NHL Betting Picks for Friday 2/9/24: Oilers Look to Dominate Ducks

We close the week with three games, including two huge mismatches.

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

Pittsburgh Penguins at Minnesota Wild

Under 6.5 Goals (-128)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the reputation of being an offensive team with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and now Erik Karlsson on their squad.

That hasn't held up to fruition. They are 21st in goals per game, and their power play has been particularly disappointing. They are the third-worst team in the NHL with the manpower advantage.

The Penguins' playoff chances have been saved by good defensive play and good goaltending. They allow the fifth-fewest goals per game and have the fourth-best team save percentage. That includes solid performances from Alex Nedeljkovic, who will be manning the crease for them tonight. Ned has actually saved more goals above expectation per 60 minutes than Tristan Jarry, the starting goalie.

Pittsburgh is on the road tonight to face the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota is not scoring a lot of goals or generating a ton of chances this season. They are 13th in goals per game and 10th in expected goals (xG) per 60 minutes.

Minnesota's game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday was the first time in 13 games that they've created more than 2.06 xG at five-on-five, and that came against the league's worst team. It's difficult to see them having success offensively against a solid defensive team with good goaltending.

The model on numberFire likes this bet, as well, so it's definitely worth considering tonight.

New York Rangers at Chicago Blackhawks

Rangers -1.5 (-115)

The New York Rangers have bounced back from their recent skid, winning their last three games. The last two wins came against contenders, the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tonight, they'll take a team that is very much not a contender. The Blackhawks have lost five games in a row and are dead last in the NHL. They are the second-worst team in xG% in the league and have the second-worst goal differential.

The Blackhawks have a huge disadvantage on special teams. They have the league's seventh-worst penalty kill and will go up against the fourth-best power play in the league. Chicago also has the worst PP in the league going up against the sixth-ranked PK.

On average, the Hawks get outscored by 1.43 goals per game. That was before they were missing Connor Bedard and against all teams. Now, they are facing a team that's seventh in the league in points percentage.

Any true contender has a great chance of beating Chicago by two goals, so I don't mind laying -115 for the Rangers to do it here tonight.

Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks

Oilers -1.5 (-122)

The Edmonton Oilers are in a similar -- if not better -- spot as the Rangers. They're large, road favorite facing a struggling team.

Edmonton's winning streak came to an end on Tuesday with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. They posted some numbers that were truly impressive in those 16 wins.

The Oilers scored 71.76% of the goals in those 16 games. They allowed an average of just 1.49 goals per game, which is crazy for a team that had goaltending and defense issues that led to their coach being fired.

While Edmonton was doing that, the Anaheim Ducks were sinking. They had the third-worst points percentage in that stretch and were the third-worst team by xG, as well.

The Oilers will start Calvin Pickard, who actually has the best goals saved above expected on the team on a per-60-minute basis. He isn't playing like a goalie who started the season as the third option; he's been great in the net.

The Ducks continue to be without Trevor Zegras and Alex Killorn, two of their best forwards. The obvious question heading into this game is how they will slow down the Oilers' offense, but you also have to wonder how they will score.

This is just a huge mismatch in talent and recent play, so I'd take a shot on the Oilers' puckline in this game.

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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.