This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Hurricanes vs Rangers & Panthers vs Lightning – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has seven games on the schedule for Thursday night, the final day before the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. Don't worry, as we'll be providing men's and women's hockey coverage throughout the games.
For Thursday, we do not have any TNT or ESPN games, but the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are available for streaming at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and hulu. We'll provide picks for that game and an important Metropolitan Division matchup.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Thursday's NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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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.
Carolina Hurricanes 
at New York Rangers 
The Hurricanes (35-15-6) and Rangers (22-28-6) meet at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Carolina is 2-1 in the first three meetings, including a 3-0 win at MSG on Nov. 4. The Under is 2-1 in the three games this season between these Metropolitan Division rivals.
The big news for New York is that it traded Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday for prospect Liam Greentree, a former first-round pick, as well as a conditional third-round pick. The Rangers pick up 50 percent of Panarin's salary this season. The Rangers have had enough trouble this season, and now things figure to go from bad to worse.
The Canes edged the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, 4-3, its fourth consecutive one-goal game. Carolina is 3-0-1 in the span, showing it can win close games. The Over is 3-1 in those games, too, with the Hurricanes going for three or more goals in six in a row, eight of the past nine games, and 15 of the past 17 outings.
Rookie Brandon Bussi (22-3-1, 2.24 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to start, while Jonathan Quick (3-13-2, 3.24 GAA, .883 SV%, 1 SO) is likely for the home side. That's a huge advantage for the visitors.
We'll side with the Hurricanes laying the puck and a half, and we'll go low on the total. The Rangers have had tremendous difficulty scoring at home, and that won't get better as "The Bread Man" is now baking on the left coast.
For the Hurricanes, after this game, Jaccob Slavin will leave for Italy to join Team USA, while Sebastian Aho will be representing Finland. Meanwhile, Nikolaj Ehlers and Frederik Andersen will participate for Team Denmark.
As far as the Rangers are concerned, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck will play for Team USA, with Mika Zibanejad joining Team Sweden.
- Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+110 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Over 6 (-120 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Florida Panthers 
at Tampa Bay Lightning 
The Panthers (29-24-3) and Lightning (36-14-4) meet at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, as these Sunshine State rivals renew acquaintances.
The Lightning have won two of the first three meetings, with the road team going a perfect 3-0 this season. Tampa Bay won 4-2 as a slight favorite (-120) last time out on Dec. 27 in Sunrise as the Over (5.5) cashed.
Florida outlasted the Boston Bruins 5-4 in a shootout on Wednesday night as moderate favorites (-160) as the Over (6.5) cashed, halting a four-game losing streak. The Over is 6-1 in the past seven games, as the Panthers have allowed four or more goals in four of the past five outings.
Tampa Bay followed up its amazing comeback in its chilly Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins with a crucial 4-3 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday as the Over (6) cashed. That's four straight wins, and seven of the past eight, for the Lightning, while they're an impressive 18-1-1 in the past 20 games, collecting 37 out of a possible 40 points since Dec. 20.
It's pretty cut and dry here, even though the road team has won each of the first three meetings. Let's back Tampa Bay on home ice, and we'll go Over, based on the trends for the Panthers lately.
As far as the Olympics, Panthers Sam Bennett replaced Lightning Anthony Cirelli on the Team Canada roster. Cirelli was injured in the Stadium Series game last Sunday against the Boston Bruins. Matthew Tkachuk heads to Team USA, while Seth Jones was originally expected to play, but he has been replaced by Anaheim's Jackson Lacombe due to injury. Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart will join Bennett for Team Canada, while Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola are on Finland. Aleksander Barkov was originally one of the first six named to Finland, but he is injured and will not play. Gustav Forsling is headed for Team Sweden, while Uvis Balinskis will represent Latvia.
The Lightning have plenty of representation, too, as Jake Guentzel is on Team USA, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point represent Canada, Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg are playing for Team Sweden, and J.J. Moser will participate for Team Switzerland. Erik Cernak is off to join Team Slovakia, with Zemgus Girgensons representing Team Latvia and Oliver Bjorkstrand playing for Team Denmark.
- Panthers ML (-190 at Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
- Over 6 (-115 at Bet365, BetMGM, BetRivers and Caesars Sportsbooks)
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Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
3-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+473 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+110) at Rangers
- Lightning ML (-190) vs. Panthers
- Over 6 (-115) - Lightning vs. Panthers
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+221 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+110) at Rangers
- Lightning ML (-190) vs. Panthers
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+243 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Over 6 (-120) - Hurricanes at Rangers
- Over 6 (-115) - Lightning vs. Panthers
