NHL Best Bets for Thursday (3/13)

Thursday’s NHL best bets will cover the day’s nine-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

St. Louis Blues ML

(-120, Bet365/BetMGM, 2.4 units to win 2 units)

St. Louis Blues -1.5

(+205, Bet365/BetMGM)

The Penguins are completely out of the playoff picture, while the Blues have a shot to slide into one of the last two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference. I am having trouble understanding how the Blues aren’t huge favorites. Tristan Jarry is back from his stint in the AHL, and his first two games back have given head coach Mike Sullivan the ammunition to push his favorite No. 3 goalie to the No. 1 spot once again. Jarry was decent in his stint in the AHL, but the Pens farm team is actually pretty damn good defensively, and his numbers were actually worse than the team’s three other minor league goalies who have seen time at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Blues have a stronger lineup from top to bottom, and I expect them to have a considerable edge in Pittsburgh.

Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5

(+172, FanDuel Sportsbook)

The Flyers are in a tough spot right now with absolutely nothing to play for under a very demanding coach in John Tortorella. The loss of Scott Laughton was likely the nail in the coffin for a Flyers team that is struggling at both ends of the ice. In contrast, the Lighting are smack in the middle of a playoff hunt that actually has them with a realistic chance to take the Atlantic division. As long as their goaltending doesn’t let them down, they should be able to win any game they’re in. Yes, there’s a very iffy situation when it comes to the goaltender situation because Jonas Johansson is scheduled to start for the Lightning. While it’s not completely ideal, it’s a downgrade from Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it’s a downgrade that gives us some added value. +172 to win by at least two goals against a team that might just be the worst in the NHL right now is too enticing to pass up.

Bonus Bets

Columbus Blue Jackets ML (+164, DraftKings/FanDuel)
NY Rangers ML (-109, BetRivers)

Prop bets will be posted on Discord.

Goal Scorers

Matthew Knies
Mackie Samoskevich
Dylan Cozens
Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel
Jake Neighbours
Adam Fantilli
Boone Jenner
Pavel Dorofeyev
Timo Meier
Mika Zibanejad
Alex Ovechkin
Macklin Celebrini