With just three games on the slate Wednesday hockey fans and bettors alike may be pining for a few more pucks to hit the ice on Thursday night, and luckily for the, that’s exactly what they’ll get.

Hockey returns with eight games on tap including some huge conference matchups, some teams in desperate need of a win and a brand new coach taking the bench. As always, we’re here to figure out how you can take advantage of those scenarios and break down the games so you know exactly how to make the most out of your wagers. Let’s get to it!

Edmonton Oilers at Nashville Predators

The Lines

Moneyline

• Edmonton (+125) at Nashville (-145)

Spread

• Edmonton +1.5 (-245) at Nashville -1.5 (+205)

Total – Over/Under

• 5 (-145 over, +125 under)

As early as two weeks ago this matchup would have never been the most anticipated game of the evening, but times change quick in the NHL and now the Oilers and Predators meet up on Thursday night as two of the best turn around stories in the league.

Yes, they are both coming off a loss, but their overall play during the month of January has been nothing short of spectacular. Edmonton is 7-2-1 in their last ten games and now sit just a point back of Anaheim and two points back of San Jose in one of the best divisions in all of hockey.

The Predators are also coming off a tough 4-2 road defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins but have an identical record of 7-2-1 in their last ten games and after struggling to grab a wild card spot for most of the year now sit third in the central division behind only the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

Nashville has dominated this matchup with seven wins in their last two meetings between the two teams and have a stellar 13-5-6 record at home this season but the Oilers have looked as dominant as anyone in the NHL and boast the league’s scoring leader in Connor McDavid. Who’s going to come out on top?

Offense

The Oilers live and die by how successful Connor McDavid is and so far that’s been just fine with Edmonton. McDavid leads the league with 59 points in 52 games played including 17 goals and a shocking 42 assists. He’s the engine that makes the entire team go and a huge reason why Edmonton is ranked 8^th in the league at scoring with 2.96 goals a game.

The Oilers also rank 5^th in shots on net, managing to fire 31.48 a game and their powerplay is operating at an excellent 21.12 percent on the season. To put it simply, Edmonton can flat-out score and they continue to find more and more ways to reach the back of the net.

Before falling 5-2 to the defensively gifted Minnesota Wild the Oilers had scored 15 goals in a three game winning streak thanks to a solid all-around team effort led by McDavid. Leon Draisaitl has been phenomenal as a compliment to McDavid. He scored his 20^th goal of the season in a loss to the Wild and now has a seven game point streak.

Patrick Maroon has also revitalized his career with 18 goals on the season and while he owes a lot of those tallies to the nifty passing of McDavid he’s also been a force around the net. The depth of talent that surrounds number 97 is going to a huge concern for Nashville.

The Predators can score, just not at the rate of the league’ s elite teams. Nashville averages a respectable 2.80 goals a game, good enough for 12^th overall in the NHL this season. They fire the 7^th most shots in the league on net and before their 4-2 loss to the Penguins had three straight games in which they scored four goals.

Ryan Johansen leads a balanced attack with 36 points and Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Mike Fisher are the only other players on the team to reach the 30 point plateu this season.

James Neal continues to be one of the best pure scorers in hockey with 17 goals on the season, but his point total of 24 means he does little else when he’s on the ice. If he gets contained early by Edmonton’s defense it could be a long night for the rest of the Predators’ forwards.

The biggest letdown for the Predators this season has been Mike Ribeiro. He continues to be a healthy scratch after registering just four goals so far this season and unless he can impress somehow in practice it doesn’t look like he’ll be seeing much game-time action barring an injury to one of his teammates.

Defense

Edmonton has long been known for giving up goals, and a lot of them. That’s changed this season as the Oilers have managed to find a way to limit teams to too many scoring chances while still managing to create plenty of their own.

Their defense is by no means blowing teams out of the water, but its certainly getting the job done. The Oilers allow just 2.63 goals a game which ranks 10^th in the NHL while their 29.96 shots per game comes in at 11^th. They still only manage to kill off 17.76 percent of their penalties, a mark that is mediocre at 14^th and if Edmonton can shore up that part of their game they will become even more difficult to sore on.

Andrej Sekera is enjoying a career year after he recorded another point in Edmonton’s last game. The Oilers’ number one defensemen is just five points away from his best season and has chipped in with seven goals from the blueline.

In Nashville the Predators received arguably the worst luck of any team on defense this season. First they lost P.K. Subban to injury earlier in the season and when he returned they lost their best shutdown defender in Roman Josi. Josi is starting to participate in practice and could jump back into game action as early as Thursday night but the chances are slim.

That means more work for Subban who has experienced an up and down season thanks to his injury and new team. Subban did get to particapte in All-Star weekend as a member of the Predators and that may give him the confidence he needs for a strong second half.

Goalies

Neither team would be where they are without some strong play in net this season. In Edmonton Cam Talbot continues to find ways to win, but struggled in his last outing. He gave up four goals on just 19 shots to finish with a save percentage of .790 on the night.

While it came across the dominant Wild, the Predators are more than capable of jumping on a shaky goaltender and Talbot will have to be his sharpest when the puck drops on Thursday.

Pekka Rinne hasn’t been his usual world-beating self but he’s still one of the best goalies in the league when he’s on his game. He gave up four goals as well against the Penguins, but it was shocking he didn’t give up more with the way Pittsbrugh was playing.

Now Rinne has a .920 save percentage with a 2.40 goals against average, and will take those respectable numbers into his game against the Oilers who he’s 16-6-1 against for his career.

Key Matchup

P.K. Subban against Connor McDavid. Subban is one of the highest-flying defensemen in the NHL, but you can’t only think of helping the offense when McDavid is on the other team. Subban will have to figure out the balance of trying to score while helping his team stop the league’s leading scorer.

Advice

Rinne’s and the Predators’ record against the Oilers recently is just too dominant to ignore. With the way Nashville has been playing lately we’ll take them on the spread getting decent odds at home.

Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers

The Lines

Moneyline

• Montreal (-140) at Philadelphia (+120)

Spread

• Montreal -1.5 (+210) at Philadelphia +1.5 (-250)

Total – Over/Under

• 5.5 (+120 over, -140 under)

That’s more like it Montreal. The Canadiens were starting to look like a lost team, riddled by injury with a goalie who looked like a shell of his former self. While their win came against Buffalo it was a dominant all-around team effort and should give the Canadiens more confidence moving deep into the second half of the season.

Montreal still sits first in the Atlantic division by a healthy margin, but a team that looked ready to compete for a Stanley Cup had hit a rut in the month of January. The All-Star break gave them a chance to rest up and it clearly paid off in their first game back.

Max Pacioretty dropped a hat trick on the Sabres and is now tied for second in the NHL for the most goals at 24. He now has 42 points in 51 games after a slow start to the season and looks like a prime candidate for a huge second half.

Carey Price showed up as well, allowing just two goals on 39 shots and now has a 23-10-5 record on the year with a 2.34 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. He’ll need a huge second half to get back in the running for the Vezina Trophy but it’s still an encouraging sign for Montreal fans.

The Flyers will find it difficult to score on Montreal, and to stop them. Philadelphia is just 4-5-1 in their last ten games and continue to be one of the most porous teams on defense. They’re coming off a 5-1 beatdown at the hands of the Dallas Stars but at least have Mark Streit back in the lineup.

Philly’s number one defenseman made his return just before the All-Star break and will need to get up to speed quickly if he wants the Flyers to turn around their defensive woes.

Key Matchup

Mark Streit against Max Paccioretty. We mentioned them above but can’t put enough emphasis on this matchup. With the rest of the defensmen struggling Streit needs to step up and stop one of the hottest players in hockey or else the Flyers’ defense will crumble.

Advice

Philly hasn’t won in three straight games against Montreal and despite playing at home don’t instill much confidence in us. Take the Canadiens getting decent odds on the road on the spread.

New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres

The Lines

Moneyline

• New York (-145) at Buffalo (+125)

Spread

• New York -1.5 (+205) at Buffalo +1.5 (-245)

Total – Over/Under

• 5.5 (-110 over, -110 under)

Remember hose teams that we talked about that could really us a win? They’re right here. Sure the Rangers are still seven points in front of the Flyers for the second Wild Card spot, but they continue to lose ground in their division after two straight losses including their latest defeat when they gave up six goals to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Sabres are faring no better after what looked like the start of a promising turn around before the All-Star break. They’ve now lost two straight as well and their defense continues to be a problem as well after watching Montreal storm out to a 5-0 lead before eventually winning 5-2.

It’s tough to blame just one player for a team’s defensive woes, but in New York it seems to start and end with the goaltending. When Henrik Lundqvist is on, they win, when he’s off, they don’t. He was pulled against Columbus after giving up three bad goals on 19 shots and told the media he needs to be better following the game. He has a 2.78 goals against average this season with a .905 save percentage which are the worst marks in his career.

In Buffalo the problems continue to be a team effort, especially on the defensive side of the puck. The Sabres rank 29^th in shots allowed this season and 18^th in goals and their penalty kill is also just 29^th in the league this season. Unless those numbers improve, the Sabres dreams of a late playoff push will be just that, dreams.

Key Matchup

Evander Kane against Marc Staal. Kane has 14 goals in his last 25 games and continues to improve after many questioned his attitude in Buffalo. He’ll need that production to keep up and gets to go against Marc Staal who is playing in just his second game back since returning from a concussion.

Advice

Assuming Lundqvist can recapture some of his form than the Rangers have too much firepower for the Sabres to handle. They’re also playing on the road which means better odds for New York so take them on the spread.

Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lines

Moneyline

• Ottawa (+125) at Tampa Bay (-145)

Spread

• Ottawa +1.5 (-240) at Tampa Bay -1.5 (+200)

Total – Over/Under

• 5.5 (-105 over, -115 under)

We’re not ready to write off Tampa Bay just yet, but each day it gets closer. The Lightning lost another heartbreaker to the Bruins and are now just 3-5-2 in their last ten games and six points out of a playoff spot.

Six points is still more than reasonable to make up, especially with so many games left in the season but the Lightning just can’t seem to get enough healthy bodies on the ice to develop any sort of momentum.

Ryan Calalhan, Steven Stamkos and and Brayden Point are all still sitting out for the Lightning and when three of your top ten players can’t make it onto the ice there’s a chance you’re going to keep losing games.

The Senators on the other hand are thriving, and getting a key player back. Craig Anderson is set to rejoin the team in a bout a week or two as he gets back up to game speed after missing time to deal with the ailing health of his wife.

Ottawa is coming off a 6-5 loss to the Panthers and clearly needs someone more consistent in net, but they’ve been surprisingly successful so far given the circumstances. The Sens are 6-2-2 in their last ten games and 26-16-6 on the season overall.

The Lightning have won six of their last ten games against the Senators including a 4-1 victory the last time these two teams met. Tampa Bay still has enough horses to win the race against Ottawa, but the depth is certainly deeper on the Senators.

Key Matchup

Erik Karlsson against Nikita Kucherov. Kucherob dropped four points in the All-Star game and has some confidence to start the second half of the season. He also won the fastest skater competition and is up to 44 points in 43 games. He’ll go up against Ottawa’s best defenseman in Erik Karlsson and if the Norris trophy candidate can shut Kucherov down it could be a long night for Tampa Bay.

Advice

Tampa is getting excellent odds at home and have Ottawa’s number recently so why not take a risk on the Lightning before we write them off for the whole season. Take Tampa Bay on the moneyline at home.

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars

The Lines

Moneyline

• Winnipeg (+115) at Dallas (-135)

Spread

• Winnipeg +1.5 (-250) at Dallas -1.5 (+210)

Total – Over/Under

• 6 (-105 over, -115 under)

The Jets and Stars meet up in Dallas with both teams trending in the right direction. Dallas lit up the Maple Leafs 6-3 on Tuesday night for their second straight win and while its still concerning how many goals they’re giving up, they’re scoring enough to grab some wins and make a run at the palyoffs in the Western Conference.

Winnipeg is figuring it out as well with a huge 5-3 road win over their Blues for their second straight win as well, a result that ultimately got head coach Ken Hitchcock fired from his duties in St. Louis. The coach killers had back on the road to try and continue their winning ways against the Stars on Thursday night.

Winnipeg keeps getting it done with their offense, and now that Patrik Laine is back in the lineup they become even more dangerous. Laine scored again against St. Louis and now has three goals and seven points in his last five games. He’s arguably the most dominant rookie in a stacked class this season and continues to be the Jets’ x-factor when he’s healthy.

The Stars are no stranger to scoring these days either and lit up the Leafs for six goals on Tuesday night. Devin Shore isn’t on the same level as Laine, but is enjoying a nice rookie season himself with 22 points in 51 games this year. He recorded and assist and scored the nicest goal of his young career to open the scoring against the Leafs on Tuesday.

Key Matchup

Mark Scheifele against Tyler Seguin. Seguin and Scheifele are both coming off huge games and have been the most consistent scorers for their teams all season long. Both playing the center position will have them matched up against each other all night long. Let the fun begin.

Advice

The Jets are a pretty dismal 11-14-3 on the road this season while Dallas is 14-7-6 at home. Something special is cooking for the Stars right now and we wouldn’t be surprised to see them go on a run as they get healthier. Take Dallas on the spread.

Toronto Maple Leafs at St. Louis Blues

The Lines

Moneyline

• Toronto (+105) at St. Louis (-125)

Spread

• Toronto +1.5 (-280) at St. Louis -1.5 (+240)

Total – Over/Under

• 6 (+115 over, -135 under)

Another bad month of hockey, another coach fired. As mentioned in our previous preview, the Blues fired coach Ken Hitchcok on Tuesday after the Blues dropped another game at home and now sit tied with the Clagary Flames for the final Wild Card Spot.

While it’s true that a lot of the onus is on the players for the Blues’ recent struggles, at a certain point you need to shake things up, and the coach is always the first to go. You know how we feel about teams playing for new coaches here, and one look at the Islanders is all you need to know about how a coaching change can affect a team.

The Islanders are 6-0-1 since they fired their head coach, and while we can’t predict that type of success from the Blues we do see them coming out with a little more gusto when they welcome the Leafs at home on Thursday.

Toronto is coming off its own brutal loss after letting Dallas score five goals on them in the first period, and the concerns continue to grow in Leaf land without Morgan Rielly in the lineup. Jake Gardiner has been thrust into the de facto role of number one defensemen in Toronto and the results have been up and down.

If the Leafs don’t trade for another defensemen their dreams of making the postseason with all their young rookies may never be realized.

Key Matchup

Auston Matthews against Vladimir Tarasenko. Coach Mike Babcok switched up the lines on Tuesday night and had Matthews and Mitch Marner playing together after the slow start to excellent results. If he does that again, Tarasenko may have to worry more about shutting down Matthews than scoring himself, and when he doesn’t score the Blues don’t seem to win.

Advice

New coach, new results right? The Blues are getting decent odds at home and will try their hardest to make sure they get a win under their new head coach. Take St. Louis on the spread and the moneyline.

Chicago Blackhawks at Arizona Coyotes

The Lines

Moneyline

• Chicago (-160) at Arizona (+140)

Spread

• Chicago -1.5 (+185) at Arizona +1.5 (-225)

Total – Over/Under

• 5 (-125 over, +105 under)

Don’t look now but the Blackhawks have lost three straight games. It feels like this trend has happened a few times this season. Chicago loses a bunch in a row, recovers, and goes on an even better winning streak. They are, after all, still second in the Central division and 30-17-5 overall with a 5-5-0 record in their last ten games.

Their defense has given up 13 goals in their last three games combined and unless they figure out how to stop the opposition from scoring they could continue to struggle down the stretch.

Neither goaltender has struggled all season long, so both Scott Darling and Corey Crawford should be able to bounce back regardless of who gets the start against a very weak Arizona Coyotes team.

The Coyotes were enjoying a nice little three game winning streak but promptly lost 3-2 to the visiting LA Kings in their last outing. They’ve looked better as of late but still lack any scoring power up front. Radim Vrbata continues to lead the team with a pedestrian 34 points and the next highest scorer is defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larson with 26. That type of production just won’t win you hockey games at the NHL level.

Key Matchup

Mike Smith against Jonathan Toews. Toews showed signs of picking up his ply before the All-Star break with six points in two games but hasn’t registered one in his last two during the Blackhawks’ losing streak. If Chicago is going to snap out of it he’ll have to beat goalie Mike Smith who is having a decent season considering the defense he plays behind.

Advice

This is the perfect matchup for Chicago to break out of their slump and they’re getting a little bit better odds for playing on the road. Take them on the spread.

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Caucks

The Lines

Moneyline

• San Jose (+105) at Vancouver (-125)

Spread

• San Jose -1.5 (+190) at Vancouver +1.5 (+230)

Total – Over/Under

• 5 (-110 over, -110 under)

The Sharks and Canucks wrap up our last game of the night in Vancouver. The Canucks could really use a win to try and move into a Wild Card spot while the Sharks are trying to fend off Anaheim and Edmonton for first place in the Pacific division.

The Sharks enter Vancouver with a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games and are coming off a 3-1 win on the road against the Blackhawks. Brent Burns continues to absolutely light it up despite being a defenseman and is clearly the Norris Trophy favorite at this point in the season.

Burns has 53 points in 51 games this season and added another two assists in the Sharks’ latest win. He’s not just the best defenseman on this team, he’s their elading scorer as well. He’s kept up his pace all season long and will try and feast on the Canucks’ weak defense.

Vancouver allows the 21^st most shots in the league and has the NHL’s 22^nd ranked penalty kill. These are two areas where Burns excels at. He gets a ton of shots on net and quarterbacks the powerplay for the dominant Sharks.

Key Matchup

Joe Pavelski against Ryan Miller. Pavelski is second in Sharks’ scoring and is coming off a huge game against the Blackhawks where he potted a goal and added two assists. It will be up to Ryan Miller to stop him and the rest of the Sharks in net. Miller has had a stronger season than many predicted with a 2.48 goals against average and a .920 save percentage and he’ll have to keep it going against Pavelski.

Advice

The teams have split their last ten meetings at five apiece but with the odds the Sharks are getting on the road they’re tough to ignore. Take San Jose on the moneyline.