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It’s the second night of a back-to-back for NHL Top Bets as we dive into the Thursday NHL slate. The people made it known they wanted expanded NHL betting content and Win Daily listened. We have a huge slate of games ahead of us “eleven” including the Chicago/Buffalo game which was postponed yesterday and rescheduled for tonight due to extreme winter weather.

As always, think for yourself. The information below is only meant to supplement your knowledge and if you don’t agree with a portion, that’s fine, we’re all entitled to our own opinions. Also be sure to scour as many sportsbooks as possible before placing a bet as the odds tend to vary a little in most circumstances.

Aside from reading this 1/18 NHL Top Bets article, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS Projection Model which is available every morning. If you like what you see, sign up for more Win Daily content here.

1/18 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET

*All odds and player pricing below have been obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the time of writing*

Colorado Avalanche (+120) at Boston Bruins (-142) – 6 Projected Goal Total

Montreal Canadiens (+154) at Ottawa Senators (-185) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Chicago Blackhawks (+230) at Buffalo Sabres (-285) – 6 Projected Goal Total

Minnesota Wild (+120) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-142) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Dallas Stars (-135) at Philadelphia Flyers (+114) – 6 Projected Goal Total

St. Louis Blues (+100) at Washington Capitals (-120) – 5.5 Projected Goal Total

Toronto Maple Leafs (-125) at Calgary Flames (+105) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Seattle Kraken (+170) at Edmonton Oilers (-205) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Nashville Predators (+130) at Los Angeles Kings (-155) – 6 Projected Goal Total

Arizona Coyotes (+170) at Vancouver Canucks (-205) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

New York Rangers (-125) at Vegas Golden Knights (+105) – 6 Projected Goal Total

Record “starting Jan 17, 2024” – 1-1

1/18 NHL Bet One

Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames – Calgary ML (+105)

The home team has won four straight games yet comes in as the underdog with plus odds. The Maple Leafs on the flip side are losers of four straight and remain on a west coast road trip that already isn’t off to a good start. Toronto may stick out due to some of the stars up top and the Flames are dealing with a number of injuries. However, Calgary has a 5-1 record in their last six home games and the Leafs are arriving in middling form.

Calgary will enter the night 10-4-0 over their last fourteen games. Blake Coleman has been leading the charge with 38 points in 44 games, but the talent is spread out across the Flames’ lines. The goaltending split between Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar has also worked out for them to date. After a slow start, the Flames are sitting right outside the playoff window and should be motivated against a fellow Canadian visitor.

Meanwhile, Toronto, the “Dallas Cowboys of the NHL?”, has racked up four straight losses while facing quality competition. During this putrid losing stretch, the Leafs have been allowed 17 goals so just over four allowed per game. Prior to that they had won four straight games, but that comes with the caveat that stretch included two games against the Sharks and one against the Ducks. They’re no doubt the more talented of these two teams on the whole but these are two teams clearly in different form at the moment.

It would not be very surprising if by a few hours from gametime the Calgary money line shifts from plus to minus odds and this becomes an even money game. Toronto’s trip out west has not started out well and after facing the Flames they might want to return home as quickly as possible.

1/18 NHL Bet Two

Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers – Under 6.5 (-105)

Nobody in the NHL is hotter than the Edmonton Oilers right now. Winners of eleven straight, it’s surprising these odds aren’t even shorter hosting the Kraken. If it’s a matter of talent, well, there’s simply no comparison here. If it’s a matter of recent form, well, Edmonton could not be any better.

Seattle has been winning games recently which prevents them from being an even bigger underdog here. Even though many of their wins have been against bad teams, they do come in 8-2 over their last ten games. These teams are only separated by two real life points in the standings. However, the point differentials tell the whole story here with the Oilers at +23 to Seattle’s -6.

Despite their reputation for free flowing, high scoring games, Edmonton has been winning differently as of late. Over their last ten games, seven of their ten wins have come in under 6.5 total games with many of those far under the total. Given that this style has let to such consistent success, it is hard to imagine the Oilers going back to open play of old, at least at the moment.

Seattle has similarly had seven of their last ten game totals go under 6.5. It is easy to look at this game and think of the Oilers’ superstars lighting up the scoreboard. However, instead we are probably looking at a close and rather closed off hockey game that Edmonton probably wins with a total under 6.5. The Oilers have owned the Kraken recently, winning four straight games against them overall and two straight at home. In fact, Seattle has won only once over their past seven matchups with the Oilers. Edmonton has limited Seattle to two goals or less in three of their last six meetings.

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Rich will be there answering questions all day and all night! He is not very difficult to find on Discord with the username Rich Masana. Follow Rich on Twitter @JFan303 and be sure to be on the lookout for future articles at NHL – WIN DAILY® (windailysports.com)

Introducing NHL Top Bets. The people made it known they wanted expanded NHL betting content and Win Daily listened.

Aside from reading this 1/17 NHL Top Bets article, don’t forget to check out our NHL DFS Projection Model which is available every morning. If you like what you see, sign up for more Win Daily content here.

1/17 NHL Main Slate of Games – Beginning 7 p.m. ET

*All odds and player pricing below have been obtained from DraftKings Sportsbook and are accurate as of the time of writing*

Detroit Red Wings (+170) at Florida Panthers (-205) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Montreal Canadiens (+200) at New Jersey Devils (-245) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Chicago Blackhawks (+235) at Buffalo Sabres (-290) – 6.5 Projected Goal Total

Record “starting Jan 17, 2024” – 0-0

1/17 NHL Bet One

Red Wings v. Panthers – Red Wings +1.5 (-135)

The Red Wings have been very productive offensively this season, averaging 3.56 goals per game so far. In addition, they have nine goals in their last two games. Most of the scoring has come from the top line. Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Dylan Larkin have collectively scored 46 goals and 66 assists to lead the top two lines, but the rest of the offense has contributed as well. The second line, consisting of Daniel Sprong, J.T. Compher, and Andrew Copp has combined for 28 goals and 45 assists while defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Moritz Seider have added 12 goals and 40 assists from the point.

Despite the fact that the offense has been great the Red Wings’ defense has struggled, allowing 3.35 goals per game. The only bright spot has been the play of goaltender Alex Lyon who has a .922 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average on 434 shots with 7.9 goals saved above average. That said, they have improved in this regard as of late.

The Panthers are averaging 3.16 goals per game and should be able to increase that figure here with their forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with quick passes. The Panthers only allow 2.56 goals per game, they create a lot of turnovers in the defensive zone and limit shots on the net.

The Panthers come into this in fine form but Monday night they were leading the lowly Ducks with ease and allowed them to come back and tie the game, then win in overtime. Playing down to their competition has been a problem for the Panthers. While they did have a nice winning streak, this could be the night that all begins to change.

1/17 NHL Bet Two

Montreal Canadiens v. New Jersey Devils – Over 6.5 (-110)

This one features a team that has lost its last four games in the form of Montreal against a Devils team that has lost three of its last four. On the bright side for both teams, one of them has to win tonight!

Montreal was a huge underdog (+180) last time out, but they pulled out a close 4-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche. The Canadien’s top line was the driving force as Cole Caufield scored a goal and had an assist and Nick Suzuki had two assists. Jake Allen was also strong in that effort, stopping 32 out of 35 shots faced. Despite this recent highlight, the offense has been playing poorly for Montreal this season. They have scored three or fewer goals in seven of their last 10 games. Montreal ranks 28th in goals per game and 27th in shots per game. Defense and goaltending have also both been poor for the Canadiens. Montreal ranks 24th in goals against per game and 29th in shots against per game.

New Jersey was also a decent sized underdog (+150) in their last game which ended up a 3-0 loss against the Boston Bruins. Nico Daws stopped 33 out of 35 shots faced in net so for once, it wasn’t the goalie’s fault. On the bright side, the offense has been very good for the Devils recently. They have scored three or more goals in eight of the last 10 games “with the Boston game an anomaly”. New Jersey ranks seventh in goals per game and 13th in shots per game. Jesper Bratt leads the team with 46 points. Jack Hughes has 45 points. The defense has been about average but overall, goaltending has been poor for New Jersey. They rank 28th in goals against per game and 10th in shots against per game which helps to demonstrate this discrepancy.

The Devils are 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings against Montreal. In those last 10 meetings between these two teams, New Jersey has averaged 4.30 goals per game while has Montreal averaged 3.10 goals per game. Quite frankly, the Devils are the more talented team and should cover the puck line tonight. That said, the better bet is the O 6.5 total given both team’s shortcomings in terms of allowing goals. In 26 of 41 games this season, New Jersey and its opponent have combined for more than 6.5 goals. Furthermore, the Devils have won 62.5% of their games this season when they’ve been a money line favorite.

Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Rich will be there answering questions all day and all night! He is not very difficult to find on Discord with the username Rich Masana. Follow Rich on Twitter @JFan303 and be sure to be on the lookout for future articles at NHL – WIN DAILY® (windailysports.com)