NHL Betting Picks for Wednesday 1/17/24: Red Wings Look to Tackle Panthers

Tonight's three-game slate carries an exciting Eastern Conference matchup along with some more difficult choices elsewhere.

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

Detroit Red Wings at Florida Panthers

Red Wings +1.5 (-126)

The Detroit Red Wings are in a good spot to make some noise tonight against their Atlantic Division opponent, the Florida Panthers.

Detroit is coming into this game with loads of momentum, nabbing back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs. Overall, they're 5-0-1 in their last six games, well on their way to a big second half if that's anything to go by. With their current momentum, taking them at +1.5 looks like the right move.

On the season, the Red Wings are fourth with 3.52 Goals For per 60 minutes, even with an unremarkable 56.22 Corsi For per 60 minutes on the campaign. That makes for a good chance of keeping up with a Panthers team that is averaging just 3.14 Goals For per 60 minutes -- good for 15th.

The Red Wings' season turned around when they found goaltending in the form of Alex Lyon. Lyon, a former Panther in his own right, has been sensational over 14 games. He's put together a 9-4-1 record with a 2.58 goals against average and .922 save percentage. The Red Wings' goalie has also saved 5.54 goals above expectation, signaling his strong overall play since taking over for Detroit.

Sergei Bobrovsky will be in net for the Panthers, bringing his solid numbers of a 2.45 goals against average and .911 save percentage. He's allowed nine goals over his last three games, however, giving Detroit some room for success.

numberFire's model believes in Detroit tonight, giving them a 69.88% likelihood to cover.

Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils

Canadiens +1.5 (-152)

The Montreal Canadiens are the latest team to take on the beaten-up New Jersey Devils, leading us to side with Montreal at +1.5.

New Jersey will be without Dougie Hamilton, Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, and more of their core players. Not great. But it's great for a Montreal team that has been scrappy all season long and should be able to cover in this one.

The Canadiens average just 2.64 Goals For per 60 minutes, but the Devils are 28th in the NHL in Goals Against per 60 minutes (3.44) -- giving them room to pot some goals and keep up. Through their last eight games, the Canadiens have been within one goal in seven of those eight. That's a good trend to run with right now, especially with how the current Devils are going health-wise.

Sam Montembeault will be between the pipes for the Habs while the Devils are expected to start Nico Daws.

Montembeault is having the best season of his career so far, coming in with a 2.89 goals against average and .909 save percentage. He's also 14th amongst goalies with 9.89 goals saved above expectation.

Daws has been good in five games, recording a 2.63 goals against average and .922 save percentage but that's over a short time. Overall, in 30 games through his career, he has a 3.02 goals against average and .899 save percentage -- which is more along the lines of what we should expect from him.

Montreal has a 65.95% likelihood of covering at +1.5 tonight, according to numberFire's model.

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.