NHL Thursday best bets: Getting Wild in Philadelphia

Wednesday night wasn't kind to us. The Toronto Maple Leafs only managed to play in the opening frame against the Buffalo Sabres, while the Nashville Predators blew a 2-0 lead against the Seattle Kraken. Not fun!

We'll look to rebound as we comb through our best bets for Thursday evening's slate.

The Minnesota Wild are in quite a funk. They've dropped four consecutive games and have been outscored 19-8 on aggregate. Not good.

I expect the tide to turn for the Wild in this contest. Their inability to create high-danger chances at five-on-five has been one of their biggest issues lately. That shouldn't be a problem against the Philadelphia Flyers. Only three teams have given up high-danger chances at a higher rate than the Flyers this season. With the talent Minnesota possesses, it should create opportunities in bulk against Philadelphia.

The Wild also figure to have an edge in goal with Kaapo Kahkonen back between the pipes. He's appeared in 13 of Minnesota's last 20 games and owns a rock-solid .922 save percentage.

That's well above what Carter Hart has managed (.904 SV%) over the same stretch.

In short, I don't think the Flyers have the star power - or depth - to hang with the Wild at even strength. When you add a potential edge in goal on top of things, it's hard to see Minnesota's losing streak extending to five games.

Bet: Wild in regulation (-125)

The Colorado Avalanche have run a train on the Arizona Coyotes this season. While that wasn't evident on the scoreboard in two of the three meetings, the reality is the Coyotes have shown little to no resistance against the Avalanche.

Colorado has generated 9.84 expected goals and 98 scoring chances against Arizona thus far, while it's given up only 5.67 expected goals and 47 scoring chances.

That means the Avalanche have controlled more than 63% of the expected goal share and upwards of 68% of the scoring chances. Those numbers are downright insane.

With Colorado as close to full strength as it has been in months, there's every reason to expect a huge chance discrepancy again in this game.

That should translate to success on the scoreboard. While Karel Vejmelka put forth some strong showings earlier in the year, his play has fallen off. He's conceded 11 more goals than expected, which ranks second last among all netminders who have appeared in at least 15 games this season. Colorado's lethal attack should be able to put pucks past him early and often.

I like the Avalanche to take care of business in this contest.

Bet: Avalanche -1.5 (-150)

The New York Islanders haven't enjoyed anywhere close to the level of success we've grown accustomed to under Barry Trotz. Even so, they're still a competent defensive side, especially on home soil.

Over the last 10 home games, the Islanders conceded 47.57 attempts per 60 minutes, 1.94 goals per 60, and 8.23 high-danger chances per 60 at five-on-five. New York also ranks top six in each of those key categories.

Based on the goaltending Ilya Sorokin has given them over the last couple of months, the Islanders really shouldn't allow many goals since they give up so few opportunities.

The Vancouver Canucks should limit the damage the Islanders cause. Thatcher Demko has been one of the NHL's best netminders since Bruce Boudreau took over. Not to mention, the Islanders' offense tends to be very lifeless; they rank 28th in goals per 60 this season.

Even with a low total, I'm inclined to play the under in this game.

Bet: Under 5.5 (-125)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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