This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Expert Picks: Best NHL Bets and Player Props for Thursday, November 10
RotoWire's AJ Scholz takes a deep dive into his favorite bets ahead of Thursday's 10-game slate, including a look at the Moneyline, Puckline, total and player props with odds courtesy of the DraftKings Sportsbook. Sign up at DraftKings using the DraftKings promo code for $200 in free bets.
NHL Odds Tonight
- Flames (+160) at Bruins (-190); O/U 6.0
- Senators (+155) at Devils (-180); O/U 6.5
- Golden Knights (-165) at Sabres (+140); O/U 6.5
- Oilers (+125) at Hurricanes (-145); O/U 6.5
- Rangers (-155) at Red Wings (+135); O/U 6.0
- Flyers (-110) at Blue Jackets (-110); O/U 6.5
- Coyotes (+230) at Islanders (-275); O/U 6.0
- Sharks (+140) at Blues (-165); O/U 6.0
- Predators (+155) at Avalanche (-180) O/U 6.5
- Blackhawks (+225) at Kings (-265) O/U 6.5
NHL Moneyline Targets
Picking the Favorite: With both the Flyers and Jackets coming in at -110 ahead of their matchup, the odds are indicating this game will be a coin toss. As a team, the Jackets are giving up a ridiculous 4.58 goals per game, the most in the NHL. Meanwhile, a closer look shows that Columbus's netminders are all sporting save percentages below .900 and have compiled just three wins in 12 games. Meanwhile, Philadelphia's Carter Hart has yet to lose a decision in regulation, going 6-0-2 in eight appearances with a .946 save percentage. That comparison alone has me taking the Flyers in this one at -110.
Finding an Underdog: There are just two home underdogs on this slate tonight in Buffalo and Detroit, so you may have to consider going with a road challenger to find some good value here. The Sabres are intriguing but a strong start to the year has seen them go 5-5-0 in their last 10, including their current three-game losing streak. Instead, I like targeting the Sharks at +140 going up against the struggling Blues who are mired in an eight-game losing streak. San Jose's Erik Karlsson is undergoing a career resurgence and currently leads all defensemen in both goals (10) and points (19).
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NHL Puckline Bets
Favorite Team to Cover: If the line moves just a little, or you can find an alternate line, I really like the Flyers to cover the puckline (-1.5) but that carries significant juice (-250) so I will look in another direction. The Nashville Predators are struggling to produce offensively this season, sitting fourth worst in the NHL at just 2.62 goals per game while Colorado continues to be one of the best offenses in the league led by Nathan MacKinnon. The Avs should be able to generate enough offense here to cover the puckline at +130.
Best of the Rest: You won't often find me looking at teams on the other side of the puckline (+1.5 goals) because it usually requires you to give up a lot of juice. However, looking at Thursday's slate, the Coyotes and Blackhawks are coming in at -105 and -110, respectively. That's really decent value considering they don't even have to win, just lose by only one goal. The Islanders have admittedly looked better than I anticipated this season but Arizona has won two in a row against potential playoff teams Washington and Buffalo. The Hawks are dealing with some significant injuries in Tyler Johnson (ankle) and Seth Jones (thumb) but still have potential Hall-of-Famers Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
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NHL Totals To Target
Taking the Over: There is not a single game on this slate with a total under 6.0, which is probably indicative of the high number of goals we are seeing to open the season. One place to look for high goal totals in teams on the second of a back-to-back, which usually means the backup goalie is going to play. Combine this with an injury to Frederik Andersen (undisclosed) and the Hurricanes may be rolling out 23-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov, who has just three games of NHL experience, against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Oilers at Hurricanes has over 6.5 written all over it which is why it's only -125.
Spotting the Under: I hate to keep hammering one matchup, but when you have a Jackets squad that can't score going up against a well-performing netminder in Carter Hart, it's hard to picture a scenario in which the Flyers at Jackets matchup hits the over of 6.5 unless Philadelphia scored seven goals on their own. It's going to give up a little juice at -125 but this is an under worth targeting. Might even be worth considering an alternate total of under 6 once those become available closer to puck drop.
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Top NHL Player Props and Shot Props
Anytime Goal Scorer: This may be the first and only time you'll see a defenseman in the goalscoring prop but as mentioned above, Erik Karlsson is on a tear. His value is tremendous at +330, so there is a huge upside in this one. If Karlsson scoring a goal is a little too risky, you could consider targeting his assist prop at over 0.5 for -125, but at this point, he has more goals than assists. Take a shot at the bigger payout in my opinion.
Power-play Points: Through 14 games this season, Edmonton's Connor McDavid is averaging a power-play point in every game. McDavid to pick up another point with the man advantage against Carolina comes in at -125 and is actually better than what you'll get from Leon Draisaitl (-130). Considering taking both in this spot since if one gets a power-play point, the other almost certainly will as well.
NHL Best Bets Tonight Recap
- Erik Karlsson Anytime Goal Scorer (+330)
- Connor McDavid OVER 0.5 Power-play Points (-125)
- Flyers Moneyline (-110)
- Sharks Moneyline (+140)
- Avalanche Puckline (+130)
- Coyotes Puckline (-105)
- Oilers-Hurricanes OVER 6.5 Goals (-125)
- Flyers-Blue Jackets UNDER 6.5 Goals (-125)
RotoWire has your NHL betting needs all in one place with NHL player futures and the latest NHL odds. We also have an expansive collection of NHL player props from various online sportsbooks every day of the season.
Check out our NHL starting goalies page and NHL lineups page to stay on top of things before puck drop.