NHL Betting Picks and Player Props to Target: Friday 12/22/23

Whether it's moneylines, total goals, or player props, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season long.

It's a long 82-game season, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NHL Best Bets

Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings

Flyers +1.5 (-225)

The 18-11-3 Philadelphia Flyers travel to face the 15-13-4 Detroit Red Wings tonight as slight underdogs.

James Reimer is likely in net for the Red Wings. He has a 79.6% high-danger save percentage since the start of last season, per NaturalStatTrick.

Detroit's 8-6-3 at home despite an expected goal share of 47.2%. Philadelphia has traveled well and is 10-4-2 on the road with an expected goal share of 53.1%.

numberFire's model actually gives the Flyers a 50.4% chance to win outright, providing value even at -225 odds for them on the puckline (+1.5).

As for a prop to target, the numberFire model is pretty high on Travis Konecny to score (+170) and snap a five-game goalless streak. He's projected for 0.46 goals, putting him right on pace for a +170 number based on historical distributions, and he has 10 goals in the team's 18 wins as well as 11 goals in 16 road games.

Edmonton Oilers at New York Rangers

Rangers -118

The 22-7-1 New York Rangers host the 14-15-1 Edmonton Oilers, who will have Stuart Skinner tending net.

The Rangers have scored 3.33 goals per game on the season and 3.54 at home, where they are 10-3-0 with an expected goal share of 51.4%.

Edmonton is just 5-9-0 away from home where they've got a goal per game differential of -0.65.

numberFire's model likes the Rangers to win 64.7% of the time.

Even with that in mind, the Oilers are expected to score around 3.00 goals tonight, and numberFire's model is pretty keen on Evander Kane (+220). He's projected for 0.53 goals.

Boston Bruins at Winnipeg Jets

Jets +1.5 (-245)

The 19-9-3 Winnipeg Jets are a top-three team by PDO at home (1.030), helping to explain their 10-5-2 home record.

The 19-5-6 Boston Bruins hold a 9-3-3 record on the road despite a 45.8% Corsi For percentage and a 47.6% expected goal share.

The model at numberFire projects just a 0.12-goal difference here, putting enough value on Winnipeg +1.5 even at -245 odds.

Again, there's a goal scorer prop that the numberFire projections point to: Gabriel Vilardi (+220). He's projected for 0.44 goals. Vilardi has five goals in eight wins as well as four goals in eight home games.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.