NHL Betting Picks for Friday 1/5/24: Devils Face Off With Blackhawks

The NHL will close out their week with a three-game slate tonight featuring some of their best teams facing off with struggling offenses.

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

Chicago Blackhawks at New Jersey Devils

Devils -1.5 (-164)

The New Jersey Devils are an offensive powerhouse and should keep up their output when they welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to town tonight.

New Jersey has been among the top units in their opponent's end, averaging the 6th-most Goals For per 60 minutes at a 3.5 clip. Over their last 10 games, that stat has remained strong at 3.45 Goals For per 60 minutes.

On the opposite side of the ice, the Blackhawks have been towards the bottom despite the excitement that comes with Connor Bedard and his gifts. Chicago ranks 31st with 2.3 Goals For per 60 minutes, which has gone down to 2.17 Goals For in their last 10 outings.

Defensively, the Blackhawks cough up tons of chances with a 67.5 Corsi Against, while the Devils limit them with a 53.94 Corsi Against.

Chicago has been very poor at stopping goals in the last 10 games, too, allowing a league-leading 4.55 Goals Against. New Jersey is allowing a high 3.25 Goals Against per 60, but that is better than their season average (3.47), giving us belief in their performance over the Blackhawks.

Nico Daws will get the nod in net for the Devils. He's started his tenure off 2-0-0 with a 2.52 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Petr Mrazek will start for the Blackhawks, and he's sporting a 3.27 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. There's no true advantage in net for either team.

The Devils -1.5 bet tonight is one we're taking on, as numberFire's model is projecting the Devils to score 4.03 goals tonight compared to the Blackhawks' projected total of 2.36.

Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks

Jets ML (-170)

As we near the halfway point of the 2023-24 NHL season, the Winnipeg Jets have proven to be one of the top teams in the league.

The Jets have had a fine offense through their first 37 games, averaging 3.3 Goals For per 60 minutes (12th) and 59.66 Corsi For per 60 minutes (18th). But it's defense and goaltending where things change for them.

Winnipeg has one of the top 10 stingiest defenses, entering tonight with a 58.16 Corsi Against per 60 minutes. No matter if it's been Connor Hellebuyck or Laurent Brossoit between the pipes, they've been able to stop the puck from going into the net at an elite rate. The Jets are just behind the Los Angeles Kings in Goals Against per 60 minutes, allowing a minimal 2.41.

Compared to the Anaheim Ducks, it's not really close. The Ducks come up short at both ends, as they are averaging just 2.5 Goals For per 60 minutes and have allowed 3.3 Goals For per 60 minutes -- both ranking bottom-10 in their respective categories.

The Jets should be able to take care of business tonight as they send out Brossoit to face John Gibson.

Brossoit has been one of the NHL's better backups, posting a 2.44 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in his nine games. He's actually outplayed Gibson, who has a 2.96 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. It helps to have a better team ahead of you, of course.

Winnipeg should be able to get themselves a win here.

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

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.