NHL Best Bets, Odds Today: Matchups, Picks, Predictions for Friday
The NHL is back in action on Black Friday with a massive 14-game slate. Read on for our best bets and top NHL picks for the big slate.
Black Friday offers up a variety of matchups on the docket. The Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins kick things off at 1 p.m. ET in what should be an intense, playoff-like game.
That type of rivalry matchup continues throughout the day with the Nashville Predators hosting the Colorado Avalanche, the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Philadelphia Flyers, an expansion team battle in Vegas, and a California clash to close out the slate.
Here are our best bets for Friday’s NHL slate (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, BetRivers, FanDuel Sportsbook, and BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday’s NHL Schedule and Odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Carolina Hurricanes (+135) vs. Boston Bruins (-155)
Colorado Avalanche (-130) vs. Nashville Predators (+110)- Calgary Flames (-120) vs. Washington Capitals (+100)
- Montreal Canadiens (+105) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (-125)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (-115) vs. Minnesota Wild (-105)
- Ottawa Senators (-140) vs. Anaheim Ducks (+120)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (-225) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (+190)
- New Jersey Devils (-155) vs. Buffalo Sabres (+135)
- Seattle Kraken (+160) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-190)
- Arizona Coyotes (+165) vs. Detroit Red Wings (-195)
- St. Louis Blues (+145) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-170)
- New York Islanders (-190) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (+160)
- Winnipeg Jets (+135) vs. Dallas Stars (-155)
- Los Angeles Kings (-145) vs. San Jose Sharks (+125)
Friday’s NHL Best Bets
- Moneyline: Devils (-155 via DraftKings)
- Spread: Penguins -1.5 (+120 via BetRivers)
- Total: Senators-Ducks Under 6.5 (-114 via FanDuel)
- Upset: Kraken (+165 via BetMGM)
- Prop bet: Cole Caufield to score (+158 via FanDuel)
NHL Top Picks for Friday
Moneyline: Devils (-155) ★★★★
The New Jersey Devils are one of the most surprising teams in the early going. The Toronto Maple Leafs ended their 13-game winning streak on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t easy. New Jersey found the back of the net four times, but three were called back after review. In the end, the Devils outshot the Leafs 35-20 but lost 2-1.
The Buffalo Sabres also recently played the Maple Leafs, getting outshot 34-23 in a 5-2 loss last Saturday. That was the Sabres’ seventh straight loss, since which they’ve beaten two weaker opponents.
The Devils are the best five-on-five team this season with a 62.54% expected goals, over three points higher than the second-best xGF%. The Sabres are surprisingly at 50%, but the Devils have shown that they can beat inferior teams. They should do that again on Friday night in Buffalo.
Spread: Penguins -1.5 (+120) ★★★★
The Philadelphia Flyers are one of the worst teams in the league, and they keep getting bit by the injury bug. Even with John Tortorella getting the best out of what he’s got, the Flyers have lost eight straight games.
On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won four straight and six out of their last eight. They won all three games on their recent road trip by two goals to cover the spread.
The Penguins have the seventh-best xGF% (54.4) while the Flyers have the fourth-worst (43.4%). That disparity will be on full display.
The Flyers have kept some of their losses close, but five of eight were by at least two goals. The Penguins should add to that on Friday.
Check out our top sites for Maryland sports betting.
Total: Senators-Ducks Under 6.5 (-114) ★★★★
The Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks both rank in the bottom half of the league in goals. That’s resulted in mostly Under results so far this season.
The Senators scored one goal in each of their last three games and went Under in six straight. The Ducks are also in the midst of a low-scoring stretch with the Under hitting in two straight and six of their last seven contests.
Fade both of these offenses that have combined for 51 goals (Ottawa 25, Anaheim 26) in their last 10 games.
Upset: Kraken (+165) ★★★
It’s a battle between the NHL’s newest teams, and both clubs are off to strong starts this season.
The Seattle Kraken are finally getting some decent goaltending and improved five-on-five play. They’ve won three in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 after a 3-4-2 start. Seattle has beaten some good teams, too, with wins over the Kings, Rangers, Predators, Penguins (twice), Wild, and Flames.
The Vegas Golden Knights have been almost as impressive given the question marks heading into the season. Logan Thompson has answered the bell in net and the Knights are 16-4-1 at the quarter mark. However, Vegas has some suspect losses to the Sharks and Blues in its last six games.
The Kraken shouldn’t be as high as +165 underdogs.
Prop bet: Caufield to score (+158) ★★★
Cole Caufield is coming off his first game this season with zero shots on goal and should be looking to get back on track Friday. He’ll have a great chance against the hapless Chicago Blackhawks defense that has the fourth-most shots allowed (34.8) and seventh-most goals against (3.53) this season.
Caufield has goals in nine of 20 games this season (+122 implied odds), including two of his last three. The Canadiens’ top line is clicking and Caufield is primed to get back on the scoresheet.
Where to Bet on NHL Picks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
NHL odds and best bets from 11/25/2022 at 2:24 a.m. ET.
Related Articles
