NHL picks: Stars vs. Predators, Wild vs. Golden Knights

Another busy night on the ice is on tap, and with it comes a slew of intriguing wagering options! We crunched the numbers and came up with our two best NHL bets for the evening.

First, we’ll preview a Central Division showdown between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators. Then we’ll look at a late-night West Division battle between the Minnesota Wild and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Dallas Stars (11-12-10) at Nashville Predators (19-17-1), 8:00 p.m. ET

The Stars and Predators will wrap up a two-game series at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night. Nashville took the first leg, 3-2, and bettors should expect a similar outcome in this one.

The Preds are one of the NHL’s hottest teams at present, having won six in a row and eight of their last nine contests. This has occurred despite the absence of leading scorer Filip Forsberg, who has missed his team’s last three games with an upper body injury. He’s currently considered “week-to-week.”

Eeli Tolvanen has been doing some of the heavy lifting for Nashville, notching three goals and six assists during his six-game point streak. The Predators have received outstanding goaltending of late from Juuse Saros, who has a .970 save % over his last five games (five goals allowed).

Meanwhile, Dallas has dropped three in a row and seven of their last nine contests. They’re also 2-5 straight-up in their last seven meetings with Nashville.

NHL Pick: Predators +105

Minnesota Wild (21-11-2) at Las Vegas Golden Knights (24-9-1), 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN

The Golden Knights had a six-game home winning streak snapped by the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, but they should start a new one when they host the Wild at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday evening.

Minnesota dropped a pair of road games with the San Jose Sharks earlier in the week, putting their road skid at five in a row. Two of their best goal-scorers – Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala – have been ice-cold of late, combining for only one goal in their last eight contests.

Meanwhile, Vegas dropped only their fifth game out of their last 19 on Wednesday. The Golden Knights boast one of the league’s best penalty-killing units (fourth), and they face the Wild’s league-worst power play.

It’s worth noting that the home team has won each of the last six meetings between these two foes.

NHL Pick: Golden Knights -157