Today is (basically) the final day of the regular season on the schedule. There are two make up games on Friday, but the playoff picture should be decided following Thursday’s games. Get today’s schedule notes, analysis and best bets for Thursday, April 13th and be sure to check out the VSiN NHL Playoffs Hub as series previews will be dropping in the days leading up to the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL Schedule Breakdown
The following table highlights tired spots and/or days’ rest.
|
Rest
|
Visitor
|
Home
|
Rest
|
|
4/6
|
BOS
|
MTL
|
0
|
|
4/6
|
PHI
|
CHI
|
3/4
|
|
2
|
OTT
|
BUF
|
3/4
|
|
1
|
NJD
|
WSH
|
3/4
|
|
3/4
|
CAR
|
FLA
|
2
|
|
3/4
|
TOR
|
NYR
|
2
|
|
3/4
|
DET
|
TBL
|
1
|
|
1
|
PIT
|
CBJ
|
1
|
|
3/4
|
MIN
|
NSH
|
2
|
|
3/4
|
VAN
|
ARI
|
2
|
|
0
|
SJS
|
EDM
|
1
|
|
0
|
STL
|
DAL
|
0
|
|
1
|
VGK
|
SEA
|
3/4
|
|
2
|
LAK
|
ANA
|
4/6
|
|
3/4
|
WPG
|
COL
|
4/6
|
- Boston Bruins (-295) at Montreal Canadiens (+245)
- New Jersey Devils (-175) at Washington Capitals (+150)
- Detroit Red Wings (+200) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-240)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+105) at New York Rangers (-125)
- Carolina Hurricanes (-110) at Florida Panthers (-110)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (-190) at Columbus Blue Jackets (+160)
- Ottawa Senators (+110) at Buffalo Sabres (-130)
- St. Louis Blues (+185) at Dallas Stars (-215)
- Winnipeg Jets (+160) at Colorado Avalanche (-190)
- Minnesota Wild (-105) at Nashville Predators (-115)
- Philadelphia Flyers (-120) at Chicago Blackhawks (EVEN)
- San Jose Sharks (+380) at Edmonton Oilers (-475)
- Los Angeles Kings (-225) at Anaheim Ducks (+190)
- Vancouver Canucks (-145) at Arizona Coyotes (+125)
- Vegas Golden Knights (-120) at Seattle Kraken (EVEN)
Visit VSiN NHL Odds to see the full board.
Best NHL Bet for Thursday, April 13th
Handicapping Thursday’s NHL will be a little more difficult than usual as the status of many skaters and goaltenders will be up in the air until closer to game time and that makes it tough to make an accurate prediction. There will likely be opportunities to jump on bets later in the day when teams announce their lineups. For now, there’s only one bet that’s worth discussing.
Carolina Hurricanes (-110) at Florida Panthers (-110)
Florida has a chance to secure a matchup with the Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If the Panthers can get two points, they’ll avoid playing the Boston Bruins in the first round and that should provide them with enough incentive to play hard at home on Thursday against Carolina.
The Hurricanes have lost eight of their last 12 games, and since forward Andrei Svechnikov suffered a season-ending injury on March 12th, only three teams (Anaheim, Chicago, and Nashville) have scored fewer goals per 60 minutes. Florida, meanwhile, remains a top-five team on offense. Also working in the Panthers favor is that they’ve had two days off since their six-game win streak was snapped by the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Carolina is playing their third game in four days.
This is the third meeting and final time these two teams will meet in the regular season, with each team having earned a shutout-win over, but as mentioned, this could be a preview of a first-round series. My model likes the Panthers more than the market does here, as it suggests they have 54.5 percent chance of winning the game, so the home team is a solid bet at -110.
Note: Alex Lyon will start in goal for the Panthers. Lyon has saved approximately 10.5 goals above expected so far this season.
Bet: Florida Panthers (Moneyline) -110
All bets tracked via third part app Betstamp.
Clinching Scenarios
As of Thursday morning, only one division winner, the Boston Bruins has been crowned. The Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific Divisions will all be decided tonight. Here are the clinching scenarios:
Metropolitan Division
- Carolina will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if defeat the Panthers in any fashion, if they get one point and the Devils lose to the Capitals in any fashion. The Hurricanes will also clinch the division if the Devils lose in regulation, regardless of whether they defeat the Panthers or not.
- New Jersey will clinch the Metropolitan Division title if they defeat the Capitals in any fashion and the Hurricanes lose to the Panthers in any fashion. They can also clinch if they get one point, and the Hurricanes lose in regulation.
Metropolitan Division odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Central Division
- Colorado will clinch the Central Division title if they defeat the Jets in any fashion and the Stars lose to the Blues in regulation.
- Dallas will clinch the Central Division title if they defeat the Blues in any fashion and the Avalanche lose to the Jets in any fashion. They will also clinch the division if they get one point versus the Blues and the Avalanche lose to the Jets in regulation.
Central Division odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Pacific Division
- Vegas will clinch the Pacific Division title if they get one point versus the Kraken or if the Oilers lose to the Sharks in any fashion.
- Edmonton will clinch the Pacific Division title if they win in any fashion and the Golden Knights lose in regulation.
Pacific Division odds via DraftKings Sportsbook