NHL Betting Picks April 16: Top Plays for Final Regular Season Games

The Thursday NHL card features six games heading into the final day of the regular season. All 12 teams hitting the ice come from the Western Conference as several seeds still need to be figured out before the playoffs start on Saturday.

We’ll break down three plays for the Thursday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.

Here are the free NHL picks for Thursday, April 16. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.

Best NHL plays today

• Blues (-105) at Mammoth
• Ducks (-110) at Predators
• Kings/Flames Over 5.5 Goals (-130)

Blues (-105) at Mammoth - 7:30 p.m. ET

Utah is locked into the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, facing Vegas in the first round. The Mammoth host the Blues, who have played well down the stretch, owning an 8-3-1 record in the last 12 games.

St. Louis rallied from a 3-0 deficit to outlast Pittsburgh on Monday, 7-5, marking its third consecutive game scoring at least five goals. The Blues seek their fourth consecutive road win, while compiling a 9-2-2 mark away from St. Louis since the Olympic break.

The Mammoth have won two of three matchups with the Blues this season, including a 7-4 triumph at St. Louis in the opening meeting. This is it for St. Louis, who won’t be headed to the playoffs, looking to finish off this season with another victory.

Ducks (-110) at Predators - 8:00 p.m. ET

Anaheim is headed to the postseason, as the Ducks have stumbled to the finish line by losing eight of the last nine games. The Ducks look to avoid facing Colorado in the first round of the playoffs with a win at Nashville.

The Predators won five straight games in late March, but dropped six of the next 10 contests to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Nashville has been held to five goals in the past three games, capped off by a 3-2 defeat to San Jose on Monday.

The Ducks are playing with revenge after getting shut out by Nashville at home, 5-0 last Tuesday. Anaheim captured the first meeting on the road in October and is worth a strong look here in their final tuneup before the playoffs.

Kings/Flames Over 5.5 Goals (-130) - 9:00 p.m. ET

Los Angeles and Calgary have played three low-scoring games this season, combining for 3, 2, and 5 goals. In the last matchup in Calgary on March 24, the Flames held off the Kings in the shootout, 3-2.

The Kings have scored at least three goals in six of the last seven games, while combining for 8 and 7 goals in the past two road contests.

The Flames allowed three or more goals in nine of the past 10 outings, so look for the goals to be scored here in the season finale between Los Angeles and Calgary.