NHL Betting Picks for Thursday 1/11/24: Canucks Looking to Stay Hot

We're back to having 13 games on a busy Thursday. Which bets make sense 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

Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets

Under 5.5 Goals (-110)

In this day and age of the NHL, 5.5 total games are becoming increasingly rare. It's even more rare that we'll like the under in one of those games, but it makes sense in this spot.

The Winnipeg Jets have surprisingly shot to the top of the league's standings after winning seven in a row and nine of their last 10. They've largely done it because of their defense. The Jets rank in the top 10 in five-on-five shots attempts against, expected goals against and high-danger chances against on a per-60-minute basis.

Winnipeg will be at home tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago has averaged the second -fewest goals per game and second-fewest expected goals per 60 minutes -- and that was with Connor Bedard in the lineup.

The rookie phenom will be out for six to eight weeks, leaving Chicago with very little firepower. Their leading remaining scorer is Philipp Kurashev, who had a career-high 25 points before this season.

Even with backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit in, I'm still taking the under. Brossoit has been fairly solid this season with 0.32 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes.

The Jets are on a streak of allowing two goals or fewer in each of their last 10 games, and three goals or fewer in each of their last 30 games. It's hard to imagine this Chicago team breaking that streak, meaning the Jets would have to score most of the goals for this game to go over.

Winnipeg is only dead average -- 16th in the league -- in expected goal rate. I wouldn't expect them to be scoring four or five goals in this spot too often, making the under the bet for tonight.

Vancouver Canucks at Pittsburgh Penguins

Canucks Moneyline (+108)

The Vancouver Canucks keep chugging along. They've won three in a row and seven of their last 10.

That makes it a bit surprising that they are underdogs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh hasn't been terribly impressive, sitting 17th in points percentage in the league.

The Canucks won on Tuesday with Casey DeSmith in goal but will be going back to Thatcher Demko tonight. Demko has been excellent, ranking second in the NHL in goals saved above expected.

Vancouver hit a slight snag last week and decided to change up their lines. They've put their three best forwards on the same line, and it's working out great. Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser have dominated their opponents at five-on-five.

Pittsburgh has a slight edge in underlying numbers overall, controlling 53.5% of the expected goals at five-on-five, compared to 51.44% for Vancouver. The Penguins have underperformed their expected goal numbers all season, and having the eighth-worst power play in the league hasn't done them any favors.

Also, the Penguins will turn to Alex Nedeljkovic in goal. Ned has been solid this season, but he allowed more goals than expected in each of the previous two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and could turn back into a pumpkin at any time.

I think Vancouver is a better team than the Penguins are, so I like getting +108 on them winning this game.

Anaheim Ducks at Carolina Hurricanes

Under 6.5 Goals (-120)

A big storyline during the first few months of the NHL season was the Carolina Hurricanes and their goaltending.

Frederik Andersen had blood clots early in the campaign and is still sidelined. The team had to use Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov, and both struggled mightily. Carolina had their typical dominant underlying metrics, but those were finally being undone by poor goaltending.

Things are different since Christmas, as the Canes have allowed three goals or fewer in all six of their games. They have the fifth-highest team save percentage in the league during that stretch.

They'll play host to the Anaheim Ducks tonight, and Carolina should be able to limit the Ducks' offensive chances. The Ducks average the fourth-fewest goals per game and will be without dynamic offensive talent Trevor Zegras along with their leading scorer on the blueline, Pavel Mintyukov.

If Carolina can hold Anaheim to two goals or fewer, they'd have to score at least five goals for this game to go over the total. That seems like a tall task for a good-not-great offensive team like the Hurricanes, so I'd take the under in this game.

The model at numberFire agrees with this bet, giving it a one-star rating.

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.