A huge 12-game slate in the NHL takes over our Tuesday night, featuring some great matchups to bet.

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

Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings ML (-170)

The Detroit Red Wings are riding a five-game winning streak into tonight's tilt against the Washington Capitals, and there's no better time to get them as a result.

Detroit has been one of the best teams in hockey since the start of the new year, going 15-4-2 dating back to January 1st -- the best record in that span. In those 21 games, the Red Wings are averaging 3.38 goals per 60 minutes (fifth in hockey) and holding opponents to just 2.59 goals against per 60 minutes (fifth).

The Capitals, on the other hand, have not had the same fortune as the Red Wings in this period. They're scoring just 2.92 goals per 60 minutes but are allowing the 11th-most Goals Against per 60 minutes (3.30). This is certainly a scenario to like when betting on the Red Wings.

Alex Lyon is going to be between the pipes for Detroit tonight, and he's a big reason for their success. The netminder has posted a 2.68 goals against average and .916 save percentage in the season while also only allowing one goal in each of his last two starts.

numberFire's model gives the Red Wings a 66.78% likelihood of earning the win tonight.

Carolina Hurricanes at Minnesota Wild

Over 5.5 Goals (-140)

When the total is set at 5.5 goals, you take notice. When it's set at that point in a game between two teams that can score, it's all the more noticeable.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild are in much different spots this season. As we've grown used to with the Hurricanes, they're a top team and contender with a record of 34-18-6 while putting together an elite offense. Carolina has an NHL-leading 69.78 Corsi For per 60 minutes but sit just 13th in goals per 60 (3.24) so far. That's still a fine mark but not to the level expected when the offensive opportunities are there.

Minnesota hasn't been a top team, shown by their 28-24-6 record. The one thing the Wild have been able to do is score goals, registering 3.10 per 60 minutes, which is just a tick behind the Hurricanes. That's enough confidence for us for these teams to get the over.

Carolina has the advantage in goal. Pyotr Kochetkov has a 2.36 goals against average and .910 save percentage while the Wild's Filip Gustavsson has struggled in a major way, per a 3.23 goals against average and rough .896 save percentage. If Gustavsson does indeed start, the Hurricanes should be able to pile on and help get the over as a result.

There's a 61.47% likelihood of the Hurricanes and Wild hitting the over tonight, per numberFire's model. That's an improvement over the 58.3% implied probability of these odds.

Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers

Under 6.5 Goals (-130)

With the 2023-24 NHL season through nearly 60 games on the 82-game season, it's apparent that the Florida Panthers are among the best teams in the league and have a true claim as the best team.

The Panthers are facing off with the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Florida should be able to dominate this game if all goes right as they've been showing all season. Ranking second in both Corsi (69.28) and Corsi against (53.24) per 60 minutes, it's hard to doubt that domination. Their quality on each end has led to them scoring 3.25 goals per 60 minutes and holding opponents to 2.38 per 60 minutes. These are elite ranks -- especially defensively to rank second in the NHL.

Meanwhile, the Sabres don't have many answers offensively but do on the defensive end. They're scoring just 2.88 goals per 60 minutes but do hold opponents to an average of 2.98 goals against per 60 minutes. This is how we land on the under. These two teams keep the puck out of the net; we love to see it.

Quality goaltending is expected with Sergei Bobrovsky and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net. Bobrovsky is 11th in the NHL with 14.65 goals saved above expectation, and Bob is tied for 3rd with a 2.36 goals against average. Luukkonen isn't too far behind; he's tied for 5th with a 2.45 goals against average and also slots 5th with 19.37 goals saved above expectation, as well.

We're counting on the goaltending to deliver tonight to keep this game below seven markers.

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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.