This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Betting Tonight: Free Picks for Thursday, December 15
12 games of NHL action tonight, and I've got a bet for every single one of 'em. Feast.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. If you're in Maryland, sign up at DraftKings using the DraftKings Maryland Promo Code for $200 in free bets now that sports betting has launched in the Old Line State. Ohio is up next and will launch on New Year's so those in the Buckeye State can get ahead of the game with the DraftKings Ohio Promo Code.
NHL Best Bets Tonight
Flyers vs Devils
The only trend you need to know: the Devils have lost 3 in a row. What are the actual odds that they, as one of the best teams in hockey this season, lose 4 in a row at the hands of one of the worst teams in hockey? And at home no less.
- Devils PL -110
Blue Jackets vs Lightning
These teams met way back on 10/14 in Columbus and the Lightning walked away with an easy 5-2 victory. The Bolts have gotten steadily better with each game it seems, and are one of the best teams in the NHL right now. They welcome the Blue Jackets to Tampa riding a 3-game win streak and have won 11 of their last 15 contests, including 8 of their last 10 at home. The Blue Jackets have only won 2 games on the road this year and just got blanked by the Panthers 4-0 in Sunrise on Tuesday.
- Lightning PL -135
Kings vs Bruins
The Bruins are 15-0-1 at home this year. We could dive deeper into the numbers in this matchup against the Kings, but the overarching question is: will they finally lose in regulation at home for the first time all year? The Kings just gave up 12 total goals in their last two games, both losses, and got blanked 6-0 by the Sabres in Buffalo on Tuesday. They've now been shut out in 2 of their last 3 road games.
- Bruins PL +120
Maple Leafs vs Rangers
This Maple Leafs club just keeps winning. They still haven't lost in regulation since 11/11 and their last loss overall came on 12/3 in overtime to the Lightning. They head to the Big Apple on a 4-game win streak since that 12/3 OT loss. The Rangers are riding their own 4-game win streak as well dispatching the Devils, Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Blues in that span. For some reason, the Rags are shaky in Madison Square Garden with a pedestrian 6-6-4 record at home so far this season. The Leafs are rock-solid on the road with an 8-3-3 mark. The Rangers have the talent to match up with the Leafs, it's just a matter of if that talent decides to show up tonight.
- Rangers ML +100
Kraken vs Hurricanes
The Hurricanes haven't played a home game in 19 days and are 5-0-1 in that time span. They kept both the Islanders and the Red Wings off the score sheet in their last 2 outings too. They return to their crowd tonight to take on the Kraken who've dropped 2 of their last 3 on their current east coast road swing. The Canes may be without star forward Sebastian Aho, but they've still got tons of depth to find ways to win and are getting exceptional goaltending from Pyotr Kochetkov. They've notched points in 9-straight games to boot. The Kraken have been strong on the road so far this year posting a 9-3-1 record away from their own barn so this should be a tight tilt.
- Hurricanes PL +125
Stars vs Capitals
I can't talk about the Capitals without calling out Alex Ovechkin and the legendary feat of scoring his 800th goal on Tuesday night, which completed a hat trick no less. The guy is the greatest goal-scorer of all time. If he played in Gretzky's era, he'd have scored 1000+. Tell me I'm wrong. He looks to get 801 to tie Gordie Howe tonight in DC against the Stars, where the Caps will also look for their 6th-straight victory. The Caps return home after playing 8 of 9 games on the road and are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games. The Stars come into this one having played great games against two of the best in the East of late, notching a 4-1 victory over the Devils in New Jersey on Tuesday just one night removed from Evgeni Malkin spoiling their visit to Pittsburgh with a super late go-ahead goal in that 2-1 tilt on Monday. They shut out the Caps 2-0 in Dallas when they last played one another in late October, and look to snap the Caps' hot streak in this one.
- Stars ML -115
Penguins vs Panthers
The Pens head to Florida on the longest active win streak in the NHL at 6 games right now. They're playing incredible hockey and finding different ways to win, whether that's gritting out a close battle as they did against the Stars on Tuesday pulling off a 2-1 victory, or blowing teams out like their 6-2 romp of the Blues on 12/3. They're 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and have 11 wins in their last 15. The Panthers just handled the Blue Jackets 4-0 at home on Tuesday, but come into this one with a number of key players on the injured list. They're always tough at home though, boasting an 8-3-3 home record which is one of the best home records in the league so far.
- Penguins ML -105
Ducks vs Canadiens
The Ducks are the worst team in the game. Hands down. They're 2-13-3 on the road and they head into Montreal tonight without a regulation win since 11/23 and a road win since an 11/5 shootout victory over the Sharks. Hard to bet on that, primarily since they haven't scored a goal in their last 2 games. But, the Habs might be vulnerable since this is the second game of a back-to-back with their 3-2 loss to the Senators in Ottawa last night. The last back-to-back they had was on the road, losing 7-6 in stunning fashion in Vancouver on 12/5 where they blew a 4-goal lead but then followed that up with a surprising 4-2 win against the Kraken the next night. They won the only other second leg of a back-to-back earlier this season too, so maybe it's their thing after all.
- Canadiens ML -145
Predators vs Jets
This is one of those games where I feel like I could analyze it to death, but something in my gut tells me to keep it simple and just expect whichever Predators goalie John Hynes trots out to absolutely stand on his head and keep it close despite his team being dramatically outshot.
- Predators PL -180
Golden Knights vs Blackhawks
The Golden Knights are one of the best road teams in the NHL so far this year posting a 13-2-1 record. They went into Winnipeg where the Jets had only lost 4 games and handed them a 6-5 loss on Tuesday. They also recently went to Boston and served the Bruins their first home loss of the season on 12/5. They're in Chicago tonight to take a Blackhawks team that is 2-11-2 in its last 15 games and is riding a 4-game losing streak. They've been outscored by a total 12-goal differential in those 4 losses too. Even without Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo, the Knights look good in this one. Can the Blackhawks find a way to keep it close? They did when they visited Vegas way back on 10/13, either team's third game of the season, so maybe they can figure it out at home tonight too.
- Blackhawks PL -140
Sabres vs Avalanche
The Sabres have scored the most goals in the NHL so far this season and have been absolutely lighting the lamp lately. But they've also given up a ton of goals, which is why they're still last in the Atlantic division as of this writing. The Avs have gotten some literal moral victories lately since they had a littered injury report with big names like Nathan MacKinnon on the card. Although MacKinnon will be shelved until the new year, they've got a few big guns like Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin back in the lineup to complement superstars Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen as they welcome the Sabres into Ball Arena tonight. These two teams met in Buffalo on 12/1 and the Avs outgunned the Sabres for a 6-4 victory. I expect some similar fireworks tonight.
- Sabres PL -165
Blues vs Oilers
The Oilers seem to be putting the pieces together as many expected them to this year. They've been inconsistent for most of the campaign so far, but are 7-3 in their last 10. They boast the league's best powerplay too and welcome the Blues into town tonight who have the league's worst penalty kill. Craig Berube's club is trending in the opposite direction too having gone 3-6-1 in their last 10. The Oilers pulled out the win the only other time these teams faced off, winning 3-1 in St. Louis on 10/26.
- Oilers ML -180
