Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (Devils Will Demolish Blue Jackets)

Iain MacMillan | Dec 19, 2024

The Devils are favorites to the Blue Jackets on Thursday night. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The roller coaster season in the NHL continues for my bets. I'm either on a hot streak or a cold streak, there's been no inbetween. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a downswing but if the trend continues, we can flip this to a hot streak any night.

With a big slate of games tonight, I have three bets locked in. Let's dive into it.

• Season-to-date record: 76-67-5 (+3.39 units)

Best NHL Picks Today

• Devils -1.5 (+115) vs. Blue Jackets via Caesars
• Kings -160 vs. Flyers via BetMGM
• Canucks vs. Golden Knights OVER 5.5 (-115) via BetMGM

Devils vs. Blue Jackets Prediction

This is a meeting between the hottest and coldest teams in the NHL. Over the last 10 games, the Devils lead the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage while the Blue Jackets rank dead last in that time frame.

The Devils have had some issues scoring during 5-on-5 play but they've been playing great hockey while getting solid play from their goaltenders. This is a complete mismatch against the Blue Jackets.

Pick: Devils -1.5 (+115)

Kings vs. Flyers Prediction

There's not a team I've bet on more this season than the Los Angeles Kings and they've yet to disappoint me. They're second in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage and now they face a Flyers team that's 18th in that stat.

The Flyers have been punished by poor goaltending this season and Aleksei Kolosov is expected to get the start tonight. He has a disappointing .889 save percentage on the season.

Pick: Kings -160

Canucks vs. Golden Knights Prediction

I'm surprised the total is at just 5.5 for this Pacific Division showdown. These have been two of the best shooting teams in the NHL this season, while combining for an average 6.4 goals per 60 minutes played.

The Canucks have struggled creating offensive opportunities, but their high shooting percentage makes up for it. Tonight, they should be able to create scoring chances against a Golden Knights team that's 22nd in expected goals against in their last 25 games.

Pick: OVER 5.5 (-115)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!