Thursday NHL Opening Odds
(The Spread) – There are 10 games on Thursday’s NHL schedule including a contest between two teams in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning will do battle at 7:30PM EST.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Tampa Bay Lightning -135 favorites, while the Penguins are +115 underdogs. The over-under is set at 5.5. Pittsburgh is 45-24-8, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference with 98 points. Tampa Bay is 41-24-11, putting the Lightning fifth in the conference with 93 points.
According to latest NHL trends, the under is 17-6-3 in the last 26 meetings in Tampa Bay. The Penguins are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Tampa Bay. The home team is 5-2 in the last seven meetings, while Pittsburgh is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings overall.
While Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will not play for the rest of the regular season, the Penguins recently received positive news in that he could be back during the playoffs. Chris Kunitz has helped pick up the slack in Crosby’s absence.
In other NHL action, the Boston Bruins are home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:00PM EST. Boston is a -210 favorite, while the over-under sits at 5.5. The New York Rangers play at the New York Islanders at 7:00PM as well. The Rangers are a -135 favorite with an over-under of 5.5. The Vancouver Canucks entertain the Los Angeles Kings at 10:00PM EST. The Canucks are -175 favorites and the over-under is set at 5.
NHL Hockey Opening Lines & Over/Under Totals
51 Columbus Blue Jackets +195 (5.5)
52 Washington Capitals -235
53 Atlanta Thrashers +205 (5.5)
54 Philadelphia Flyers -245
55 New York Rangers -135 (5.5)
56 New York Islanders +115
57 Toronto Maple Leafs +175 (5.5)
58 Boston Bruins -210
59 Ottawa Senators +115 (5)
60 Florida Panthers -135
61 Pittsburgh Penguins +115 (5.5)
62 Tampa Bay Lightning -135
63 Edmonton Oilers +175 (5)
64 Minnesota Wild -210
65 Nashville Predators -160 (5.5)
66 Colorado Avalanche +140
67 Los Angeles Kings +155 (5)
68 Vancouver Canucks -175
69 Dallas Stars +170 (5)
70 San Jose Sharks -200
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