NHL Betting Guide: Thursday 3/24/22
We've got a full slate of hockey to look forward to on Thursday, with 10 games scattered across five time slots. There are a few marquee matchups that will help shape the playoff picture as we speed towards the end of the season. As usual, we're offering analysis on a couple of games with notable betting advantages.
These are the wagers we're looking at from our daily projections!
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Dallas Stars
Under 6 (-115): 2-Star Rating Out of 5
The Dallas Stars conclude a six-game road trip with a stop against the Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams play a defensive brand of hockey that will make goals hard to come by in this inter-conference matchup.
The Canes have been one of the best at preventing chances this season. Carolina has allowed the third-fewest shots and fourth-fewest scoring opportunities at five-on-five this season. Moreover, they've tightened things up in their defending zone recently, limiting opponents to eight or fewer high-danger chances in six of their past seven.
Similarly, Dallas ranks top 10 in shots, scoring, and high-danger chances allowed. Those efforts are clearly illustrated over the Stars' recent sample, with the team limiting their opponents to 9 or fewer high-danger chances in four of six and 23 or fewer scoring chances in five of seven.
Based on our projections, we should expect a low-scoring game on Thursday night, and that aligns with these teams' recent efforts. The under has been bought up to -115, but there's still an advantage in playing it. We rate the under as a two-star play.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Ottawa Senators
Senators +1.5 (-132): 3-Star Rating Out of 5
The Winnipeg Jets need everything to go just right for them to make the playoffs, and unfortunately, they're not doing themselves any favors with their recent efforts. That hurts Winnipeg's chances as they host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
The Jets have put forth some lackluster performances over their recent schedule, posting expected goals-for ratings below 40.7% in four straight games. Cumulatively, over that stretch they've established a rating of 38.8% but have collected wins in three of four contests. Winnipeg has struck an unsustainable balance between metrics and outcomes, suggesting that they are due for a correction phase.
Conversely, the Senators have put together outstanding efforts over their recent sample but haven't been able to turn that into more wins. Ottawa has posted expected goals-for ratings above 60.0% in three of their past five, a span in which they have only one win. We're anticipating puck luck to befall the Sens over their coming games and more wins to follow.
These teams are pointed in opposite directions. The Sens deserve more wins while the Jets are due for more losses. It all comes crashing together tonight in a matchup that favors the Sens. On that basis, we rate the Sens moneyline as a two-star play and the puckline as a three-star play, per our projections.
