NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Saturday, January 11

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Published on January 11, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Saturday, Jan. 11

There are 15 games scheduled in the National Hockey League (NHL) on Saturday, with only the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings sitting this one out. We have three matinee games, which we'll ignore, focusing on the evening slate to give you some time to read up and formulate your own plan based on these parlay possibilities. Let's get started.

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Dallas Stars at Montreal Canadiens

The Stars (26-13-1) and the Canadiens (20-18-3) meet at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Bell Centre. Believe it or not, this is kind of a marquee game.

Dallas picked up a 4-1 victory in Philadelphia Thursday night and is 2-for-2 on its current road trip, which has three more stops. Dallas has scored three or more goals in six straight outings while going for four or more goals in five of those games. Dallas is 7-0-1 in their past eight contests, too, with the under going 5-1-3 in the past nine tries.

Montreal has had a flare for the dramatic lately, winning three straight games against the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals either in overtime or a shootout. Like Dallas, the Habs have been red-hot lately, going 9-2-0 across its past 11 games. Each of the nine wins came as an underdog. The under is 4-2-1 in the past seven games.

The Canadiens are an intriguing play as a puck line underdog, as it's hard to pull the trigger on them straight up. And the under is the play based on the trends for both sides lately.

Canadiens +1.5 (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (+110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Los Angeles Kings at Calgary Flames

The Kings (24-10-5) were rested and raring to go in Friday's 2-1 overtime win in Winnipeg. It hadn't played in six games, as they were postponed against the Flames (19-14-7) earlier in the week in L.A. due to the tragic wildfire sweeping through the Hollywood Hills and surrounding areas in Southern California.

The Flames picked up a 3-2 win in overtime in Anaheim in what was supposed to be a two-game SoCal double dip, but Calgary will have to make it up later. The Flames are 5-3-2 in their past 10 outings, with the under cashing in five of the past six outings.

For the Kings, they've won five in a row, while allowing a total of just two goals in their previous three outings. Darcy Kuemper has been red-hot since flipping the calendar from 2024 to 2025.

The under has cashed three in a row for the Kings while going 5-2 in the past seven games and 16-6-1 in the previous 23 outings. Going low is the best play for this game, and we'll side with the Flames on the Moneyline. Calgary beat Kuemper and the Kings in the first meeting at Scotiabank Saddledome back on November 11th by a 3-1 score as the under cashed.

Flames ML (+115 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (-105 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks

The Wild (26-12-4) and Sharks (13-25-6) tangle at SAP Center in San Jose with the puck dropping at 10:00 p.m. ET.

The Wild were trampled 6-1 by the Colorado Avalanche last time out in St. Paul, halting a four-game winning streak. The over is 4-1 in the past five games, however, as the Wild have allowed 19 goals in the past six games while averaging four goals per game (GPG) on offense in the previous five contests.

The Sharks suffered a 2-1 loss versus the Utah Hockey Club last time out on Friday, and now it faces a quick turnaround with no rest. The Sharks are 1-1-2 in their past four games on no rest.

These teams met in San Jose on November 7th – Minnesota skated away with a 5-2 victory as heavy favorites (-251) while the over (6.0) hit. The Wild have won five in a row in this series, while the over is 5-1 in the past six in the series. Back the Wild on the puck line and go high on the total.