The best of the Ice Hockey action tonight is taking place in Canada, so that’s exactly where we’re going for our Thursday night NHL betting picks.
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs will be looking to keep the pressure on the top two in the Atlantic Division when they host the Penguins.
While over in Edmonton, the resurgent Oilers will be looking for their win in a row when they host the Ducks.
Finally, in Montreal, the hapless Canadiens will be hoping to end their losing streak, when they welcome St Louis to the Bell Centre.
Elsewhere in the NHL, Colorado Avalanche confirmed their status as the NHL Stanley Cup 2022 betting favorites, with a 2-0 win over Vegas Golden Knight’s last night.
Goals from Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen in the 3rd Period saw Colorado win a close match at the T-Mobile Arena.
It hasn’t made a world of difference to the latest betting to win the Stanley Cup, Colorado is now +500, having been +450, this time last week. The odds below have been gathered from a selection of the best NHL betting sites.
| 2022 Stanley Cup Winner Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +500 | +450 |
| Florida Panthers | +650 | +620 |
| Maple Leafs | +800 | +790 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +650 | +720 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +750 | +770 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +800 | +710 |
Now, onto tonight’s Picks, starting with Toronto.
In their last five matches, the Maple Leafs have won three and lost two.
The 5-2 defeat to the Flames was no shock given the run that Calgary is currently on. But I dare say when the Maple Leafs went to Vancouver last Saturday, they were expecting more than the 3-2 loss they got.
As for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they sit proudly top of the Metropolitan Division.
They have played more matches than the Hurricanes who trail them by just 2 points, but they are still having a great season.
In their last ten, the Penguins are 6-1-3, and they are on a winning streak of 4.
In the Maple Leafs’ last ten matches, they are 7-3-0 and are on a winning streak of one.
This is a difficult one to call. On the Moneyline, BetUS makes Toronto -150, and Pittsburgh +130.
The problem of late is knowing which Totonto will turn up. The one that beats the Hurricanes 4-3, or the one that loses 3-2 to the Canucks?
One thing that is for sure is that there had been plenty of goals at both ends of the rink in the Maple Leafs’ recent matches, so I’m going to for Over 6 goals at -125 for my betting pick here.
Please check out our BetUS Review 2022 for more details on how to claim their betting bonus to use on this match and NHL betting.
Moving onto Edmonton, and what a difference a week makes.
In the aftermath of last Wednesday’s (Feb 9th) 4-1 home defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Oilers dispensed with the services of Dave Tippett and replaced him Jay Woodcroft.
Since then, the Oilers have won three from three and are now back up to third in the Pacific Division, and right on the coattails of the Golden Knights.
The Oilers’ last ten match record reads 7-2-1, which isn’t bad. But if you just look at their three results since changing manager, they first beat the Islanders 3-1 at home.
They then won 3-0 away at the Sharks, and on Tuesday they defeated the Kings 5-2 in LA.
As for the Ducks, in their last ten, they are 4-4-2, and they are on a losing streak of three.
They lost 6-2 to the Flames yesterday, no shame there. But before that, they were defeated 4-3 at home by the Kraken and also lost 2-1 away to the Red Wings.
Hardly inspiring form.
The Oilers are -240 on the Moneyline, and +120 on the handicap puck line.
I think on both teams’ current form, a bet on the Oilers to win on the handicap is a good value pick.
Can the Montreal Canadiens end their horrendous losing streak when they entertain St Louis Blues tonight?
The Canadiens has lost their last ten. Remarkably, at the start of that losing streak, they pushed close both the Golden Knights and the Avalanche in what are two of the closer losses.
They are up against the Blues who are 6-4 in their last ten. They are also on a winning streak of two and sit third in the Central Division.
The Canadiens have been scoring, but they’ve been all over the place defensively. I can’t make a case for them winning, and the value lies in the Blues winning on the handicap at -110.
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