
But right now, let’s break down our four-team mega parlay:
New York Islanders -1.5 (+120)
Boston Bruins ML (-185)
Washington Capitals ML (-110)
Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+115)
Parlay odds: +1291
New York Islanders -1.5 over New Jersey Devils (+120)
As we approach the halfway point of the season one of the biggest surprises is the New York Islanders who are in first place in the very challenging East Division. The Islanders have won six in a row, have won eight of their last nine games, and even picked up a point in their only loss. The Islanders are also the leagues best home team with an 11-0-2 record! Goaltender Semyon Varlamov deserves some of the credit for this success as is 12-4-3 record, 2.03 GAA, .929 SVP, and three shutouts are amongst the best numbers in the league. The Islanders are showing no signs of slowing down especially to a struggling squad like the Devils. New Jersey has lost six of its last seven games including a 2-1 loss to the Islanders. Don’t expect the Devils to get more than one or two goals on Thursday which presents extra value on the Islanders to win this game by more than a goal.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils.
Boston Bruins ML over New York Rangers (-185)
Boston has taken three of the four games from the Rangers this year and will likely come away with another win on Thursday. The Bruins are in a bit of a slump offensively but that won’t stop them from taking the two points in this one as they have numerous other advantages over the Rangers. They continue to be one of the league’s best defensive teams allowing just 2.35 goals per game which is fourth best in the league. Their penalty kill leads the NHL with an 88.2% success rate and they are allowing the second least number of shots on goal league wide. The Bruins lead the league in faceoff win percentage while the Rangers are dead last on the draw. Jaroslav Halak has allowed just two goals in his last two games and owns a ridiculous 2.08 GAA and a .919 SV% on the year.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers.
Washington Capitals ML over Philadelphia Flyers (-110)
The Washington Capitals have won six of their last seven games and have a good chance to improve those numbers as they take on a struggling Flyers team on Thursday. Philadelphia was able to snap their losing streak with a win over the lowly Sabres on Tuesday, but it was far from convincing. The Flyers had to scramble back from a two-goal deficit and then rely on the shootout to walk away with two points vs a team that the rest of the league is walking all over. A distinct advantage for the Capitals will be on special teams. If we add up each team’s power-play and penalty kill percentages, the Capitals have a very impressive 109.7% compared to the Flyers 91.8%. Don’t be surprised if Alex Ovechkin plays a big part in this one as he has already collected three goals and two assists in his two games vs the Flyers this year.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers.
Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 over Nashville Predators (+115)
Carolina and Nashville will play the second leg of their two-game series on Thursday night. The Hurricanes were able to edge out the Predators in overtime to give them a perfect 3-0 record vs the Predators this year. The Predators were lucky to get the game to overtime as they were outshot by the Hurricanes 35-23. The Hurricanes scoring depth is among the best in the NHL. They have four players with 20+ points, and five others who have 10+ points, two of which are sitting at 18 points. Meanwhile the Predators have some of the worst depth scoring in the league as their second and third leading scorers have just 16 and 12 points on the season. The Hurricanes have won six in a row and will be motivated to keep the streak alive, especially with how tight the race is with the Panthers and the Lightning for first place in the Central Division.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Carolina Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators.
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