There is a 10-game slate on tap in the NHL this Thursday. As of writing, the biggest favorites are the Los Angeles Kings (at home vs. Chicago) and New York Islanders (at home vs. Arizona), who both sit at -265 to win on DraftKings Sportsbook. Four of the 10 games have over/under totals of 6.0 while the rest have totals of 6.5 goals. The Carolina Hurricanes (who are hosting the Oilers) are the only team on a back-to-back as they played Florida yesterday and lost 3-0.
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Buffalo Sabres vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Sabres Moneyline +140
The Sabres are at home for the second game in a row and will look to put an end to Vegas’ 8-game winning streak, while also ending their own three-game losing streak. The Sabres’ offense has gone somewhat cold of late but they’ve actually been out-chancing opponents and got especially unlucky in their last game to only land one goal after firing 33 shots against Arizona. Buffalo’s also been solid defensively and has allowed the 13th fewest high-danger chances this season.
Vegas has been one of the best teams in the league this season but they also haven’t been winning dominantly of late with three of their last five wins coming in extra-time. This game against Buffalo will mark their fifth road start in 10 days and they’ll be facing an underrated and motivated Sabres team, especially with Jack Eichel on the other side. The +140 line on Buffalo for the win looks like a solid value.
Arizona Coyotes under 1.5 goals +180
The Coyotes are coming off a surprising 4-1 win over Buffalo but will now play their third road game in six nights today against the streaking Islanders. Arizona still ranks dead last in xGF% (expected goal for %) as a team and will be facing off against an Islanders team who carries the league’s third-best penalty-kill unit — and who are likely to have a potential Vezina Trophy candidate in net today in Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin should start after getting the last game off and has posted a .950 save percentage in five home starts this season, and allowed 1.0 goal or less in two of his last four home starts. Taking Arizona’s offense under 1.5 goals today against one of the best goalies in the league looks like a nice way to get some exposure to bigger odds.
Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shots on goal -105 and +210 to score a goal
Barzal comes into this game with 14 assists and zero goals scored in 15 games. It’s been a bizarre start for the 25-year-old, who carries with him a 10.7% career shooting percentage and has scored 15 or more goals in each of the past five seasons. Despite the slow start, Barzal has a great opportunity to break out of his slump today. The Coyotes remain one of the worst defensive teams in hockey and have allowed the second-most shots in the league and the eighth-most high-danger chances.
Barzal’s shots on goal prop tonight looks like great value considering he’s shooting the puck at well over this rate for the season. However, if you want to double down on the true breakout, Barzal is also worth a look as a goal-scorer bet, as he now has a healthy +210 line to light the lamp. The forward scored 11 of his 17 goals at home last season and will be getting a poor defensive team today on the other side, who is playing their third road game in six nights. You likely won’t get a better spot than this to bet on the breakout.
Travis Konecny over 2.5 shots on goal -135
The juice on the Konecky over is big but looks worth paying for. The Blue Jackets allow the fourth-most shots per game in the entire league and Konecny continues to see big usage under John Tortorella. The winger has seen 23 shifts or more in all but one of 12 games this season, with many of those involving offensive zone starts. For his part, Konecny has upped his shot volume to the point where he’s now averaged 3.16 shots per game and has now cleared the over on this total in four of his last six games. The line is getting shorter on the Flyer winger but there’s still value in going over here at 2.5 SOG, especially in a great matchup against Columbus.
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