Los Angeles Kings vs. Florida Panthers Prediction
- Pick: Panthers to win
- Odds: +112 (Tonybet)
Two of the top teams in the NHL face off on Thursday as the Los Angeles Kings will travel to take on the Florida Panthers. Florida has been on a ridiculous stretch, winning eight straight against worthy opponents.
Their wins have come against the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Rangers, and others.
Beating Florida is no easy task for anyone at this point, and if someone’s going to do it, the Kings don’t seem to have the best odds to complete the task.
Los Angeles was one of the better teams in hockey throughout the early parts of the season, but their recent stretch has put them in a different situation than they were in just a week ago. The Kings have now lost six straight and are 3-4-3 in their last 10.
Throughout those last 10 games, it’s been their inability to do anything on either side of the puck. When they have nights when they’re scoring the puck at a high level, they’re giving up too many goals.
If they want to get back to being that consistent team that they were in the early parts of the season, something has to give. There would be no better time than to do that against Florida, but it’s not going to be easy for them to get that job done.
Look for Sam Reinhart, who has the ninth most points in hockey, to carry Florida as they look to win another game.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Islanders Betting Tips
- Pick: Islanders to win
- Odds: +165 (Tonybet)
The New York Islanders have not played well recently, winning just four out of their last 10 games and losing two straight. This typically isn’t a recipe for success and likely won’t be on Thursday night as they take on a Toronto Maple Leafs team that has now won four straight games.
The Maple Leafs’ wins, while impressive to win four straight in the NHL, were not as impressive as they might sound. They beat the San Jose Sharks twice and the Anaheim Ducks in that four-game stretch.
Taking care of business is what you have to do if you want to be one of the top teams in the NHL in terms of standings, as there are more bad teams than good teams. However, there has to be context when talking about this win streak.
This is a tough game for the Islanders, but with it being at home, it seems to be a good time to back them to get back on track. They’ve given up 135 goals as a team, which is the third most allowed in the Metropolitan Division. The Maple Leafs score the second most goals per game in the Atlantic Division with 140 on the season, leaving this to be a rough match-up.
This has the feeling of a night where the Islanders got back on track in a game that nobody expected them to.
The biggest question for them is if they’re going to be able to do enough to keep the puck out of the net to stop this impressive Maple Leaves offence. William Nylander and others must be slowed down if they want a chance of winning.
Boston Bruins vs. Vegas Golden Knights Betting Tip
- Pick: Boston to win
- Odds: +125 (Tonybet)
The best game of the night is between the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights. Boston enters play with 56 points, the most in the Eastern Conference. Vegas has 51 points, the fourth most in the Western Conference.
Coming into the season, many believed that this had the making of a potential Stanley Cup matchup. While that’s still certainly the case, Vegas hasn’t played well enough recently to justify that potentially happening. They’re currently 3-7 in their last 10 games, and that’s my reasoning for backing Boston.
This Bruins team has also lost two games in a row, but this is a good bounce-back spot for them after losing a disappointing game to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.
Their ability to keep the puck out of the net has been what separates them from other teams throughout the league, allowing the third-fewest goals in the Eastern Conference.
If Jeremy Swayman can continue to post top-10 stats in goals allowed per game and save percentage, the Bruins are tough to beat. Unless the Golden Knights’ offence, which has scored two or fewer goals in three of their last five games, improves, this is a good spot for Boston.
More analytics on NHL:
- The Oilers Early Season Struggles Will Flip
- The Vancouver Canucks Are Being Underlooked
- The Tampa Bay Lightning Will Continue to Struggle
- Are the Philadelphia Flyers Actually This Good?
- Boston Bruins’ Recent Struggles Aren’t a Concern
- What to Make of the Minnesota Wild’s Recent Stretch
- Florida Panthers Look to Make Stanley Cup Finals Again After Impressive Stretch
