Check out our NHL Best Bets tonight as hockey fans are treated to a stacked Saturday lineup of primetime games.
Our NHL experts have combed tonight's schedule and found value in a handful of matchups.
Tonight's NHL Best Bets include Kings vs. Islanders and Hurricanes vs. Canucks, among other matchups. We're targeting three moneylines and one total (over/under).
Check out all of the breakdowns and predictions for Saturday, Dec. 9, below.
Use our FanDuel Promo Code to get the most out of your NHL Best Bets action.
NHL Best Bets
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 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. | ||
Senators vs. Red Wings
The Senators roster looked ready to finally take a playoff spot again entering this season. The Red Wings were a team that I specifically thought would miss out again and that the Sens could be best in the Atlantic Division.
That take has been awful so far as the Senators have fought through a number of concerns while Detroit has shot the lights out.
It still seems these teams are about to be closer than their records suggest, though, and this number gives us the right spot to buy low on Ottawa. The Senators have played most games this season missing several key pieces, and they've received sub-par goaltending from both Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo.
The recent underlying numbers between these teams are close, and the Sens' 53.5% expected goals rating over the last 10 is actually slightly better than the Red Wings.
Detroit's 13.9% shooting percentage over the last month is the highest mark in the league – and it's unsustainable.
The Sens will remain without Thomas Chabot, which does hurt badly, but that being the only notable absence actually makes their roster significantly more complete than it has been most of the season. Detroit will miss J.T. Compher, who has been quietly tremendous for them.
NHL home-ice advantage statistically becomes far less of a factor in the playoffs. Its importance is also negated in spots where teams are fully rested and the overall travel situation is more minimal. This is a critical game for Ottawa, it's only their third game since Tuesday, and it's after essentially no travel.
The current rosters of these teams still weigh out very evenly, and the underlying results agree. The Sens hold value at +115 on the road here.
Pick: Senators ML (+115)
| | | |
Predators vs. Maple Leafs
By Carol Schram
The Nashville Predators come into Toronto on Saturday riding a three-game winning streak in which they’ve outscored their opponents 11-5. In net, Juuse Saros has won seven of his last eight. The Preds are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and hold down a Western wild-card spot heading into Friday’s games.
Toronto is also in a wild-card spot, and the team has an equally solid 7-1-2 record in its last 10. But the battered Leafs are missing three defensemen in Mark Giordano, Timothy Liljegren and John Klingberg.
William Lagesson has done a good job of helping to pick up the slack, but he missed the Leafs’ 4-3 win in Ottawa on Thursday due to illness. And more importantly, standout rookie goaltender Joseph Woll was injured against the Senators.
Ilya Samsonov has an .878 save percentage and -4.8 goals saved above expected — and has missed Toronto’s last two games due to illness. That left veteran Martin Jones to play his first 10 NHL minutes of the year in relief of the injured Woll on Thursday, picking up the win. But he has posted an .870 save percentage in five appearances with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season.
The Leafs’ back end looks shaky, and the Preds are strong enough defensively to keep Toronto’s offensive powers under control.
They’re significant underdogs, but the Predators are well-positioned to pick up two points on Saturday night. I'll take them on the moneyline at +140, and I'd play it down to +110.
Pick: Predators ML (+140)
| | | |
Kings vs. Islanders
By Tony Sartori
Two teams that have been playing some strong hockey lately square off on Saturday evening as the New York Islanders host the Los Angeles Kings.
The main reason for both of these teams' success has been the goaltending, and both Cam Talbot and Ilya Sorokin are expected to get the nod in this contest. Talbot is currently one of the favorites to claim the Vezina Trophy, and for good reason.
Through 17 appearances in the crease, he is 12-4-1 with a .933 SV% and 1.84 GAA. The guy has not allowed more than two goals in a game since Nov. 11, going 5-1 with a .954 SV% and 1.18 GAA over that stretch.
There were five or fewer total goals scored in four of those six outings. This success is likely to continue against New York, a team Talbot is 8-3 against through 13 career starts with a .923 SV% and 2.48 GAA.
It certainly helps Talbot's cause that the Kings are one of the best two-way teams in the league. At 5-on-5, they rank first in expected goals against per 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, we know what we are going to get from Sorokin across the ice. One of this generation's best netminders, Sorokin continues to dominate with a .911 SV% through 16 starts this season.
Pick: Kings-Islanders Under 5.5 (+110)
| | | |
Hurricanes vs. Canucks
By Greg Liodice
In a rare case, the Vancouver Canucks head into tonight’s matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes as slight underdogs. The Canucks have been a total wagon all season long, but they've found themselves struggling in their last 10 games. They’ve gone 4-6, but they're fresh off a 2-0 shutout against Minnesota on Thursday.
Carolina is currently on a three game losing skid, falling to each of the Western Canadian teams. Could it be a full on sweep? Caesars doesn’t seem to think so.
Prior to this skid, the Canes had been one of the better teams in the league, going 5-1-1 before it all came down. Coach Rod Brind’Amour wasn’t happy, and since his players usually respond well to him, there’s a thought among the books that this could be a resurgence.
I, however, am leaning toward Vancouver. After watching the Canucks dominate play against Minnesota, there’s plenty of reason for them to show up in front of their home crowd, where they’re 9-3-1 in.
On the road, the Hurricanes are 6-9-1, and this stretch hasn’t helped one bit. Sure, the Hurricanes are distinctly better in all the metrics. They're fourth in expected goals, and fifth in expected goals against per 60 minutes. The Canucks lean toward the middle of the rankings in each of those categories.
What’s important to note here is the goaltending. Freddie Andersen of the Canes is hurt, and both Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta have not been the answers in net, each posting a sub .880 SV%. They’re also in the bottom tier in goals saved above expected (GSAx). With the Canucks’ playmakers in Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, it could pose problems for the netminders.
Vancouver’s starter, Thatcher Demko, ranks in the upper echelon of all those categories with a .918 SV% and a +10.1 GSAx, which is fourth best.
I’m backing the Vancouver moneyline at plus-value here. I think there’s a real good chance for the Canucks to come out on top.
Pick: Canucks ML (+115)
| | | |
