NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Saturday, December 7

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Published on December 7, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Saturday, Dec. 7

The National Hockey League has 11 games on the schedule for Saturday. We're going to avoid the early-game puck drops of 6:00 p.m. ET or earlier, focusing on the nighttime slate for a couple of strong parlay possibilities. Let's continue to build that bankroll for the holidays. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

Colorado Avalanche at Detroit Red Wings

The Avalanche (14-13-0) and Red Wings (10-12-4) lock horns at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Colorado is making its third stop on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip, which has been rather high scoring so far. The Avs have scored eight goals, while allowing nine markers, winning a wild 5-4 game in Buffalo Tuesday, while losing 5-3 in Carolina Thursday.

Detroit enters on an 0-2-2 skid, scoring 11 goals in the four-game span, while allowing 15 goals. It will be a tall order trying to halt a slide against a Colorado team they are 1-8-1 against since December 2nd, 2018. The over is 4-2 in the past six meetings and 6-3 in the previous nine.

However, playing the Avalanche straight up is too expensive, costing nearly two times your potential return. On the road, that's way too high of a price, especially since Colorado has been hemorrhaging goals lately. But, the over is a great play.

Over 6.5 Goals (-105 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Maple Leafs (16-8-2) meet the Penguins (11-13-4) at PPG Paints Arena, with a puck drop of 7:00 p.m. ET. It is part of a day-night doubleheader on the NHL Network.

The Leafs were cooled off 3-1 in Washington on Friday night with Anthony Stolarz in between the pipes. He allowed just two goals on 25 shots, doing his part, but the offense was unable to solve Washington's Charlie Lindgren. Only John Tavares was able to find the back of the net midway through the second period.

The Pens were on the short end of a 4-2 loss against the New York Rangers Friday, just cashing the under (6.5). Both of these teams are playing on no rest.

Toronto looks to get well against a Pittsburgh team it has beaten in five of the past six battles since November 15, 2022. The under has dominated in this series, going 7-1-1 in the previous nine installments.

Seeing that each team is playing on no rest, the legs could be a bit heavy, leading to a lack of offense. In addition, we'll back the Leafs straight up due to their dominance in the series recently.

Maple Leafs ML (-160 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-120 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your go-to sports betting apps without consulting our NHL odds page first to ensure you have the latest and most competitive odds.

Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings

The Wild (18-4-4) play the middle game of a three-stop road trip against the Kings (15-8-3) on Saturday evening. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

These teams met in the Twin Cities, with Los Angeles handing Minnesota one of its four regulation losses, 5-1. It was the worst loss of the series for the Wild.

Minnesota enters on a five-game win streak, including a 5-1 win in Anaheim on Friday night. That means it is playing on no rest. It is 2-0-1 in the second end of a back-to-back this season. The over cashed in Anaheim, halting a five-game under run.

Los Angeles is on a run itself, however, winning four in a row, outscoring the opposition 14-6 as the under is 7-2-1 across the past 10 outings.

For whatever reason, the Kings just seem to play their best hockey when facing the Wild. They're 3-1 in the past four meetings, and 6-3 in the previous nine battles since December 11, 2021. The under has dominated for both sides lately, too. Let's look to L.A. and the Under.

Kings ML (-140 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (-108 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers

The Blues (13-12-2) and Oilers (14-10-2) tangle at Rogers Place, with a puck drop set for 10:00 p.m. ET.

St. Louis won the season series 2-1 last season, with the home team winning all three battles. However, the Blues hold a 5-3 lead in the past eight meetings since Dec. 29, 2021.

The Blues are playing good hockey lately, going 4-0-1 in the past five outings, with only a 3-2 overtime loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 30 as the lone blemish. The under is 3-1 in the past four games and 7-3 in the past 10 outings for the Blues.

The Oilers doubled up the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on Thursday behind Calvin Pickard, who has won each of his past two starts. The Oilers are 4-1 in the past five games, with only a 1-0 setback at Vegas on Tuesday. The under has cashed in two of the past three games for Edmonton.

Let's roll the dice on the Blues for the chance to more than double up, while also looking to the Under.

Blues ML (+230 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-134 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

NHL Parlays Tonight

8-Leg NHL Insane Parlay (+12816 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Avalanche ML* (-194) at Red Wings (*only as part of a parlay, not a singular play)
Over 6.5 Goals - Avalanche at Red Wings
Maple Leafs ML (-156) at Penguins
Under 6.5 Goals (-130) - Maple Leafs at Penguins
Kings ML (-142) vs. Wild
Under 5.5 Goals (-112) - Kings vs. Wild
Blues ML (+230) at Oilers
Under 6.5 Goals (-134) - Blues at Oilers

4-Leg NHL Monster Totals Parlay (+1016 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Over 6.5 Goals - Avalanche at Red Wings
Under 6.5 Goals (-130) - Maple Leafs at Penguins
Under 5.5 Goals (-112) - Kings vs. Wild
Under 6.5 Goals (-134) - Blues at Oilers

3-Leg NHL Moneyline Parlay (+323 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Avalanche ML* (-194) at Red Wings (*only as part of a parlay, not a singular play)
Maple Leafs ML (-156) at Penguins
Kings ML (-142) vs. Wild