Puck Lines: NHL Betting Notes for Thursday, Feb. 24

Can the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs get back on track against the Minnesota Wild? Will the Dallas Stars close in on a Western Conference playoff spot? Here are Thursday’s key NHL betting notes.

There are a couple of NHL matchups on Thursday that involve two playoff teams. The Minnesota Wild visit the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs and, in a Metropolitan Division battle, the Washington Capitals travel to New York to face the Rangers.

While the Dallas Stars are not in a playoff spot yet, they are right in the hunt as they take on the Nashville Predators. The Stars are coming off an overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.

Brad Marchand returns from suspension for the Boston Bruins at the Seattle Kraken, the New Jersey Devils get several bodies back for Thursday’s game at the Pittsburgh Penguins, including defenseman Dougie Hamilton, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will be missing top defenseman Zach Werenski against the Florida Panthers.

Here is a closer look at each of Thursday’s NHL matchups.

Thursday’s NHL Betting Notes

Minnesota Wild vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Kaapo Kahkonen (12-3-2, .921 SV%, 2.56 GAA) vs. Petr Mrazek (6-4-0, .890 SV%, 3.16 GAA)
Key injuries: MIN D Matt Dumba (lower body), RW Mats Zuccarello (game-time decision, upper body), LW Jordan Greenway (upper body); TOR D Jake Muzzin (concussion)
NHL betting notes: Over 1.5 first-period goals has hit in nine straight home games for Toronto. Maple Leafs have lost three straight games for the first time since late October, and they reached a total of seven or more goals in four of their past five home games. Wild have lost three of their last four road games and have reached a total of seven or more goals in five straight games. Since returning from the schedule pause, the Wild rank eighth in both 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts (54.3%) and expected goals (55.3%) but third in goals for percentage (63.6%). Since the pause, the Maple Leafs have been controlling shot attempts on home ice (53.6%) but have only 48.7% of expected goals.

Best bet: Over 6.5 (-115 via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Florida Panthers, 7 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: J.F. Berube (2-0, .923 SV%, 2.99 GAA) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (26-5-3, .917 SV%, 2.58 GAA)
Key injuries: CBJ D Jake Bean (groin), D Zach Werenski (upper body), LW Alexandre Texier (finger), G Elvis Merzlikins (lower body), G Joonas Korpisalo (groin), G Daniil Tarasov (hip)
NHL betting notes: Over 1.5 first-period goals hit in eight straight Panthers home games. Panthers have won nine of their last 10 home games and have a league-leading .852 points percentage on home ice. Seven of those nine wins were by multiple goals, and they hit a total of seven goals in nine of their last 10 home games. Blue Jackets won six of their last seven games overall and six of their last seven on the road. They hit a total of seven or more goals in nine of their last 10 games. Winger Patrik Laine recorded at least one goal in six of the last nine games and has 12 total goals in that span.

Best bet: Patrik Laine Over 0.5 goals (+198 via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Ilya Samsonov (17-7-3, .906 SV%, 2.84 GAA) vs. Igor Shesterkin (24-5-3, .939 SV%, 2.01 GAA)
Key injuries: WSH RW Anthony Mantha (shoulder), RW T.J. Oshie (upper body), G Vitek Vanecek (upper body); NYR RW Kaapo Kakko (upper body)
NHL betting notes: Rangers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 home games. They have the worst possession numbers of any team in a playoff position, controlling 45.2% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 46.1% of expected goals. G Igor Shesterkin has a league-leading .939 save percentage. The Capitals have won five straight road games while the Rangers are 22-3-3 as favorites and the Capitals are 6-5-2 as underdogs. Washington has controlled 49.4% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 47.8% of expected goals since the December schedule pause.

Best bet: Capitals (+106 via BetRivers)

SEE ALSO: Can Caufield Get Back into Calder Trophy Race?

New Jersey Devils vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Jon Gillies (3-8-1, .893 SV%, 3.50 GAA) vs. Tristan Jarry (25-10-6, .922 SV%, 2.29 GAA)
Key injuries: NJ G MacKenzie Blackwood (heel), LW Janne Kuokkanen (wrist); PIT LW Jason Zucker (abdominal), C Teddy Blueger (jaw)
NHL betting notes: Penguins are 24-9-6 as favorites while the Devils are 9-23-3 as underdogs. Devils expecting to get D Dougie Hamilton, RW Jesper Bratt, and LW Andreas Johnsson back from injury. Since the December schedule pause, the Penguins are controlling 52.9% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 52.6% of expected goals. Devils are not far behind, at 50.9% of shot attempts and 52.6% of expected goals. New Jersey’s .874 save percentage since the pause is the worst in the league. C Jack Hughes has recorded at least one point in nine of the last 10 games and has 22 points in 17 games since the schedule pause.

Best bet: Jack Hughes Over 0.5 points (-138 via FanDuel)

Dallas Stars vs. Nashville Predators, 8:30 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Braden Holtby (9-10-1, .912 SV%, 2.78 GAA) vs. Juuse Saros (24-15-3, .923 SV%, 2.49 GAA)
Key injuries: None
NHL betting notes: Stars won six of their last seven road games and have had a total of five or fewer goals in five straight games. Stars are 4-4, with a total of at least six goals in six of their eight games in the second game of a back-to-back. Predators snapped a four-game losing skid with Tuesday’s win at Florida. Preds have hit a total of six or more goals in five of their last six games. Since the December schedule pause, the Stars have controlled 50.2% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 53.6% of expected goals. The possession numbers have not been so favorable for the Preds, with 45.8% of shot attempts and 45.0% of expected goals since the break.

Best bet: Over 5.5 (-107 via BetRivers)

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Jacob Markstrom (23-10-5, .928 SV%, 2.06 GAA) vs. Thatcher Demko (21-16-2, .916 SV%, 2.66 GAA)
Key injuries: VAN D Tucker Poolman (migraine)
NHL betting notes: Flames are on a 10-game winning streak and C Elias Lindholm has scored a goal in eight straight games. Seven of the Flames’ 10 wins were by multiple goals. Calgary has been a dominant possession team all season, ranking first in both 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts (57.3%) and expected goals (57.1%). While the Canucks have improved shot quality a little under head coach Bruce Boudreau, their expected goals percentage is still a mediocre 50.6%. G Thatcher Demko has delivered a .925 save percentage in 20 games under Boudreau. Canucks are 3-3-2 in eight home games since returning from the schedule pause.

Best bet: Flames (-160 via Caesars Sportsbook)

Boston Bruins vs. Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Linus Ullmark (16-8-1, .909 SV%, 2.79 GAA) vs. Philipp Grubauer (12-22-4, .887 SV%, 3.18 GAA)
Key injuries: SEA LW Jaden Schwartz (hand), SEA LW Brandon Tanev (knee)
NHL betting notes: Marchand returns from a six-game suspension. Bruins were 3-2-1 while he was out of the lineup. They’re 6-2-2 on the road since returning from the break and 3-2-1 in that time with Ullmark starting. UIlmark has a .896 save percentage in 14 games since the break. Boston has played a strong possession game, controlling 53.8% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts and 56.2% of expected goals in that time. The Kraken have controlled 49.1% of shot attempts but just 46.3% of expected goals. Kraken have lost five straight games and four straight games on home ice. Six of the last seven Kraken games hit a total of six or more goals. Bruins hit a total of six or more in five of their last six road games with Marchand in the lineup.

Best bet: Over 5.5 (-110 via BetMGM)

New York Islanders vs. San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. ET

Projected goalies: Ilya Sorokin (16-11-6, .921 SV%, 2.43 GAA) vs. James Reimer (13-11-5, .912 SV%, 2.91 GAA)
Key injuries: NYI RW Oliver Wahlstrom (game-time decision, upper body); SJ Erik Karlsson (forearm), RW Kevin Labanc (upper body)
NHL betting notes: Islanders are 18-6-6 as favorites while the Sharks are 12-18-5 as underdogs. Islanders are 5-3 on the road since the schedule pause and while they have controlled 47.7% of 5v5 score-and-venue-adjusted shot attempts in that time, they are also getting a more respectable 51.2% of expected goals. The Sharks are fading, with 45.3% of shot attempts and 46.8% of expected goals since the pause and San Jose has just one win in its last 10 games. Sharks RW Timo Meier has at least five shots on goal in 10 of 22 home games this season and has hit that threshold in each of his last four games overall for a total of 30 shots on goal.

Best bet: Timo Meier Over 4.5 shots on goal (+125 via DraftKings)

Where to Bet on the NHL

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

• FanDuel Sportsbook
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• BetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Picks made on 2/24/2022 at noon ET.

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