NHL Odds, Lines, and Picks for February 4th

• There’s NHL action on nine fronts on Thursday, Feb. 4th, 2021
• Robert Duff lost both of his Monday picks, bringing his NHL record to 5-4 (+0.36 units won)
• All of the odds, lines, and picks for these games are right here

There are nine games on the Thursday NHL schedule. The red-hot Montreal Canadiens will look to keep their success rolling at home against the struggling Ottawa Senators.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are also at home. They’ll seek a bounce-back effort against Dallas following Tuesday’s 6-3 setback at the hands of the Stars.

The scheduled Pittsburgh Penguins-New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders-Buffalo Sabres games were postponed due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.

Regardless of the postponed games, we’ve got odds, lines, and picks for each game on February 4th below.

NHL Odds February 4th

Odds taken Feb. 3rd at DraftKings

Montreal’s Winning Hab-it

Expectations were that there’d be an uptick in performance from the Canadiens. No one was anticipating the Habs breaking from the gate among the NHL’s elite clubs.

The Canadiens have claimed points from nine of 10 games with a 7-1-2 slate. Forget about Throwback Thursday, this is a throwback 1960s, with the Habs and Toronto Maple Leafs dueling for first place. Montreal currently holds a one-point edge over the Buds.

Montreal is tied for the league lead in goals scored (44). The Habs are averaging more goals (4.4) and shots on goal (34.4) per game than any other NHL team. Their +17 goal differential is also an NHL-best.

Because you need another angle. 😳 pic.twitter.com/r0MWkTrP1D

— NHL (@NHL) February 3, 2021

Individually, offseason free-agent addition Tyler Toffoli is leading the NHL in goals, already having tallied nine times. Forward Josh Anderson, another offseason acquisition, scored twice in Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Ottawa, on the other hand, is steaming full-speed ahead in the opposite direction. The Senators are an NHL-worst 1-8-1. They’re 0-8-1 since a season-opening win over Toronto.

Whatever happened to those people who were saying The Ottawa Senators were going to surprise people this year? 🤔🤔

— Doug Doucette (@DeuceDoucette) February 3, 2021

They’ve allowed three or more goals in 10 straight games. Ottawa’s goals-against average is 4.80. According to evolving-hockey.com, goaltender Matt Murray, the club’s big offseason pick up, shows an NHL-worst -9.76 expected GAA. That means he’s surrendering 10 more goals than he should be giving up based on the defensive play in front of him.

The Sens are also the NHL’s third-most penalized team in the NHL, sitting out 11.54 minutes per game.

Overall, the Canadiens have won six of seven games from the Sens. At the Bell Center, Montreal’s edge is seven of eight. If you’re pondering a puckline play on this game, keep in mind that three of the last for Montreal-Ottawa games were decided in overtime.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens -1.5 (-113)

Blue Jackets The Real Stars

Was Tuesday’s outcome an anomaly, or a changing of the trend? Prior to that win, Dallas dropped eight in a row to the Blue Jackets.

The Stars hadn’t beaten Columbus anywhere since 2015. The victory halted a four-game losing skid at Nationwide Arena dating back to Oct. 14, 2014.

Welcome to Columbus, Patrik!

Or as they say in Finland 🇫🇮: pic.twitter.com/SwD6kyfiL7

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 29, 2021

The 5-1-1 Stars are third in the Central Division. Two spots behind them in fifth, 4-4-3 Columbus has lost two in a row and show a -7 goal differential. That’s second-worst in the division.

Making his Blue Jackets debut Tuesday, forward Patrik Laine was pointless and -2. Expect both him and Columbus to show better in the rematch.

Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets ML (+100)