We bounced back in a big way on Wednesday, winning both best bets and two of three bonus picks on Twitter.
We'll look to keep the ball rolling in the right direction Thursday night as we prepare for a whopping 10-game slate.
Lightning (+110) @ Maple Leafs (-130)
No Nikita Kucherov, no Brayden Point, no problem. The Lightning continue to find ways to win. They've posted a 7-2-1 record over their last 10 games and are just two points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers for top spot in the division.
While their offense has been potent, the Lightning have found success on the back of defense and goaltending. They don't give up many quality looks, sitting fourth in expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. Limiting dangerous shots is a recipe for success, especially when you have Andrei Vasilevskiy to patch up any leaks.
Toronto has mostly defended well this season and has benefited from all-world goaltending from Jack Campbell. Combine the two and the Leafs sit third in goals against per game, believe it or not. Pretty good.
Tampa Bay is playing its fourth straight on the road and is missing its two best weapons. Toronto is playing for the fourth time in six nights and is missing star winger Mitch Marner. With so much firepower absent and a lot riding on this game, I like it to stay under the number.
Bet: Under 5.5 goals (+100)
Red Wings (+145) @ Blues (-170)
The Blues are dealing with plenty of injuries and COVID-19 issues, which really shows in the numbers.
They've controlled a putrid 44% of expected goals at five-on-five over the last 10 games. A lot of that stems from their defensive issues: They're giving up 2.91 expected goals per 60 in that time, ranking them ahead of only the Montreal Canadiens. Yeah.
They're giving up a lot of quality looks on a nightly basis, and with Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso out of the picture, things seem destined to get worse.
Charlie Lindgren is expected to get the nod in goal. He's consistently posted sub-.900 save percentages in the AHL, so I'm not sure he'll be able to mask the Blues' defensive issues the way Husso has lately.
The Red Wings are also playing respectable hockey. They won't be short players like St. Louis and, regardless of who they start, they have an edge in goal Thursday night.
Back Detroit at a very juicy price.
Bet: Red Wings (+145)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
