Bet These Three Favorites for Thursday NHL Action

Thursday offers a jam-packed schedule of NHL action, which means plenty of betting opportunities. Out of the 14 favorites in action, here are three to consider betting on, whether it be individually or for a three-leg parlay.

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Canadiens vs. Flames Preview

Canadiens vs. Flames Betting Data

Best Bet: Canadiens ML -130

Throwing out the pair of teams who have only played three total games, only the Canadiens and Capitals have yet to suffer a regulation loss. Montreal (4-0-2) has been red-hot when it comes to scoring, leading the league with a whopping 4.83 goals per game on 35.5 shots. Through six games, the Habs have never scored less than three goals, while reaching the five-goal mark four times.

Newcomer Tyler Toffoli has been electric, racking up five total goals in a pair of games against the Canucks to give him a team-leading eight points. Defenseman Jeff Petry has also been great, earning seven points, while talented young players like Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin each have six points in the early going.

Another reason to like Montreal is the fact that this is their first home game of the season. While Calgary (2-2-1) has a few interesting players like Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, I expect the Canadiens to come out hot at the Bell Centre and extinguish the Flames.

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Stars vs. Red Wings Preview

Stars vs. Red Wings Betting Data

Best Bet: Stars ML -200

In the previous game’s write-up, I mentioned that there are a pair of teams who had good starts but who have only played three games. One of those teams is the Stars, who had to wait until January 22nd to make their season debut. But based on the last three games, it was worth the wait.

Dallas (3-0-0) opened the season with a dominant 7-0 win against the Predators, currently the first-place team in the Central Division. They then followed it up with a 3-2 victory over Nashville, scoring a pair of power play goals. Finally on Tuesday against Detroit, the Stars pulled out a 2-1 win in overtime. Three games in, Dallas is averaging four goals per game, leading the league with a 56.3 power play percentage, and having the second-best penalty kill percentage.at 91.7 percent, albeit in a smaller sample size.

But a lot of the reason to bet the Stars as big favorites is because of their opponents. The Red Wings (2-4-1) are only scoring 1.86 goals per game and come into Thursday with three straight losses, all on the road. Expect Detroit to struggle against a very solid Dallas defense, and for the Stars to get another victory.

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Coyotes vs. Ducks Preview

Coyotes vs. Ducks Betting Data

Best Bet: Coyotes ML -140

After picking two teams who have had very strong starts to the season, the final favorite to consider is a team that has had a fairly-unlucky start. The Coyotes (2-4-1) are at the bottom of the West Division, thanks to dropping three of four against the first-place Golden Knights. But they have held tough in nearly all of their games and have a goal differential of just -3, as good or better than current playoff teams like the Blues and Predators.

In their first five games, Arizona was playing in high-scoring contests, but have now been on the losing end of back-to-back 1-0 losses. The second game was especially unlucky, where Anaheim’s superstar goalie John Gibson stopped all 31 shots the Coyotes put on net. In addition to winning the shots battle, Arizona also stayed out of the penalty box for all but one minor penalty.

Ultimately, I think it’s fair to expect a bounce-back for the Coyotes. After two straight shutouts, expect more puck luck to bounce their way against a Ducks team who has the worst statistical offense in hockey.

Missed a game? Catch up on the action by reading our NHL game recaps.