NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, December 15

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Published on December 15, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Sunday, Dec. 15

The National Hockey League has a total of five games on the schedule today. We'll focus on the doubleheader on NHL Network. The New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks play in the opening game at 3:00 p.m. ET. The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild wrap up the NHL slate at 6:00 p.m. ET in St. Paul. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

New York Islanders at Chicago Blackhawks

The Islanders (12-12-7) and the Blackhawks (9-19-2) meet at United Center at 3:00 p.m. ET.

These teams met at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY this past Thursday as the Islanders won 5-4 as a heavy favorite (-185) as the over (5.5) easily connected. The Blackhawks started Arvid Soderblom in that game. He allowed five goals on 19 shots before getting pulled midway through the third period. Drew Commesso came on and finished up, kicking aside both shots he faced.

Ilya Sorokin allowed four goals on 30 shots in the wild win. Connor Bedard scored a power-play goal against him, while Tyler Bertuzzi scored a pair of goals, with T.J. Brodie also chipping in.

For the Isles, five different players scored, as Dennis Cholowski, Simon Holmstrom, Noah Dobson, Bo Horvat and Maxim Tsyplakov lit the lamp. Holmstrom had a three-point game in that victory, too, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau didn't score but ended up with three helpers.

The Blackhawks are just 1-7-0 in their past eight games, while the under is 13-5-0 in the past 18 outings. For the Islanders, they're 3-1 in their past four games, with the over going 3-1-1 in the previous five contests. Since the over cashed in the first meeting, we'll go high, while playing New York straight up.

Islanders ML (-165 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
Over 5.5 Goals (-112 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild

The Golden Knights (19-8-3) and the Wild (20-6-4) meet up at Xcel Energy Center in the Twin Cities. Vegas has picked up five wins in the past six meetings since February 9, 2023, while the over is 3-1 in the past four battles in the series. Vegas is 8-2 in the past 10 in the series, too, including three straight wins in St. Paul.

Vegas was doubled up by Edmonton on the road Saturday night and now faces a quick turnaround. Ilya Samsonov is expected to start, as Adin Hill conceded six goals on 34 shots against the Oilers.

Minnesota also played Saturday, posting a 4-1 win as a moderate favorite (-150) as the under (6.0) hung on in a win by Marc-Andre Fleury. That means Filip Gustavsson will be in between the pipes on Sunday.

The Wild are 2-1-1 in four games this season with no rest, while the under is 3-1 in those outings. For the Golden Knights, they're 3-1 in four games this season in the second end of a back-to-back, while the under is 3-1 in those contests.

Let's back the Wild behind Gustavsson on home ice and play the under, which might be the best play in this entire doubleheader.

Wild ML (-125 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (+106 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Before placing a bet on your favorite sports betting apps ensure you have the latest NHL odds to help you craft a well-researched betting card.