NHL Betting Picks for Tuesday 1/23/24: Can Montreal Pull Off the Upset?

With a large Tuesday slate, there's a few bets out there that will provide some value for us 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

Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Moneyline (+120)

The Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens face off for the second time in a week.

Ottawa won that game handily 6-2 on Thursday. Montreal was in a bad spot in that game, having played the night before and being on the road. Tonight, they'll have two days off and will be at home.

The Senators continue to sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They've allowed the third most goals per game in the NHL, due in large part to weak goaltending. They have the second-worst team save percentage in the league.

Montreal can take advantage of that -- especially through Cole Caufield. He's scored a goal in his last five games, and can be considered one of the league's best pure goal scorers.

The Canadiens will be starting Jake Allen in goal. Now, Allen hasn't been spectacular, but he is positive in goals saved above expectation (GSAx). The same cannot be said for Joonas Korpisalo in the Ottawa goal, who has the fifth-worst GSAx per 60 minutes in the league.

With a goaltending advantage, I like getting odds on the home team against a team that shouldn't really impress anyone too much. That's why I'll take Montreal +120 tonight, and the model at numberFire agrees with this bet.

St. Louis Blues at Calgary Flames

Under 6.5 Goals (-130)

The St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames meet in a game between two teams on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoffs.

Neither of these teams are offensive powerhouses. The Flames rank 17th in goals per game (3.11) while the Blues sit all the way down in 26th (2.80).

Both teams are starting goaltenders who are bouncing back after bad seasons last year. Jacob Markstrom went from a negative GSAx to saving 0.518 above expected per 60 minutes this season. It's a similar story for Jordan Binnington, who allowed 0.157 above expected last season and now is saving 0.220 this season.

The Blues' have the 10th-lowest shooting percentage in the NHL. It feels unlikely that they'll be able to solve Markstrom in this game tonight. There's nothing about this game that feels like it will be high-scoring, so I'd take the under.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Edmonton Oilers

Oilers -1.5 (-146)

We've seen a few mismatches this week where you'll have to lay money with a team's puckline -- something rather rare in the NHL. It paid off for us with the Vancouver Canucks last night and could pay off again in this game.

The Edmonton Oilers have been on a warpath of late, and it has vaulted them up into a playoff spot after their dismal start. They've now won 13 games in a row. Since Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach on November 12th, they are 23-6-0. That's the best points percentage in the NHL.

They also have allowed the third-fewest goals per game in that span, something that was definitely a weakness earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets have allowed the most goals per game in the same stretch. They also have the fourth-worst points percentage. Things have also been a mess off the ice -- like how Elvis Merzlikins requested a trade.

Columbus has also done weird things like bench veteran players and shifting their number one center of the future, Adam Fantilli, to the wing. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for what they are doing, and it's certainly not helping their results.

I don't see anything to suggest that they can compete with the Oilers in this game, so I don't mind laying a goal with Edmonton in this spot.

If you're betting on any NHL action on January 23rd, you can take advantage of FanDuel Sportsbook's NHL Same Game Parlay 25% Profit Boost. See the promotions page for more information.

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.