NHL Betting Picks for Monday 1/29/24: Predators Collide with Senators

The NHL week kicks off with a one-game slate tonight.

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

Nashville Predators at Ottawa Senators

Predators ML (+100)

Despite being on the road, the Nashville Predators are in a good spot tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

The Predators are projected to score 3.28 goals while the Senators are expected to finish with 3.26, per numberFire's model. Those numbers are certainly close, but with Nashville's odds sitting at +100 to get the win rather than -240 to cover at +1.5, we're willing to roll with their moneyline tonight.

So far in the 2023-24 season, the Predators are 26-22-1 and on the brink of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. As we've seen with Nashville, they don't score at a high rate (2.96 Goals For per 60 minutes) but do rank 18th with 3.09 Goals Against per 60 minutes. While neither are all too impressive, they're far better than their opponents.

The Senators, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a rough 18-25-2 record. It shouldn't come as a surprise for a defense that is allowing the third-most goals in the league per 60 minutes at a 3.64 clip. Ottawa does score at a high total of 3.31 Goals For per 60 minutes, but it hasn't pushed them thanks to the struggles in their own end.

The major difference between these two teams comes between the pipes. Juuse Saros and Joonas Korpisalo will be in net tonight, giving the Predators an advantage. Saros has allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last six outings. Overall, he has a 2.91 goals against average, .904 save percentage, and 5.70 goals save above expectation.

For Korpisalo, it's been a rough season, which is good news for this bet. The Sens' netminder has a 3.52 goals against average and .886 save percentage. It gets really bad when you see that Korpisalo ranks dead last in the NHL with -15.29 goals saved above expectation. It's a brutal mark for the Senators' goalie that gives the Predators the edge tonight.

At +100 odds to get the win, we're all in on the Predators for the tilt.

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.