We have a stacked 10-game slate of hockey on Thursday with some great matchups.
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Thursday’s Best NHL Bets
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St. Louis Blues (-107) @ San Jose Sharks (-114) | O/U 6.5 (-106/-115)
In Thursday’s nightcap, there is a Western Conference tilt with the Pacific Division’s San Jose Sharks hosting the Central Division’s St. Louis Blues. Simply put, the Blues are terrible.
At 5-on-5, they rank just 27th in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and 29th in xGA/60. While the Sharks are not world-beaters by any means, they rank much higher in each category.
At 5-on-5, San Jose ranks ninth in the league in xGF/60 and 18th in xGA/60. In terms of goaltending, this matchup is a wash between Jordan Binnington and James Reimer.
In fact, they both possess identical save percentages and GAAs. The Sharks are better offensively and defensively and boast a home-ice advantage.
San Jose is a slightly better team than its record indicates, while the Blues are going to continue to tank following their fire sale at the trade deadline, and -114 is too good of a price to pass up for the home side in this contest.
Best Bet: Sharks ML (-114 via BetRivers)
Best of luck!
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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.
