Check out tonight's NHL picks and predictions as I share my best bets for Tuesday, December 10.
After a week-long break, we're back on the saddle with two more NHL best bets for your betting pleasure.
We have a loaded slate tonight, with a handful of enticing matchups, but I singled out two moneyline picks between the Flames and Predators, as well as the Wild and Utah. Let's dive into the action and make some cash.
NHL Best Bets, Moneyline Picks
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Flames vs. Predators
Mark me as one who bought stock in the Nashville Predators hype.
There’s still plenty of time to turn it around, but this has been an abhorrent stretch for the Preds. They’ve undergone seven consecutive losses, falling in 11 of their last 13.
Surely, it’s time their fortune changes, right?
I want to think so, but I'll stay bearish on the Preds in their return to Music City after a lengthy road trip.
The Calgary Flames are also going through a rough patch, falling in six out of their last seven games.
The difference is, before this stretch, the Flames were on a tear by winning five of six. Now, they find themselves in the same place as their counterparts.
Both have played three games within the first week of December, and the numbers suggest that positive regression is on the way.
Calgary has played to an eighth-best 55.52 xGF% (expected goals), while Nashville is right behind with a 54.5 xGF%.
Since offense isn’t an issue, this game will be determined on the defensive end of the ice. Neither team is particularly great on the power play, and while Nashville has the best penalty kill in the league, its power play is so vanilla that it’s hard to rely on it.
To put things into perspective, the Predators have only scored once in their last 19 opportunities. They haven’t even generated a ton of offense either within the past three games (26th), so I won’t hold my breath.
Calgary’s defense has held up along the way despite getting outplayed by Dallas. Since December 1, it’s held up to a ninth-best 2.14 xGA/60, while Nashville is ranked 21st with a 2.63 xGA/60.
Goaltending matters here and Juuse Saros of the Preds is among the NHL’s elite. However, that hasn’t seemed to matter, losing in six straight matchups.
One of these teams will crack, but I’m backing the road dog in hopes of collecting a nice payday.
Pick: Flames Moneyline (+140)
| |
Wild vs. Utah
What the MinnesotaWild are doing this season is unimaginable.
The Wild have consistently been the best team in the NHL and they’re doing it with nearly $15 million in dead cap space.
Kirill Kaprizov continues to be one of the NHL’s superstars and has been getting exceptional help from his two young studs, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi.
If that wasn’t enough, the numbers have held up in Minnesota’s favor. This isn’t just pure puck luck; the Wild are fun and good.
In this week-long stretch, the Wild is ranked sixth in expected goals with a 57.1 xGF% and third best defensively with a 1.77 xGA/60.
The Utah Hockey Club is having a fine first season in Salt Lake City after a red-hot start to the season.
They’re riding a two-game winning streak after taking care of business on the road against Buffalo and Philadelphia. Youngster Logan Cooley is cementing himself as a legitimate player in this league, but the one question I’ll continue to have about this franchise is about goaltending.
Last season, Connor Ingram was the guy, but this season, it’s Karel Vejmelka's time. With Ingram sidelined with an injury, Vejmelka took the keys to the franchise and ran with it.
He’s playing exquisite hockey, with a .917 SV% and fourth-best 12.9 GSAx (goals saved above expected). However, one goalie ahead of him is Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson, who is obliterating the competition with a .931 SV% and a 13.4 GSAx.
Given how well these teams are playing and their top-notch goaltending, I’m leaning toward the under. But just to spice it up, I’m going to parlay it with a Wild moneyline pick as well.
Let’s get nuts, shall we? Enjoy the games tonight.
Pick: Wild Moneyline, Under 5.5 (+258 NHL Parlay)
| |
