NHL Picks For Today's Games

NHL Picks For Dec. 8 & 9

After a very profitable 2022-23 NHL season here on BetQL, myself and the model are going to crush NHL picks yet again. In hockey, turning a profit is all about betting value over the long haul. Most bets here will be plus-money, and if you want to be a long-term winner, that is how you have to play it. Similar to baseball, hockey can be unpredictable, which means underdogs can be very valuable in certain situations, as you'll see in these daily NHL picks.

Let's get into some NHL bets to make tonight!

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NHL Pick: Wild at Oilers

Just a three-game NHL slate to work with Friday, so we'll also look ahead to Saturday to find extra value. We'll start Friday night off in Canada, where the Minnesota Wild are traveling to take on the Edmonton Oilers.

The Wild have been a roller-coaster ride to start this season, sitting at 9-11-4 through their first 24 games. They just lost 2-0 to the Canucks to snap a four-game winning streak even though they outshot Vancouver 26-17 in the game. Generally, they have been playing much better hockey as of late than they were at the start of the season, so I'm somewhat optimistic about them right now. Offensively, they are getting 31 shots on goal per game and scoring 3.08 goals, both numbers being slightly above the league average. Even though they just got shut out, the problem for this team has not been the offense. Even the defense hasn't played that poorly, letting up 30 shots on their net to opponents per contest, which is league average. It's been the goaltending that has hurt this team. Starter Filip Gustavsson has struggled between the pipes, owning a 3.26 GA/G and .894 SV% in 15 starts so far.

Edmonton started the season so poorly that they fired their coach, and since they did, they have started to recover. They are 10-12-1 through 23 games so far and are currently on a five-game winning streak. They just crushed the Carolina Hurricanes 6-1, who are my No. 1 ranked team in my projections, so that was a very impressive performance. We all know how good this offense is led by superstar Connor McDavid, and they are getting 33 shots on goal and 3.43 goals per game, both numbers far higher than the league average. They are lethal on that side of the ice, but it shouldn't be understated how much the defense has improved. They are allowing 29 shots to their opponents per night, which is better than the average, and very unlike the Oilers we have seen in years past. Goaltending is still their biggest issue, as starter Stuart Skinner owns a 3.03 GA/G and .889 SV% in 17 starts.

My Pick: Wild ML (+162, Caesars). Edmonton has been on fire lately, but I also have liked what I have seen from the Wild over their last five games, even in their last loss when they outplayed the Canucks. I think +162 is too large of a number for Minnesota, which has jumped in my projections lately.

NHL Pick: Penguins at Panthers

For our second pick on Friday night, we are headed to Florida, where the Pittsburgh Penguins are traveling south to take on the Panthers.

The Penguins have had some really bad luck so far this season. Their injury list is longer than almost any other team, and their puck luck has been abysmal. They are 11-11-3 through their first 25 games of the year, which isn't terrible considering what they have dealt with. Pittsburgh has lost three straight games coming into this one against Florida, including a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last time on the ice. Offensively, they are getting a rather impressive 33 shots on goal per game, which is much higher than the league average of 30. However, the goals just haven't come with those shots, as they are scoring just 2.96 per game. They are due for some positive regression in that department. Defensively, they are allowing 31 shots to their opponents each contest, which is slightly worse than the average. Starter Tristan Jarry has been really good in 2023, owning a 2.50 GA/G and .917 SV% in 19 starts.

Florida is picking up right where they left off last season when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final, bursting out of the gates en route to their impressive 15-8-2 record through 25 games. This is a team that is loaded with talent, and we saw it after they squeaked into the playoffs last year. The Panthers have won three of their last five games, including a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars in their last contest. The offense has had somewhat of the same issue that Pittsburgh has endured, as they are getting a whopping 34 shots on goal per game but scoring just 3.08 goals. That's not a bad number, but by averaging that many shots, they should be getting more. Defensively, Florida has been stellar, letting up only 28 shots to their opponents per night. Starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has been great once again, owning a 2.49 GA/G and .910 SV% in 19 starts.

My Pick: Penguins ML (+143, Caesars). The Penguins are due for some positive regression, and while I have Florida rated pretty high in my projections, I think getting +143 with Pittsburgh shows good value for them to snap their losing streak.

Shootout: Tonight's Bonus NHL Picks

Here are a few extra picks for other games tonight that I think are worth a play as well (odds courtesy of BetMGM). Be sure to take advantage of the BetMGM welcome offer below!

• Blue Jackets ML vs. Blues (+110)

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NHL Pick: Flyers at Avalanche

Let’s start off this massive Saturday slate over in Colorado, where the Philadelphia Flyers are on the road to take on the Avalanche.

The Flyers have won three straight coming into this game after their 4-1 defeat of the Arizona Coyotes in their last game. They are now 14-10-2 on the season, and yet they still aren’t getting any respect at all. Philly has been a surprise, to be sure, but they have been playing good hockey this season. Offensively, they are getting 33 shots on goal per game, which is well above the league average. Yet, they are only scoring 2.92 goals per game. I expect some positive regression there. On defense, they have been great as well, allowing only 28 shots on their net by opponents. That’s a +5 shot differential. Starter Carter Hart, who missed some games earlier this season, has been fantastic for them in net, owning a 2.45 GA/G and .916 SV%,

Colorado has somehow managed to lose four of their last five games, which is not something we are used to seeing from this team. They took a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in their last game, which isn’t a bad loss since the Jets are pretty good, but they still have not been playing up to the bar they have set. Despite this, they are still 16-8-2 after their hot start. The offense has been great, getting 32 shots on goal per game and scoring a whopping 3.50 goals per contest. The defense has been good too, allowing 29 shots on their net on average. Starter Alexandar Georgiev has been solid, with a 2.87 GA/G and .902 SV%.

My Pick: Flyers ML (+185, BetRivers). I see these two teams as closer to even right now, and I even have the Flyers rated higher in my projections based on play. I’ll gladly take the +185 with them to keep their momentum going.

NHL Pick: Kings at Islanders

For our second pick on Saturday night, let’s head over to New York, where the Los Angeles Kings find themselves traveling to take on the Islanders.

I love the Kings, and if you have been following along with all my hockey stuff this season, you know they are my favorite pick to win the Stanley Cup. Our futures ticket on them looks great right now, as they have jumped out to a 16-4-3 start to the year and have been playing really good hockey. The offense has been better than it has in years, scoring an insane 3.87 goals per game and getting 33 shots on goal as well. They have dominated the offensive zone, and have been one of the best units in the league. Let’s not forget that trademark Kings defense, which has been as good as ever, allowing only 27 shots on their net to opponents per game. They have been lacking a goaltender for years, and it is what has held them back from achieving more, but they may have found their guy in starter Cam Talbot. He’s been terrific, owning a 1.84 GA/G and .933 SV%.

The Islanders sit at the exact opposite side of my list. Sitting at 11-7-7, they have overachieved big time, relative to their actual level of play. The offense is scoring the league average 3.00 goals per game, while they are getting 30 shots on goal as well. They have been nothing more than average on this side of the ice, but the defense has been a total disaster. They are allowing a ridiculous 36 shots on their netminders on average, one of the worst numbers in the NHL. Starter Ilya Sorokin has done his best to fend this off, owning a 3.19 GA/G and .911 SV%, which is actually pretty good for the amount of shots he’s faced.

My Pick: Kings -1.5 (+168, FanDuel). Los Angeles is the far and away better team, and it isn’t even close. Their offense should be able to have a field day against this terrible islanders defense, and I could see them putting up close to 45 shots in this game.

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