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We are entering the final quarter of the 2023–24 NHL season, and teams have less than 20 games left on the schedule. Indeed, things are heating up in the chase for a spot in the playoffs.
Thursday night will bring us 12 games around the league, and we have our game breakdowns and NHL betting trends for four of them.
The Edmonton Oilers can beat anybody in the league, but their playoff spot is far from secured, and the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is a must-win for them. The Arizona Coyotes were on the verge of the longest losing streak in NHL history and now will host the Minnesota Wild with no pressure on their shoulders. The Vegas Golden Knights and the Vancouver Canucks will collide in a matchup between the defending champions and the leading team in the West this season. The San Jose Sharks are having a season to forget, and the game with the Islanders is more important for the team from New York.
Let’s take a deeper look at the NHL betting trends for these four games.
Edmonton Oilers vs Columbus Blue Jackets
The Edmonton Oilers are fifth in the Western Conference with a 38-20-2 record. They are in excellent form, having won the last five games and coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins. The Oilers are fourth in the league with 3.53 goals per game and 26.6% of power play conversion and are ranked tenth, allowing 2.88 goals per game. Connor McDavid is having another fantastic season, leading the league with 76 assists and being third with 99 points.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 21-31-10 record. They have lost three of the last five games and are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blue Jackets are 21st in the league, scoring 2.98 goals per game, and second to last, allowing 3.66 goals per game. Johnny Gaudreau is the best player for Columbus, with 45 points.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Edmonton Oilers: NHL betting trends
Edmonton has won 6 of the last 9 games against Columbus. The Oilers are 5-0 SU in the last 5 games overall, 14-3 SU in the last 17 games on the road and 11-1 SU in the last 12 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. Columbus is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference and 5-15 SU in the last 20 games played in March.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Oilers had one of the longest winning streaks in NHL history this season, winning 16 straight, but they are still not in the top three teams in the conference. The Blue Jackets can already think about the next season, as they are dead last in the East. Edmonton is currently on a five-game winning streak, and they will cruise easily past the Blue Jackets to win their sixth straight game.
Minnesota Wild vs Arizona Coyotes
The Minnesota Wild are 12th in the Western Conference with a 29-27-6 record. After losing three consecutive games, the Wild won 4-3 against the San Jose Sharks. The Wild are 18th in the NHL, scoring 3.08 goals per game, and are ranked 24th, allowing 3.32. Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 66 points so far this season.
The Arizona Coyotes are 13th in the Western Conference with a 25-32-5 record. They were on a 14-game losing streak before winning back-to-back games on the road against the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals. In the last one, Arizona lost 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Clayton Keller is the best player on the Coyotes with 52 points.
Minnesota Wild vs Arizona Coyotes: NHL betting trends
The Wild have won 15 of the last 20 games against the Coyotes and 14 of the last 20 played in Arizona. Minnesota is 7-3 SU in the last 10 road games. Arizona is 2-15 SU in the last 17 games overall and 0-6 SU in the last 6 home games.
Prediction and Conclusion
Minnesota and Arizona are right next to each other in the Western Conference standings, but there is a nine-point differential in the Wild’s favor. These two teams played in Arizona less than a month ago, and the Coyotes won 3-1 in that game, ending Minnesota’s three-game winning streak in head-to-head games. It is a fact that the Wild are a much better team than the standings show, and the nine-point deficit compared to the line that separates the playoff teams from the rest of the conference still seems reachable. This is one of those games in which Minnesota has to show up ready, and the Wild will manage to steal a win on the road.
Vancouver Canucks vs Vegas Golden Knights
The Vancouver Canucks are on top of the Western Conference with a 40-17-7 record. They have won three of the last five games and are coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks are fifth in the league, scoring 3.53 goals per game, and one spot lower, allowing 2.73. JT Miller has had a solid season for Vancouver, being ranked sixth in the league with 53 assists and a total of 84 points.
The Vegas Golden Knights are seventh in the Western Conference with a 33-22-7 record. The defending champions have lost six of their last seven games and are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Golden Knights are 12th in the league, allowing 2.95 goals per game, and are ranked 14th, scoring 3.18. Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone lead the Golden Knights with 53 points each.
Vancouver Canucks vs Vegas Golden Knights: NHL betting trends
Vancouver has played under the total goal line in 4 of the last 6 games played in March and 8 of the last 12 games played on Thursday. Vegas has played under the total line in the last five games against teams from the Pacific Division and in 8 of the last 10 games against teams from the Western Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Vancouver Canucks have a promising season after a while, and despite the recent struggles, they are still at the top of the West. The defending champions, the Golden Knights, are sliding down the standings and are only six points in the playoff zone. They lost the last three games, allowing at least five goals in each of those, but the good news is that they are back home after playing the last five games on the road. The Canucks, on the other hand, allowed only a goal in each of their last two games. Still, the Golden Knights are slight favorites going into this one since they really need to bounce back and because they have won three of the last four games against the Canucks. Anyway, this will be a tight one between two of the toughest teams in the league, and the best option is to go with under 6.5 goals in total.
New York Islanders vs San Jose Sharks
The New York Islanders are ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 27-20-14 record. The Islanders have won the last four games and are coming off a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Islanders are 20th in the NHL, scoring 3 goals per game, and are ranked two spots lower, allowing 3.26. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders with 65 points for the season, two more than Noah Dobson.
The San Jose Sharks are tied for last place in the Western Conference with a 15-39-7 record. They have lost the last eight games and are coming off a 7-6 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. The Sharks are in the bottom two teams in the league with 2.20 scored goals and 3.89 allowed goals per game. Mikael Granlund leads the team with 38 points so far this season.
Vancouver Canucks vs Vegas Golden Knights: NHL betting trends
The Islanders are 4-1 SU in the last 5 games overall, 4-2 SU in the last 6 road games and 3-10 SU in the last 13 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Sharks have lost the last 8 games overall, the last six home games and 1-5 SU in the last 6 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Islanders are just under the line that separates the playoff teams from the rest of the group, and they are going into the most important week of the upcoming roster. The Islanders have won the last four games and are starting a four-game West Coast road trip with a stop in San Jose. The Sharks are having a terrible season and are currently on an eight-game losing streak, and the Islanders will definitely take advantage of the situation and add another important win.
