NHL Betting Picks For Thursday, November 30


Last night’s NHL free picks went 2-0 as both Unders cashed comfortably, putting us at 9-5 on the NHL season.

There are 7 games on tonight’s schedule, and we’ve got NHL betting predictions for 2 of the matchups, including an all-Canadian affair between the Maple Leafs and Oilers.

 

NHL Betting Odds For Tonight

Here’s a look at the odds for each of those games at www.Pinnacle.com as of Thursday afternoon.

(For the latest odds, visit our Live Odds page.)

NHL Predictions For Tonight

Los Angeles Kings at Washington Capitals

The Kings earned a rare comfortable victory Tuesday in Detroit, downing the Red Wings 4-1. We say rare because it’s not often that LA scores more than a couple of goals. In fact, the Kings have scored 2 goals or less in 8 of their last 10 games, and we don’t like their chances of breaking out offensively tonight against a Caps team that is giving up just 2.08 goals per game at home on the season.

Washington, meanwhile, is showing some signs of returning to the form that we’ve become accustomed to over their past two President’s Trophy-winning seasons. The Caps have won 3 straight and 4 of 5, and they’re also 5-1 in their last 6 at home.

We’ll likely get a defensive struggle here, making the Under 5.5 look attractive (though the odds on that are -135). But we also like the Capitals’ chances of picking up a win here, and their greatest advantage is probably in the first period. On the season, the Kings have been outscored by nearly half a goal in first periods on the road, while Washington is outscoring opponents by nearly that same margin per game in first periods at home. When stats like that align, it opens up a lot of value on a first period moneyline that is simply based on the full-game number.

NHL betting prediction: Capitals First Period Moneyline -118 

Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers

The Leafs started the season red-hot, then cooled off for a bit. Now they’re right back to their high-flying ways, improving to 8-2-1 in their last 11 games with a 4-1 victory in Calgary on Tuesday. But unlike their fast start, the Leafs’ current hot streak has more to do with defence. Toronto has allowed 41 shots in its last 2 games combined, and the Buds have held 7 of their last 10 opponents to 2 goals or less. That’s a much more sustainable way of winning games than simply trying to outscore your opponent every night.

Edmonton remains hard to figure out. They had to overcome a 2-1 third-period deficit to beat the lowly Coyotes 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday (though that was a tough spot for the Oilers, playing their first home game following a 5-game eastern road trip), and they’re 2-9 in their last 11 games when coming off a victory. In other words, just when you think the Oil is starting to get things together and live up to preseason expectations, they fall off again.

Now the Oilers have to make do without Cam Talbot for possibly 2 weeks. That in itself isn’t a huge loss as Talbot hasn’t been playing that well, but the bad news is that it presses Lauren Brossoit into action instead. Brossoit’s been pretty bad this year, and facing the Leafs (even if their offence hasn’t been firing on all cylinders lately) isn’t an ideal scenario.

Like the LA/Washington game, we think the greatest edge in this matchup comes in the opening period. Toronto has allowed just 7 goals in 13 first periods on the road this year, while the Oilers have been outscored in opening frames at home. Look for a Toronto team with plenty of momentum and confidence to get an early jump on their Canadian rivals who may still be frustrated that they have yet to get untracked.

NHL betting prediction: Maple Leafs First Period Moneyline -114