NHL Thursday betting preview: Expect a flood of goals in the desert
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
We enjoyed a 3-1 night on Wednesday, taking us to 7-3 overall since the All-Star break. It's nice to have the NHL back.
There are just three games tonight, which is strangely quiet for a Thursday, but I think we've got three winners picked out. Let's get to it.
GOATs and scapegoats (Wednesday)
Adam Henrique scored a pair of first-period goals to help the Anaheim Ducks (+110) beat the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday, ensuring we took home a nice profit on the night. That's what I call GOAT material.
We can't say the same for Dallas Stars forwards Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, who each finished minus-1 and couldn't register a single point against a miserable Toronto Maple Leafs defense. That's why we didn't finish 4-0 on Wednesday.
Thursday's bets
Montreal Canadiens (-115)
I suffered through the Buffalo Sabres' loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, and there were some troubling signs from the Sabres. Forget about their ineffective penalty kill or complete lack of offense outside of Jack Eichel - the team just looked defeated long before the game was over. Losing to the Senators effectively ended any hope Buffalo had of pulling back into the playoff race, and given the seemingly fragile mindset of this team, it's hard to imagine a positive response here.
Despite what their record might indicate, the Canadiens are playing competitive hockey on a nightly basis. They're also getting healthy and have goaltender Carey Price in his best form of the season (.933 save percentage in January). Trust Montreal to leave Buffalo with two points.
New Jersey Devils (+120)
The Devils have been playing some really strong hockey on home ice over the past month. They've beaten the Ducks, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning while losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders in overtime. That's an impressive point haul given the quality of opponents.
It's fair to say the underachieving Nashville Predators are a step down in class. The Preds are coming off a hard-fought win in Washington on Wednesday that was both physically and emotionally draining, leaving them in a letdown spot here. Nashville is just 1-3 this season when playing on no rest (allowing 17 goals in those games) and has lost seven of its last eight in that spot. Falling to the Devils a night after beating the Capitals would be right in line with the sort of season the Predators have produced.
Best bet
Los Angeles Kings/Arizona Coyotes over 5.5 (+110)
There's still a perception that the Coyotes are an "under" cash cow, but that hasn't been the case on home ice ever since the team traded for Taylor Hall. Following the trade, Arizona has gone 6-1 to the over at Gila River Arena, with those games averaging a staggering 7.6 goals. Additionally, Thursday's contest is the second leg of a back-to-back for the Coyotes, and they've hit four straight overs at home when playing on no rest.
The Kings were also in action last night. They're 2-4 on the road this season when playing in the second game of a back-to-back, with five of those contests seeing at least six goals. Expect more fireworks on Thursday in the desert, despite what the total might indicate.
Trend of the night
The Coyotes are 1-9 in their last 10 home games played on no rest.
As mentioned above, Arizona faced Anaheim last night. The Coyotes have posted a brutal record on home ice recently when playing in the second leg of a back-to-back, so this would appear to be a good spot to fade them. That being said, the Kings also played last night and are cemented in the basement of the Western Conference, which makes them a tough team to back here, even at the generous price of +170.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.