NHL Thursday best bets: Panthers to cool streaking Penguins

Wednesday night was a good one on the ice as we hit two of our three best bets. The Wild comfortably won in regulation while we doubled up on our first period over in Calgary. Unfortunately, Elias Pettersson couldn't complete the sweep by picking up three shots or more.

We'll look to keep the ball rolling for Thursday night's slate.

Penguins (+100) @ Panthers (-120)

The Penguins are one of the hottest teams in hockey, winning six consecutive games, eight of the last 10, and picking up at least a point in all but one game.

This run is not just smoke and mirrors. Pittsburgh has controlled over 54% of the expected goal share at five-on-five, which is among the highest rates in the league. They have routinely gotten the better of the chances and taken full advantage.

That being said, I think the fun stops Thursday night in Florida, and there are a few reasons I really like the Panthers in this spot.

For one, they're starting to get healthy again. Aleksander Barkov recently returned to the lineup, and any combination of Carter Verhaeghe, Radko Gudas, and Spencer Knight could play as soon as this evening.

Verhaeghe leads the team in goals (15), Gudas is an underrated defensive blueliner, and Knight has very clearly been the Panthers' best netminder this season.

Knight has stopped 3.2 goals more than expected, while his partner in crime Sergei Bobrovsky sits at -2.1 in that category. Florida could use that extra prowess between the pipes against a team featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel.

And as the Panthers start getting healthy, the Penguins are running into injury problems. Jason Zucker and Jeff Petry will both most likely be out of the lineup for weeks.

Zucker is amid a nice bounce-back campaign, having put up 20 points (ranking fourth on the Penguins) through 27 games. Petry is perhaps an even tougher injury to absorb - he averaged better than 22 minutes per night and had been playing some of his best hockey lately.

Losing those key contributors will test Pittsburgh's depth and make the team less potent at five-on-five, which isn't ideal when going up against a Florida team that quietly sits fourth in expected goal share over the last 10 games.

Look for the Panthers to take care of business on home ice.

Bet: Panthers (-120)

Stars (-115) @ Capitals (-105)

Playing an under in a game with lethal snipers like Alexander Ovechkin and Jason Robertson is always a scary proposition. Value is value, though, and I see it here.

The Capitals are playing fantastic hockey right now - especially at the defensive end of the ice. Washington has conceded only 2.27 expected goals per 60 at five-on-five over the last 10 games, good for sixth in the NHL. The team grades out even better when limiting high-danger opportunities, slotting into third place.

With Dmitry Orlov just returning after more than a month away, there's every reason to believe the Capitals can continue to be a stout defensive side.

On the other end, the Stars also fair pretty well in high-danger chances against per 60, ranking ninth over the last 10, plus they have two goaltenders - Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgwood - giving them above-average goaltending on a nightly basis.

These two sides have met three times this calendar year. No game went over the number, and only 12 total goals (four per game) were scored.

With both teams defending at a high level and stable goaltending in each crease, I expect another low-scoring affair.

Bet: Under 6 (-110)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.