NHL Thursday Odds Recap: Seven match-ups on the NHL scoreboard
Big Night for Dogs, Plus Tickets Cashed
Our NHL Thursday odds recap shows underdogs winning four of the seven matchups on the NHL scoreboard. On the back of the Vancouver Canucks going into Long Island and getting a win as a -225 dog, bettors profited 393 units if tailing the dogs. Coming off a long break, the unders ruled the night with five on the seven-game card.
Let’s walk through a couple of the massive upsets and reset the NHL match-up odds record heading into the weekend.
Vancouver Canucks vs New York Islanders 
Results: Vancouver wins 6-5
NHL Over/Under: Canucks +185
The New York Islanders had everything going for them. They were a massive favorite at home after picking up Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks. Horvat finished with a goal and an assist but Ilya Sorokin was peppered with 34 shots, allowing six goals, including three in the 3rd period.
Elias Pettersson scored two of those three goals in the third for the Canucks who have played inspired hockey since Rick Tocchet was named head coach. The Canucks will finish up their road trip at Detroit, Saturday, while the Islanders head North of the border to face the Montreal Canadiens.
Give the Knights Credit
The polarizing Vegas Golden Knights have come back from the break on fire through two games. It’s just a few games but it’s the manner in which they took both games. Last night as a small dog, they faced the Minnesota Wild and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
The end result was a 60-minute, 5-2, beating of the Minnesota Wild who had every reason to be the more motivated group. Instead, the Knights buzzed around the Wild zone for most of the night, while frustrating Fleury who was hung out to dry most of the night.
There was an interesting betting angle in play that you should take into account the rest of the way. This was the annual trip for the dads and the Knights, as most teams do, did not disappoint. This is a terrific angle, especially when you’re getting a good team behind it as the Knights are.
Unfortunately, bettors have to monitor social media because the clubs aren’t concerned with giving us information to help win bets.
Dogs Big Night, Not a Surprise
It’s not a shock that underdogs would have the advantage after the break, something to think about heading into the weekend. Each NHL team will be different but the plus-money teams might bring a little more intensity while the club that was expected to get a victory might still be on vacation. Since play resumed, favorites are just 10-11, losing bettors 523 units.
Road favorites have been a worse bet with a 2-6 record, losing 466 units. For bettors, there are still some teams who have not come back from break and there are others who have but everyone will take a varied amount of time to get back into the groove. That makes for plenty of plus-money chances for the weekend.
Check the 2023 NHL Favorites & Underdogs team of this seasonWeekend Hockey League Trends
That does it for our NHL Thursday odds recap but let’s give a snapshot of what the betting numbers look like to date in 22-23. They had a rough time last night but home favorites still have won 61.4% of the time.
Of course, you have to be careful as the NHL season moves on because following this number will require you to lay some big numbers, which you shouldn’t be willing to do. Unders have ruled with 51.5% winners to date, while away puckline dogs are cashing over 63%. A few numbers to carry into the weekend.
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