NHL Betting Picks for Tuesday 12/12/23: Golden Knights Host Struggling Flames

It's a busy night in the NHL with 10 games on tap for Tuesday.

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

Philadelphia Flyers at Nashville Predators

Under 6.5 Goals (-122)

This game certainly isn't one that will grab the headlines or the attention of the average fan flipping around the NHL for games tonight, but it does give us an interesting betting opportunity.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the most surprising teams in the NHL. It's especially surprising how good they've been defensively. They don't really have the type of personnel that screams shutdown defensive team, but we can chalk that up to John Tortorella's coaching.

Philly has allowed the second-fewest high danger chances and the third-fewest expected goals on a per-60-minute basis. In terms of actual goals, they allow the ninth-fewest per 60.

They will be on the road against the Nashville Predators tonight. Nashville isn't exactly a high-scoring team. Their goals-per-game average of 3.07 is 17th in the NHL.

Nashville's Juuse Saros was second in the NHL with 45.49 goals saved above expected last season. He hasn't been quite as good this season but has played better of late. He's won his last four starts and has surrendered a total of just six goals..

Both of these teams are fairly good defensively and not too intimidating offensively. That leads to a perfect recipe for the under. The model on numberFire rates this as a two-star bet, giving it better than a 60% chance of going under the total.

Carolina Hurricanes at Ottawa Senators

Senators Moneyline (+110)

The Carolina Hurricanes were expected to be one of the best teams in the league once again this season. If you just looked at their underlying numbers, you might think they would sit close to the top of the standings.

That's not the case however -- and mostly due to goaltending. Carolina's team save percentage is the worst in the league by over a full percentage point. They've now lost four games in a row and are now going to be without Andrei Svechnikov for a while.

The Ottawa Senators are not some great team, but they have won three of their last four games. They have enough offensive firepower to hurt the Hurricanes. Their team shooting percentage is the fourth-best at five-on-five, and we'd rather have a team that excels in finishing against Carolina than a team that overwhelms with shot volume.

Ottawa is in the basement in the Eastern Conference, but by points percentage, they are actually just one spot behind the Hurricanes. Being at home in this game, they should have a good chance to win against the struggling Canes.

The model likes Ottawa in this game, as well, giving this bet a two-star rating.

Calgary Flames at Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights -1.5 (+126)

The Calgary Flames were set up to get a nice win last night. They had a 5-3 lead over the Colorado Avalanche heading into the third period but ended up losing 6-5.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for them tonight, as they'll have to play another road game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas has the most points in the league and has won their last three games, scoring 16 goals in that span.

Calgary will likely start Dustin Wolf in goal. The rookie has allowed 0.87 goals above expected in four starts this season. They also could be without key defenseman Chris Tanev, who got injured in last night's game.

Vegas will have Logan Thompson in net, who has saved 9.93 goals above expected. That's not the only spot where they'll have the advantage. They control 53.64% of the expected goals at five-on-five compared to 50.8% for the Flames.

The Golden Knights are clearly the better team here, and with the rest advantage and a slightly depleted lineup for the Flames, they can win this game by more than one goal.

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.