James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
We are getting closer to the midpoint of the 2023–24 NHL season, and things will start to heat up as the teams try to push hard to make it to the playoffs. There are 13 games on the schedule for Thursday night, and we have done a game breakdown of the top four games of the night.
The New York Rangers are pushing hard to get back on top of the East and a win over the Chicago Blackhawks may take them there. The Vancouver Canucks are among the best teams in the league and will try to stay there after the visit to the St. Louis Blues. Both the New York Islanders and the Arizona Coyotes have a lot to make up and whoever wins this game may receive the needed boost. The Los Angeles Kings were stunned in the last home game and will try to bounce back against the Detroit Red Wings.
Let’s take a deeper look at the NHL betting trends for these four games.
Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are second in the Eastern Conference with a 25-10-1 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming into this one after a 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers are second in the league converting on 30.1% of their power play situations. They are ranked 11th in the league with 3.36 scored goals per game and 8th allowing 2.78 goals per game. Artemi Panarin is tied for fourth place in the league with 51 points.
The Chicago Blackhawks are 15th in the Western Conference with an 11-24-2 record. Their 24 points so far in the season are the second-worst in the entire NHL. The Blackhawks have lost the last three games and are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators. Chicago is 31st in the league averaging 2.35 goals per game and allowing 3.76 goals per game. Connor Bedard is the best player on the team with 33 points so far in the season.
Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers: NHL betting trends
The Rangers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Western Conference, and 5-1 SU in the last 6 games against the Blackhawks. Chicago is 0-10 SU in their last 10 games on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Rangers are having a promising season and games like this should not be a problem for them at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are superior in every aspect of the game compared to the Blackhawks and will have another comfortable win to boost their confidence moving forward in the season.
Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues
The Vancouver Canucks are on top of the Western Conference with a 24-10-3 record. They have won 7 of the last 10 games and are going south after a 6-3 win over Ottawa. The Canucks are the top-scoring team in the league, averaging 3.84 goals per game. They are ranked fourth in the league in save percentage with 91.6 and fifth allowing 2.57 goals per game. JT Miller is tied for fifth place in the league with 50 points so far in the season.
The St. Louis Blues are 11th in the Western Conference with an 18-17-1 record. They are pretty solid on home ice, winning 11 of 17 games so far in the season. The Blues were on a three-game winning streak but lost the last two. The Blues are ranked 26th in the league, scoring 2.89 goals per game, and 19th, allowing 3.25 goals per game. Robert Thomas is the best player on the Blues team, leading them with 15 goals and 24 assists.
Vancouver Canucks vs St. Louis Blues: NHL betting trends
The Canucks played over total goals in 9 of their last 11 games on the road. They have also gone over in 5 of their last 6 games overall and in 5 of their last 7 visits to St. Louis.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Canucks are finally back among the top teams in the NHL. They have a tremendous first half of the season being on top of the Western Conference. Vancouver is the best-scoring team in the league, and this will be a tough night for the Blues, even though they play on home ice. In five of the last seven games between these two teams, they have played over the total goal line, and going over 6 in this game will be no problem for these two teams.
New York Islanders vs Arizona Coyotes
The New York Islanders are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-10-10 record. They are going to Arizona after losing back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Colorado. The Islanders are 18th in the league, scoring 3.05 goals per game, and 21st, allowing 3.27 goals per game. Mathew Barzal has 37 points so far in the season.
The Arizona Coyotes are eighth in the Western Conference with a 19-15-2 record. They are solid at home, winning 12 of 18 games. The Coyotes are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, which followed after back-to-back wins over Colorado and Anaheim. The Coyotes are 19th in the league, scoring 3 goals per game. Defensively, they are ranked 11th, allowing 2.86 goals. Clayton Keller has had a solid season for the Coyotes with 31 points, 18 of which are assists. Still, Matias Maccelli is the top passer on the team with 21 assists, while Lawson Crouse leads the team with 16 goals.
New York Islanders vs Arizona Coyotes: NHL betting trends
The Islanders have played over the total goal line in 4 of their last 5 games. The Islanders have also gone over in 10 of the last 12 games on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both the Islanders and the Coyotes have made a huge leap this season, and they are in the top halves of their respective conferences. There is a long way to go before they reach the playoffs, but games like this can make a difference. The Islanders are scoring high lately, and even though the Coyotes are a solid defensive team, the Islanders will be the ones who have control of the tempo. Given that, and the total point line being set at six, this game will most likely go over.
Detroit Red Wings vs Los Angeles Kings
The Detroit Red Wings are 12th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-16-4 record. They have lost 7 of the last 10 games. The Red Wings started their three-game road trip with a stop in San Jose, where they beat the Sharks 5-3. The Red Wings are fourth in the NHL, scoring 3.58 goals per game, but they struggle on the defensive end, as they are ranked 25th in the league, allowing 3.45 goals per game. Alex DeBrincat is the best player on the team, with 38 points. He leads the team in both goals scored with 17 and assists with 21.
The Los Angeles Kings have fallen to 6th place in the Western Conference with a 20-9-5 record. They have a much better record on the road compared to the home ice, where they are 7-7-4 for the season. The Kings have lost the last three games and will host the Red Wings after a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings are still the best defensive team in the league, allowing only 2.35 goals per game. Offensively, they are ranked 10th in the NHL, scoring 3.38 goals per game. Anze Kopitar has had a solid season, leading the Kings with 34 points, only one more than Adrian Kempe.
Detroit Red Wings vs Los Angeles Kings: NHL betting trends
The Kings are 5-0 SU in the last five games against the Red Wings and are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games against Atlantic Division teams. The Red Wings are 4-10 SU in their last 14 games and 1-4 SU in the last five road games.
Prediction and Conclusion
For the second time this season, the Kings have lost three consecutive games. They scored only four goals in that span and will try to bounce back against the Red Wings before they go on a six-game road trip. The Red Wings had many ups and downs this season, failing to meet the expectations. Los Angeles is the best defensive team in the league, and they will not allow Detroit any easy scoring. Knowing that the Kings need this one to bounce back, the Red Wings will stand no chance.
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