The NHL season is heating up. Battle lines are being drawn as teams showcase their strengths and weaknesses. With tonight’s slate of games offering plenty of action, we’ve crafted a pair of exciting same-game parlays (SGPs) to help you dive into the matchups and find value on the ice.

Both the Senators and the Capitals have been stingy on defense across the last month-plus, and our NHL betting picks see no signs of regression in that department for either side on Thursday night.

Remember that the margin is larger overall, as favorites are 417-273 across the 690 NHL games so far this season (60.4%). Is it a small sample size? Yes, but it's also logical that it becomes more difficult to set odds when both teams are very good.

Buffalo Sabres center Ryan McLeod, center, celebrates after scoring as Carolina Hurricanes goalie Dustin Tokarski (34) and center Sebastian Aho (20) look on during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo,

The Sabres got a fourth goal in the third period to ice the game — despite not recording a shot on net in the entire period, an NHL first.

With a rare 6:00 pm start time, the Hurricanes arrived late to the game and Buffalo did not. The Hurricanes didn’t really get to their game until the third and Buffalo took advantage, getting a three-goal lead before the final frame.