To send the NHL off before Christmas, I wrote about four games and struck gold on three of them. So why not capitalize on some momentum?
There’s nothing more electric than a hockey rivalry, and luckily, the NHL has blessed us with a plethora of heated rivalry matchups for the first game off the holiday break. Tonight, I’ve compiled six NHL best bets that I believe hold significant value.
Let’s get into my NHL predictions and picks for Saturday, December 27.
NHL Best Bets for December 27
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:00 p.m. | |
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 7:00 p.m. | |
  | 8:00 p.m. | |
  | 9:00 p.m. | |
  | 10:00 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. | ||
Rangers vs. Islanders
Maybe it’s just the New Yorker in me, but aside from the Battle of Alberta, I don’t think there’s a more passionate rivalry than the Islanders and Rangers.
Both of these teams are in similar positions, with the Rangers just being two points away from the Islanders in the standings, while also coming off wins.
I’d have to say, though, that the Rangers are indeed playing at a better pace 5-on-5. The Blue Shirts started the season incredibly slow and are still a pretty poor team at home, but the numbers haven’t lied.
Since December 8, the Rangers have played to a 13th-best expected goals pace at a 50.93 xGF%, but on the defensive end, have been lights out with a fourth-ranked 2.29 xGA/60.
The Isles, on the other hand, haven’t had the same success on both ends in that timeframe, mainly because of the loss of Bo Horvat, but there’s a rumor he may be back soon.
What has kept them alive, though, has been goaltending. Ilya Sorokin and David Rittich have been two of the best netminders against high-danger opportunities, while Igor Shesterkin has visibly struggled against the high danger shots.
I also think, given that the arena will be split between both Islander and Ranger fans, it’ll feel closer to a home game than an away game for the Rangers, and the Blue Shirts have a porous 5-10-3 record at home.
This is a decent opportunity to back the Isles here.
Pick: Islanders ML (-110)
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Lightning vs. Panthers
This is a rivalry that has picked up steam over the past few years since Florida has become a total hockey hotbed.
In the past 10 seasons, the Stanley Cup has gone to either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers a total of four times, and that’s not counting the two separate times where both teams each participated in the finals and were not victorious.
We won’t be seeing Panthers superstar Matthew Tkachuk just yet, but the Panthers have been doing just fine without him.
It may have been a slow start to the season since they lost their captain, Sasha Barkov, for the season in training camp, but in the past 10 games, they’ve been victorious in eight games.
The Lightning have also won two games in a row, but overall, the month of December hasn’t been easy. Prior to the two wins in a row, Tampa Bay lost seven of nine games.
It’s been rough for them since it doesn’t have its captain, Victor Hedman, or defenseman Erik Cernak, and now Brandon Hagel is out for the foreseeable future.
Yet what’s astounding is that Tampa’s 5-on-5 game has been really solid. It’s playing to a top-five offense and defense, while Florida is conversely driving play to a much less effective rate.
The keys here have been goaltending. Both Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy have played a lot of hockey over the years, but they’ve still been lights out despite some poorer stretches.
Over the past 10 games, Vasilevskiy has been posting an 11.7 GSAx, and while Bobrovsky’s number has been low in that category, he’s been really solid stopping unblocked high danger shots.
Given how strong Tampa has been, along with the goaltending, as well as Florida’s winning ways, I think the under is the right call.
Pick: Under 6.5 (-135)
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Wild vs. Jets
I’ve been so beyond disappointed with how the Jets approached the follow up season to their President’s Trophy win.
They didn’t do anything to address their depth, they’re the oldest team in the league, and even though Connor Hellebuyck has been back for a few games, they’ve had to rely on Eric Comrie for the most part.
Because Minnesota is just a few hours away from Winnipeg, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wild fanbase travels in droves for this game.
There’s so much to like about the Wild, who have taken a total opposite approach to building their roster, including the Quinn Hughes trade.
I can’t lie, it’s rather surprising that the odds for this game are even at Caesars. The Wild have been insane on both ends of the ice, and they have one of the best young goaltenders in Jesper Wallstedt.
I’m taking the Wild straight up.
Pick: Wild ML (-110)
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Blackhawks vs. Stars
I can’t lie. The thought of Connor Bedard facing the Dallas Stars was so intriguing to me a few weeks back when I peeked at the schedule.
But with the injuries to both Bedard and Frank Nazar, this game has real potential to get ugly.
Chicago’s goaltenders in Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, have both been going through it, especially with the offense taking a significant hit.
The Blackhawks will instead be heading to Dallas, a place that no team should feel safe in. The Stars have a 12-5-1 record in front of their home fans, and this stretch that they’ve been on has been beyond incredible.
Despite falling to the Red Wings right before the Christmas break, Dallas had four straight wins, with all of them being by two or more goals.
And it wasn’t against bottom-feeder teams either. They beat the Kings 4-1, the Sharks 5-3, the Ducks 8-3, and the Maple Leafs 4-1.
I just don’t think Chicago stands a chance tonight, and for that, we’re going to ride with a rare puck line.
Take the Stars at -2.5. If there was ever a game to do this, I think this is the one.
Pick: Stars -2.5 (+150)
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Ducks vs. Kings
I have been such a fan of the Ducks this season, but I’d have to admit… the alarms are ringing.
What an ugly stretch to finish before the holiday break. They lost three out of their last four, and five of their last seven. One of them was a 3-1 loss at home to the Kraken. And if you’re a reader of mine, you’ll know how I feel about the Kraken.
So if there was ever a time for an extended break, it was now, with their return game taking place a half an hour away to Los Angeles to face the Kings.
The Kings haven’t been much better. In fact, they’ve been worse.
Before they break, they lost six of their final seven games played, and a lot of it has been after the injury to goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who is proving to be L.A.'s MVP.
Since he’s gone down, and the team handed Anton Forsberg the keys, the Kings have not been themselves.
Both of these teams are pretty unpredictable given what they’ve been through over the past few weeks, but I’m much more bullish in Anaheim than I am with the Kuemper-less Kings.
It could be a pick ‘em, but I’m riding with the Ducks.
Pick: Ducks ML (+120)
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Oilers vs. Flames
It’s Boxing Week up north, and there’s no other way to celebrate than the Battle of Alberta.
For tonight, there’s one player that I’m honing in on, and it’s Zach Hyman.
After missing much of the season already, Hyman has done a wonderful job catching up with his teammates and has potted 10 goals in 19 games.
Well, I think another one is coming tonight.
No one is playing better hockey than Hyman right now. According to MoneyPuck, in the past 10 games, Hyman leads the league in expected goals, high danger expected goals, high dangers unblocked shot attempts, and second in expected goals per 60 minutes.
It definitely has to do with being lined up with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but really, Hyman has always been the ultimate opportunist.
He scored 54 goals two seasons ago, and if he continues at this pace, he just may hit 30 goals even after missing the first 10 or so games.
Hyman at +180 seems like a great price, so let's get in while he’s hot.
Pick: Zach Hyman Anytime Goal Scorer (+180)
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