Best NHL Bets Today: Expert Picks for Thursday, March 13

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on March 13, 2025

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The National Hockey League has nine games on the schedule for Thursday night, including the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils squaring off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+/hulu/Disney+. We'll preview a few games, and try to piece together some attractive parlay opportunities, as we look to rise from the ashes and start plucking some winners again. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Thursday, March 13

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers

The Lightning (37-23-4) and the Flyers (27-31-8) meet at Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.

The Flyers won the only previous meeting Nov. 7 at Amalie Arena by a 2-1 count in a shootout, cashing as heavy underdogs (+180) as the Under (6) connected.

The road team has actually been 5-3 in the past eight meetings in this series, while the Over has cashed in four of the past five. The underdog has connected four times in the past eight meetings, too.

Tampa Bay was 11-1-1 in a 13-game span from Jan. 30-March 6, but it has dropped the past two games at home against Boston, and on the road in Carolina, by a combined 8-1 margin. The Under has hit in both thanks to the offensive power outage.

Philadelphia enters on a five-game skid, and it is also having trouble lighting the lamp. The Fly Guys have just five total goals in the past four outings, or 1.3 goals per game (GPG). The Under is 3-1 in the span.

Look for Tampa Bay to right the ship in Philadelphia, and let's go Under based on the sorry offensive showings for both teams lately.

Lightning ML (-156 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6 Goals (-117 at Fanatics Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Edmonton Oilers at New Jersey Devils

The Oilers (37-23-4) make the second stop on a four-game road trip through New York and New Jersey against the Devils (35-25-6).

Edmonton lost 3-2 to kick off the trip in Buffalo on Monday, falling as heavy favorites (-180) as the Under (6.5) came in. The Oilers are just 2-6-1 in the past nine tries against teams from the Eastern Conference, and the Under has cashed in three straight vs. East, and four of the past five.

New Jersey outlasted the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 Tuesday as moderate favorites (-160) as the Over (5.5) came through. After a three-game skid and struggles to score, the Devils have back-to-back wins and eight total goals in the span. The Over is 3-1 in the past four for Jersey.

These teams met in Edmonton back on Nov. 4, with the Devils winning 3-0, as the road team has a 3-2 edge in the past five in the series.

But, we're going to go with recent play as a deciding factor, and the Devils have been playing just a tick better lately. Side with the home team, especially attractive at plus-money, and we'll look to the Over, as long as you can get it at a flat six, although some books you might need to include the extra half-goal to parlay.

Devils ML (+130 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Over 6 Goals (-104 at BetRivers Sportsbook)

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks

On the surface, Blackhawks (20-36-9) and Sharks (17-40-9) looks like a dog of a game. But, we get the previous two No. 1 overall picks going head-to-head, so that's reason enough to tune in at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Connor Bedard is scoreless in eight of his past 10 games, but he could get it cooking against the Sharks. The 19-year-old had two assists and an even rating in the two previous meetings this season. And, Macklin Celebrini is on the other side, and the 18-year-old has two goals and six points in six games in March for the Sharks. He has yet to face the Blackhawks this season.

The home team won each of the first two meetings in this series back in October, with the Under going 1-0-1 in those outings. Chicago has dominated the series recently, though, winning five of the past six. However, four of those six meetings have been decided by a single goal.

Spencer Knight (14-9-1, 2.35 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SO) is expected to start for the Blackhawks, while Alexandar Georgiev (12-22-1, 3.64 GAA, .874 SV%) likely gets the nod for the Sharks. Advantage Chicago, big time. And, the Over is 4-2-1 in the past seven games for San Jose, and 8-3-1 in the past 12 for Chicago, so let's go high on the total, too.

Blackhawks ML (-109 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
Over 6 Goals (-115 at Fanatics Sportsbook)

Today's Best NHL Bet(s)

On Wednesday, we played (or meant to) the Over in the Buffalo-Detroit game, and the text in the write-up indicated such. However, it was mistakenly entered as Under in this section. I apologize for any confusion.

For Thursday night, we'll go for a two-fer. The Lightning is an attractive play as moderate favorites, and, believe it or not, the Blackhawks are worth a roll of the dice in the Bay Area.