Dallas’ Jake Oettinger and Florida’s Sergei Sergei Bobrovsky look to be difference-makers in their Thursday matchups
Hockey fans receive a loaded slate of NHL action Thursday with 11 games to look forward to and sports bettors can look to capitalize on. The most intriguing matchups look to be the Avalanche and Red Wings reignite their early 2000s rivalry in the Motor City, the Stars look to bring the heat to the nation’s capital with their league-best offense as the take on the Senators and the Panthers look to continue as the league’s hottest team against another emerging team in the Hurricanes in the marquee matchup of the evening.
It could be an exciting late evening of NHL action and if you want to get in on all the action, here's a breakdown of the matchups with some insights for potential betting opportunities that could win you some cash.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Colorado Avalanche @ Detroit Red Wings
Two decades ago this was the marquee game to watch with explosive hits and aggressive play that made their playoff matchups some of the best in hockey history. The Red Wings now have a problem with getting caught in the Avalanche however as they’ve lost ten straight matchups to Colorado and haven’t beaten them since 2017. Colorado hasn’t been playing their best with just three wins in their last eight games with their biggest hiccup as of late being their backend as they’ve allowed the eighth-most goals per game since the start of February with a 3.63 average.
During the same stretch, the Red Wings are ninth-best in offense averaging 3.60 goals per game and winger Lucas Raymond should help get his team on the board. The Swedish forward has been on fire lately with a team-lead in assists with 13 and is tied for the team-lead in points with 18 since the start of the new year.
His recent hot streak should help him against an ice cold Avalanche team that have been starting to see fatigue with expected netminder Alexandar Georgiev in between the pipes in five of their last six games, where he averaged just over three goals against per game.
Pick: Lucas Raymond over 0.5 points (+100)
Dallas Stars @ Ottawa Senators
The Stars were shining bright with wins in seven of eight games heading into their matchup last Saturday against the Oilers. Since they’ve dropped their last three games with just one regulation loss thanks to added points from overtime losses to the Oilers and Bruins. The Senators are also starting to finally heat up with an 8-3-3 record in their last 14 games with big wins coming against the Lightning, Leafs and Red Wings.
This matchup features two offensive juggernauts with the Stars atop the league with the most goals per game tied with the Avalanche this season at a 3.68 average and the Senators have the ninth-best home offense with a 3.43 goals per game average.
This game should be an easy over but Stars netminder Jake Oettinger has been stealing games for his teams with no regulation losses in his last nine starts between the pipes with his last two overtime losses ending his seven game winning streak. The Stars haven’t won in Ottawa since 2016 but if their netminder can stay hot they should be competitive in this game.
Pick: Senators under 3.5 goals (-160)
Florida Panthers @ Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are tied with four other teams with 40 points this year at home with a 18-6-4 record and a top eight offense this season that averages 3.38 goals per game. They’ve won three straight and nine of their last 12 games but will have a fierce test against the Panthers. The Atlantic division leaders have been the hottest team in the league since the start of the new year with a 15-3-2 record and the highest goals per game average of four and second-lowest goals against per game average of 2.20 during that span.
The Cats will also have the advantage of five straight wins over the Hurricanes along with a 10-2-0 record in the last 12 games of this matchup. We should expect a relatively low-scoring game with Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky who has stopped everything lately with a goals against average of 2.25 and a save percentage of .923 in his last 11 games.
Pick: Under 6.5 goals (-140)