NHL Best Bets & Picks: Kraken vs Blues & Flames vs Sharks – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has 12 games on Thursday's slate, including a nationally-televised doubleheader. The first game on ESPN is the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers meeting at 8:00 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden, while the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings battle at Crypto.com Arena at 10:30 p.m. ET.
As we emerge from the long layoff, it's a good idea to let teams get back into a rhythm before jumping back in and going hard to the paint with the wagers. Bide your time and wait for some trends to redevelop first.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Wednesday's NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
Seattle Kraken 
at St. Louis Blues 
The Kraken (27-21-9) and Blues (20-28-9) meet at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, and the Kraken look to continue their push for a postseason spot.
Seattle enters the day with a 13-12-4 mark on the road, while the Blues are 13-11-6 at home this season. These teams met at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Nov. 8, with the Kraken posting a 4-3 win in overtime as moderate underdogs (+145) as the Over (5.5) cashed. The total has gone Over in three straight meetings in this series, including a pair of 4-3 wins by Seattle in the past two installments, both in the extra session.
The Kraken suffered a 4-1 loss in Dallas on Wednesday, as they emerged from the Olympic break with a poor showing behind Joey Daccord. After falling behind 4-0, Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans was able to score on an unassisted goal early in the third period for the lone bright spot.
The Kraken will turn to Philipp Grubauer (11-6-3, 2.43 GAA, .916 SV%) in the second end of the back-to-back. He'll be opposed by Joel Hofer (12-11-3, 2.94 GAA, .895 SV%, 4 SO), as Jordan Binnington gets an extra day to recoup after leading Canada to a silver medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
While the Kraken emerged victorious in the first meeting, they're playing on the road in a back-to-back, which is a tough spot. The Blues are back, and they're rested while on home ice. We'll take the home side to get the job done, and go low on the total, too.
- Blues ML (-135 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Under 6 (-110 at BetMGM)
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Calgary Flames 
at San Jose Sharks 
The Flames (23-27-6) and the Sharks (27-24-4) meet at SAP Center at 10:00 p.m. ET in the Bay Area, as both teams play their first games following the three-week Olympic hiatus.
The last time we saw the Flames, they looked decent, topping the provincial rival Edmonton Oilers 4-3 at home as a slight underdog (+115) as the Over (6.5) cashed. Devin Cooley backstopped the win, while left wing Jonathan Huberdeau and right wing Matvei Gridin each contributed power-play goals in the first period to set the tone.
For the Sharks, center Macklin Celebrini is back from a magical run in the Olympics with Team Canada. While he didn't end up winning gold in his first run at the Olympics, he did emerge as the next budding superstar. If you're reading this column and betting on NHL hockey, you already knew who he was. However, on the big stage, he introduced himself to the world, and to the casual fans who might not have been familiar with his game. That game is obviously a very good one.
These teams just met at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Jan. 31, as Dustin Wolf outdueled Alex Nedeljkovic between the pipes in a matinee game, winning 3-2 as slight underdogs (-105) as the Under (6) held on.
Flames center Morgan Frost had a power-play goal, while Gridin scored in the second period, with a helper to Frost and MacKenzie Weegar. Left wing Joel Farabee delivered the game-winning tally on a shorthanded goal at 6:53 of the third period.
For the Sharks, center Will Smith and right wing Andrew Gaudette scored for the road side, as Nedeljkovic stopped 39 of 42 shots, but it wasn't nearly enough.
Look for the Sharks to exact a little revenge on home ice, and we'll again side with the Under, since each of these teams could have a little rust as they slowly acclimated back to game speed and conditions. In fact, if you can find that total at Under 6.5, go a little more aggressively on that.
- Sharks ML (-125 at BetMGM)
- Under 6.5 (-115 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+823 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Blues ML (-135) vs. Kraken
- Under 5.5 (+105) - Blues vs. Kraken
- Under 6.5 (-115) - Sharks vs. Flames
- Sharks ML (-130) vs. Flames
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+208 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Blues ML (-135) vs. Kraken
- Sharks ML (-130) vs. Flames
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+283 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (+105) - Blues vs. Kraken
- Under 6.5 (-115) - Sharks vs. Flames
