NHL Betting Picks for Thursday 1/25/24: Trust the Bruins on a Back-to-Back?

With nine games on Thursday's slate, we should be able to find some value in the betting market 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

Columbus Blue Jackets at Calgary Flames

Under 6.5 (-114)

The Calgary Flames have lost three games in a row and now find themselves pretty far out of the playoffs. Sure, it's only four points, but that's harder to make up than you might think with the current system awarding a point for an overtime loss. They also have three teams between them and the final wild card spot.

The Flames' mediocre offense can take a lot of the blame for this. They are 17th in goals per game and have scored three goals or fewer in five straight games.

Calgary isn't as strong defensively as they were last season, but they are being propped up by the goaltending of Jacob Markstrom. He's saved the sixth-most goals above expected in the league.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are not exactly offensive juggernauts, either. They average the fifth-fewest expected goals per game. In their eight games in January, they are averaging two goals per contest.

Columbus will -- in all likelihood -- have Elvis Merzlikins in net, and he's been playing like he has something to prove as he has requested a trade. Zach Werenski might be back tonight, and having their number one defenseman in the lineup would help the Blue Jackets prevent goals.

With the Flames' offense being inconsistent, I want to take the under in this game.

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators

Bruins Moneyline (-130)

The Boston Bruins suffered a loss last night, and they now have to go on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. They should still have enough of an advantage to win this game.

Boston lost to the Carolina Hurricanes at home yesterday, which isn't a horrible loss considering the opponent. The Bruins did create more expected goals than Carolina, 3.19 to 2.96.

They went with Linus Ullmark in goal last night, which should mean that Jeremy Swayman will be the goalie tonight. Swayman has been the better goalie of the two this season, saving .563 goals above expected per 60 minutes.

The Bruins will certainly have the goaltending advantage tonight -- no matter who the Ottawa Senators decide to start. If the Sens decide to go with Joonas Korpisalo, he has the ninth-worst goals saved above expected (GSAx) per 60 in the league.

While not as strong as in past years, the Bruins still have a five-on-five advantage over the Sens. They control 50.81% of the expected goals (xG) at full strength, compared to 48.71% for Ottawa.

Boston is the better team with a huge goaltending advantage, which should mitigate the rest and home-ice advantages that Ottawa possesses.

The model on numberFire likes the Bruins in this spot, giving this bet a three-star rating out of five.

Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild

Predators Moneyline (-102)

This game likely won't catch the attention of the masses tonight, but we should pay attention to it from a betting perspective.

The Nashville Predators are one of the quieter contenders in the Western Conference this season. They are currently occupying the last wild card spot in the conference. Nashville has decent underlying numbers, as well, as their xG% is 10th in the league.

Nashville relied on Juuse Saros to win games over the last few years. They haven't been able to do that so much this year, as Saros got off to a bad start. Of late, he's been better, allowing three goals or fewer in each of his last five games.

They will be on the road tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild have had a rocky season, which has been mostly on the downside. They are currently on a three-game winning streak, and that seems to be driving this line.

Minnesota is still not exactly in great shape. They are without number-one defenseman Jared Spurgeon for the rest of the season. While the Wild will be starting Filip Gustavsson and he's been the better goalie out of him and Marc-Andre Fleury, Gustavsson has still allowed more goals than expected this season.

A Predators moneyline bet follows a similar formula to the logic we used to bet the Bruins -- a better team with better goaltending on the road. We have to lay only -102 on the Preds, and I believe they have a great chance of winning this game.

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.