NHL Betting Picks for Friday 1/12/24: Can We Bet the Flyers Favored on the Road?

Friday has just two games on it, so let's see the best way we can attack this slate.
Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, 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 are from the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.
NHL Best Bets
Philadelphia Flyers at Minnesota Wild
Flyers Moneyline (-114)
The Philadelphia Flyers have had quite the week both on and off the ice. They traded away a prospect in Cutter Gauthier because he was going to refuse to sign with them after he was done playing in college.
They acquired young defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who is a promising player in his own right. Drysdale played 19:46 on Wednesday and helped the Flyers win.
Philly is currently occupying a wild card spot ahead of the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, and Pittsburgh Penguins. All of these teams were expected to be better than them, and Philly's 51.71 expected goal percentage at five-on-five is certainly impressive.
Tonight, they'll take on a Minnesota Wild team that's having a tough week. They lost two games by a combined score of 11-2. They still will be without Kirill Kaprizov, Jared Spurgeon, and Filip Gustavsson.
The latter's absence means they will have to turn to Marc-Andre Fleury in net. MAF has allowed .351 goals above expected, making him the 12th-worst goalie to play 10 games this season.
With a health advantage and a goaltender advantage due to Carter Hart's stellar play this season, I think the Flyers get the win here.
Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars
Under 6.5 Goals (-110)
The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars clash in a divisional matchup that shouldn't have too many goals.
The Stars have a reputation for being good defensively, and it's well-earned. They are the best five-on-five team at preventing expected goals and are third in all situations.
Nashville isn't a particularly dangerous offensive team. They rank 18th in goals per game, and they really have only one elite offensive producer in Filip Forsberg.
Perhaps the key to this game staying under is the play of Juuse Saros. Saros has been in the top six in goals saved above expected in each of the last three seasons. He's struggled this season but had a stretch in the beginning of December where he won six games in a row and allowed only nine total goals.
If Saros can limit the Stars in this game, then this game has a great chance of staying under 6.5 goals. Dallas will likely be able to keep Nashville away from their net, so if the Preds goalie can hold up his end of the bargain, we should be cashing tickets on the under.
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.



