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NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Jets To Fly Past Blackhawks

Ryan Gilbert

Last Updated: December 27, 2023 6:43 PM EST • 3 min 47 sec read.

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

The NHL returns Wednesday night with a massive 14-game slate to end a holiday break, and we have you covered with our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Wednesday based on the top NHL odds from our best sports betting apps.

Happy holidays, hockey fans! The NHL returns this week from an extended holiday break, and nearly every team is in action across a packed Wednesday slate.

There are a few marquee matchups on the docket, including Capitals vs. Rangers, Panthers vs. Lightning, and Senators vs. Maple Leafs opening up the slate at 7 p.m. ET. The Golden Knights visit the Ducks and the Kings host the Sharks to close out the slate at 10 p.m. ET.

Here are our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Wednesday (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Wednesday’s NHL schedule and odds

(Odds via DraftKings)

Wednesday’s NHL best bets

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Wednesday’s NHL prop picks

Rasmus Dahlin Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+100 via DraftKings)  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's Dahlin deja vu.

We’re going back to the Rasmus Dahlin well as the Buffalo Sabres defenseman has been firing a lot of pucks on net recently.

Dahlin has a total of 47 shots in his last 12 games – nearly four per contest – and has been held Under 2.5 shots just once. He had seven shot attempts in that game but only one was on net.

While Boston is typically known for its defense, the Bruins have consistently seen shot against totals in the mid-to-upper 30s.

We might be dealt a tough hand by Dahlin eventually but I can’t pass up this prop at even money.

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Nikolaj Ehlers to record an assist (+154 via DraftKings)  ⭐⭐⭐

Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers has stepped up in a big way since Kyle Connor went down with an injury. He’s on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi, and they’re dominating.

Ehlers is on a five-game point (and assist) streak with 10 points (six assists) in that span. He’s only been held off the scoresheet once in his last 10 games and has an assist in all nine of those contests as well.

The Jets have scored five or more goals in four of their last five games, and the Blackhawks have allowed five or more in three of their last five games (including seven twice).

Even if you take Ehlers’ cold start into account, he has an assist in 13 of 32 games (40.6%). These odds of +154 imply a 39.37% chance, then you can factor in the Jets’ hot streak and weak opponent.

Wednesday’s NHL game picks

Wild moneyline vs. Red Wings (-142 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Red Wings’ 4-2 win over the Wild back on November 26 led to Dean Evason getting fired and Minnesota remembering how to play hockey. The Wild fell to 5-10-4 on that night before turning a corner.

Minnesota is 10-3-0 since that game with all three losses coming on the road. The Wild are 6-0-0 at home during that stretch to get up to 9-4-2 at Xcel Energy Center this season.

On the flip side, Detroit is 5-8-1 since that win, including a 2-7-1 stretch in its last 10 games. The Red Wings have the third-worst xGF% (44.78) over the last 10 contests while the Wild have the eighth-best (51.52%).

The Wild will have revenge on their minds Wednesday night and that’s the cherry on top of this handicap. Minnesota is 9-4-2 at home while Detroit is 7-8-1 on the road. These are two teams trending in opposite directions recently and that should continue tonight.

Jets -1.5 vs. Blackhawks (+112 via BetRivers) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Winnipeg Jets have quietly been one of the best teams in the league this season while the Chicago Blackhawks are battling with the San Jose Sharks in the basement.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is a perennial Vezina Trophy candidate and could earn his second this season. He’s 16-6-2 with a 2.37 GAA and .918 SV% while playing in the bulk of Winnipeg’s games.

The Jets are also doing a decent job at 5-on-5 with an xGF% of 50.07% to sit in the middle of the pack. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are just above the Sharks for the worst xGF% in the league at 42.34%.

Winnipeg hasn’t allowed more than three goals in a game since November 2 in Vegas. The Jets are 16-5-1 in that span with a goal differential of 78-46. Of those 16 wins, all but three were by at least two goals. They entered the holiday break on an 8-1-1 stretch with their last six victories by margin.

NHL best bets made 12/27/2023 at 12:30 a.m. ET

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Written By:
Ryan Gilbert
Ryan Gilbert is a contributing writer at SportsbookReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.