NHL Odds & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Monday

Top NHL best bets, matchups, and odds today. ML, ATS, O/U, upset, and prop picks from across Monday's slate.
Scott Cullen
Scott Cullen

Last Updated: December 20, 2022 11:32 AM EST • 5 minute read

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

There are six games on Monday’s NHL schedule, including a matchup between the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins – both ranked inside the top-10 in the overall standings. Read on as we offer up our best bets and top NHL picks.

Four of the six games on Monday’s schedule have very competitive odds, with favorites ranging between -110 and -130. Only the Calgary Flames (at Montreal) and the Ottawa Senators (vs. Anaheim are favored by by more than two-to-one odds.

Here are our best bets for Monday’s NHL slate (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, Caesars, BetMGM, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Monday’s NHL Schedule and Odds

(odds via Caesars)

  • Calgary Flames (-220) vs. Montreal Canadiens (+180)
  • Dallas Stars (+110) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (-130)
  • New Jersey Devils (-115) vs. New York Rangers (-105)
  • Anaheim Ducks (+185) vs. Ottawa Senators (-225)
  • Edmonton Oilers (+105) vs. Minnesota Wild (-125)
  • Nashville Predators (-110) vs. St. Louis Blues (-110)

Monday’s NHL Best Bets

  • Moneyline: Predators (-110 via Caesars Sportsbook)
  • Spread: Canadiens +1.5 (-135 via Caesars Sportsbook)
  • Total: Oilers-Wild Over 6.5 (-120 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
  • Prop bet: Jack Hughes Over 0.5 Goals (+180 via PointsBet Sportsbook)

Check out our complete list of NHL odds here!

NHL Top Picks for Monday

Moneyline: Predators (-110) ★★★★

Games with odds this close are often decided by goaltending – and in that regard, the Predators have a significant advantage.

Despite having gone just 5-7-1 on the road this season, they are still a competitive option at St. Louis. Goaltender Juuse Saros struggled early in the season but has started to come around, posting a .919 save percentage in nine starts over the past month.

That stands in contrast to a Blues squad that has one regulation win in the past 10 games and has allowed four goals or more in nine of those 10 games. The Blues have a dreadful .892 save percentage this season, which ranks 31st, and it does not seem to matter much whether it is Jordan Binnington or Thomas Greiss getting the start.

With two teams that both have below average possession results, the edge goes to the side with a more proven goaltender.

Most of the top sportsbooks have the Preds and Blues at -110, but FanDuel has Nashville slightly favored at -113, compared to -106 for St. Louis.

Spread: Canadiens +1.5 (-135) ★★★★

The Flames have solid underlying numbers, capturing 51.9% of five-on-five expected goals on the road, but they have only managed 41.5% of actual five-on-five goals. As a result, they've won just three of 12 road games, with the only multi-goal away victory coming at Philadelphia.

As much as the Montreal Canadiens have improved this season, they remain below average on home ice. The Habs have a 6-7 record at The Bell Centre and own the league’s lowest scoring power play, converting just 4.08 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-four play. Each of Montreal’s seven losses at home have been by multiple goals.

However, against a Flames team that has had its own difficulties on the road, it’s reasonable to expect the Habs to keep it close even if they don’t get the upset.

Caesars has the Canadiens +1.5 (-130), which is more appealing than DraftKings (-135), BetMGM (-139), and FanDuel (-144). PointsBet has the Habs +1.5 (-131).

Upset: Oilers-Wild Over 6.5 (-120) ★★★★

This game pits two of the top power-play units in the league against one another – and both sides have proven they don't need a bunch of man advantage chances to convert the Over.

The Oilers are scoring 11.62 goals per 60 minutes on the power play – tops in the NHL – with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the only two players in the league with more than 20 power play points. Minnesota ranks third in PP success rate at home and 10th overall.

These teams combined for three power-play goals in just six total chances in their previous meeting, a 5-3 Wild triumph.

The Oilers have hit a total of seven goals or more in seven of the past eight games, including Friday against Minnesota. That was Minnesota’s eighth straight game of hitting a total of seven goals or more – and given how these teams operate, it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see another scoring barrage Monday.

Prices at the top sportsbooks have the Over between -120 and -122, but better to grab it Over 6.5 rather than wait for the total to shift to seven.

Prop bet: Jack Hughes Over 0.5 goals (+180) ★★★★★

Hughes has registered eight goals in 12 road games this season, notching at least one goal in seven of those 12 games.

Hughes and the Devils face a Rangers team that is above average defensively overall but has allowed 3.20 goals against per 60 minutes at home, which ranks 19th.

At +180, the implied probability of a Hughes goal is 35.7%, which is far below his current rate of production – and the Rangers have not been strong enough defensively to diminish Hughes’ output.

Caesars and PointsBet, at +180, offer the best odds a Hughes anytime goal. FanDuel, at +172 falls between the best odds and those offered by DraftKings and BetMGM, both at +165.

Where to Bet on NHL Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Related Pages

NHL odds and best bets from 12/12/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Written by:
Scott Cullen
Scott Cullen is SportsbookReview.com's Sports Betting Analyst and is one of the most well-known sports betting writers on the web. He wrote about fantasy sports for TSN for many years, and he has also written for The Athletic, NHL.com, The Hockey News, Monkey Knife Fight, and McKeen's Hockey. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Cullen was an Economics major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and played for the Laurier Golden Hawks hockey team.