NHL Betting Picks for Tuesday 1/9/24: Kraken Look to Continue Hot Streak

College football is over and the NFL regular season is over, but the NHL season will still chug along for months. Let's get the ball rolling with tonight's 10-game slate.

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

Seattle Kraken at Buffalo Sabres

Kraken Moneyline (-108)

Heading into the season, the Seattle Kraken were prime regression candidates. They had an unsustainable shooting percentage, especially for a roster without elite talent.

That played out as expected for the start of the season. Seattle was 8-13-7 through December 9th and five points out of a playoff spot.

They've really turned things around lately, winning six games in a row and eight of their last 10. They are finally getting above-average goaltending, as Joey Daccord has .168 goals saved above expected (GSAx) per 60 minutes. That may not seem too great, but that number was frequently in the negatives for Seattle, so this is a massive improvement.

They'll also welcome back Jaden Schwartz to the lineup tonight. He ranks third on the team with 0.65 points per game.

Seattle will face the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Buffalo has been an up-and-down team all season and is currently third-to-last in the Eastern Conference.

The Kraken have been better at controlling expected goals (xG) than Buffalo, as their xG percentage at five-on-five is 51.79 compared to 48.95. If they continue to get good goaltending, they should be able to beat the Sabres, even on the road.

The model on numberFire agrees with this selection, making the Kraken a one-star bet tonight.

Ottawa Senators at Calgary Flames

Under 6.5 Goals (-104)

Two Canadian teams that have been a bit down on their luck will face off tonight.

The Calgary Flames aren't too far out of a playoff spot. They have been doing so thanks to stellar defense and goaltending from Jacob Markstrom. He has the most GSAx of any goalie in the league, according to Evolving-Hockey.com.

The Ottawa Senators sit dead last in the Eas in what was supposed to be their breakout season. They are 24th in expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. They do a lot of their damage on the power play, but that will be tough against a Flames team that has the sixth-best power play in the league.

Calgary themselves don't score a ton of goals. They rank 21st in goals per game with 3.03. This game should set up more like a 3-2 or 4-2 game, which would deliver on the under for us.

The model also likes this game, giving the under a one-star rating.

Vancouver Canucks at New York Islanders

Canucks Moneyline (+100)

Not many people saw the Vancouver Canucks being one of the best teams in the league.

After missing the playoffs last season, they are currently atop the Pacific Division and are tied for second in the league in points. They are playing on a back-to-back tonight but could get the job done against an overvalued opponent.

Many consider the New York Islanders to be an elite defensive team. That hasn't really been the case this season. They allow the most shot attempts, fourth-most expected goals, and third-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes.

The Islanders are really only in a playoff spot because of their 10 overtime losses. They've won just 14 of 39 games in regulation and have a -9 goal differential.

They've also been propped up by the goaltending of Ilya Sorokin, but he's not having nearly as good of a season as last year. Sorokin went from .647 GSAx per 60 last season to .194 this season. This is also worse than Semyon Varlamov's .421 GSAx per 60, and he just went on injured reserve.

The Canucks and their elite offense should find the net against the Islanders better than most teams have so far this season. I like the price of even money for Vancouver to win tonight.

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.