Thursday features the most action slate in the NHL this season with nine games recorded. Some of the exciting matchups include thrilling rivalries like the Montreal Canadiens traveling to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins while the Penguins take on the Detroit Red Wings in a rematch of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final.
We’re aiming for a good time as we went 2-1 in our betting last night, taking our season record so far to 6-1 with also success on our Pad Stacking Challenge due to Juraj SlafkovskĂ˝ from Montreal. We hope to stay warm with our picks heading into the weekend.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict, so play responsibly.
Bet: Kings Sabers Under 6.5 goals (-120)
It’s difficult to predict whether the Sabers will start the season with an 0-3 record. Last year, the Kings outscored them, finishing just one point shy of 100, while the Sabers had 84 points, thanks in large part to the impressive play of their star in goal, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Kings were under specialists last season, as they finished with the third-lowest goals-against average (2.56) in the league.
Luukkonen helped the Sabers become a solid defensive team and finished with a 2.30 goals-against average and .918 save percentage over his final 37 appearances.
The 25-year-old Finnish goalie will face new Los Angeles goaltender Darcy Kuemper, for whom the Kings traded center Pierre-Luc Dubois during the offseason. Kuemper played for the Capitals team that was one of the worst defensive units in the league last season and took their numbers to staggering new heights.
He should have a much better season with the Kings and it begins against Buffalo on Thursday. These moneyline odds are too close for comfort in this matchup, but with a stronger goaltender and added motivation to get their first win, the Sabers should pick up their first win of the season in a very close affair with a weak score. Last season we had a solid season with the Sabres, who went 10-6 in our best bets.
Bet: Utah Hockey Club ML (+135)
According to Action Networkover 84 percent of the bets on the Utah vs. New York game are on the Islanders, which makes sense since they have beaten the former Arizona Coyotes in seven of their last ten matchups. However, this feels like a gamble where we’re obliterating the crowd, as the Utah hockey club will benefit from a ton of momentum after their big win in their home opener.
The Islanders are certainly struggling more than the Blackhawks, but this New York team has made few additions since last season while Utah has a handful of difference-making players that helped them win their first game .
Dylan Guenther is one of them as he scored two goals in their victory against Chicago. When asked about Guenther, his captain Clayton Keller described his shooting ability as the best shot in the league after superstar Auston Matthews, with whom Keller practices almost more than anyone.
He’s just one of a handful of influential young players in Utah, like Barrett Hayton, Logan Cooley and Lawson Crouse. Utah’s youngsters feel like they will be able to overcome the older Islanders team, which was in the top six for highest average age entering last season (29.2) .
Bet: Blues -1.5 (+150)
The hype around the San Jose Sharks is the biggest in years with the team including two young high-end prospects on their roster in Will Smith and 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini. The Sharks built their top six this season with the addition of the two youngsters while also adding veteran Tyler Toffoli in free agency.
San Jose should be a much more competent hockey club than they were last season, but they still aren’t deep enough to take on a team like the Blues.
St. Louis is a tough, physical team that looked excellent in its come-from-behind win over the Seattle Kraken in its season opener. This team also has young stars like Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas who are more suited to the NHL level.
There will definitely be some growing pains once again with the Sharks very young core of players, but they will still be an interesting team this season when it comes to the puck line but in the right game.
Last season, the Blues were one of the best teams in the league with an exciting playoff push that simply fell short. They finished with a 22-13-4 record, a top-ten 2.79 goals-against average and a top-12 power play over their final 39 games. San Jose will be a fun team to watch this season, but Thursday probably won’t be their night.
