NHL Best Bets for Thursday (4/10)

Thursday’s NHL best bets will cover the day’s 10-game slate with a scheduled first puck drop at 7 p.m. ET.

With our FTN betting package, you’ll get picks from everyone at FTN, plus tools, projections and access to Discord, where I’ll discuss every slate.

Today’s Best NHL Bets

New York Islanders ML

(-125, Bet365/DraftKings Sportsbook/BetMGM, 2.5 units to win 2 units)

The Islanders face a Rangers team that has played well-below its potential for the majority of the 2024-25 season. I would genuinely be shocked if Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette gets another season with this roster. Wednesday’s loss to the Flyers was just one of a plethora of disappointing losses this season. The biggest issue with the Rangers is that their defense is legitimately a bottom-three group in the league. There is absolutely no reason for Carson Soucy to be anything beyond a depth body on any roster, yet on the Rangers, he’s getting a top-four role. The Islanders are not as talented as the Rangers up front, but their depth at the blue line has kept them competitive throughout the season. Scott Mayfeld and Noah Dobson are their #3 defense pairing, yet if they were on the Rangers roster, they would be, by far, the Rangers’ best duo. With the Rangers coming off a brutal game Wednesday night, I feel the Islanders should be much bigger favorites, so I will take the -125 moneyline for 2.5 units to win 2 units.

Winnipeg Jets ML

(+105, Bet365/DraftKings Sportsbook/FanDuel Sportsbook/BetMGM)

The Jets are in firm position to finish with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They are locked in defensively and what you expect is what you see virtually every single game they play. In contrast, the Stars have lost three games in a row against teams they should be able to beat handedly. The icing on the cake is losing Tuesday night to a Canucks team that was down 5-2 with less than a minute left in the game. If there was ever a loss that could kill off a team’s playoff chances, it would probably be that one. The Jets are the better team, and most importantly, the better defense. I think the line on this one is a bit off, so I’m comfortably taking the Jets moneyline at +105.

Bonus Bets

Nashville/Utah Over 6 (-109, BetRivers)
Detroit Red Wings ML (+170, Bet365/DraftKings/BetMGM)

Prop bets will be posted on Discord.

Goal Scorers

Lucas Raymond
Mathieu Olivier
Kirill Marchenko
David Pastrnak
Alex Ovechkin
Mark Scheifele
Antu Raty
Filip Forsberg
Quinton Byfield
William Karlsson