NHL Betting Picks for Wednesday 11/15/23: Hurricanes' Defense Should Contain the Flyers

Four games on a Wednesday night, and there's definitely some bets to like on the board.

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 Carolina Hurricanes

Under 6.5 Goals (-130)

When these teams met on October 30th, we liked the under, and that came through for us. Let's go right back to it -- even if there are some factors that make it slightly less appealing than last time.

The Carolina Hurricanes definitely look like the team that we've come to know in this era of the franchise. They've allowed the fewest shot attempts and scoring chances on a per 60-minute basis in the NHL.

The wrinkle in this is that Frederik Andersen is now out, and the team will have to look to either Antti Raanta or Pyotr Kochetkov in goal. Kochetkov saved 10.71 goals above expected last season in 24 games, so he definitely has talent, although he's not been good so far this season.

While there's nothing too surprising with how Carolina's been playing, the Philadelphia Flyers have definitely been a surprise. They rank in the top 10 in nearly every key defensive metric, including second in expected goals against per 60 minutes.

The Flyers don't create a ton of chances for themselves. They are in the bottom half of the league in terms of shot attempt rate, scoring chance rate and high-danger chance rate. They are really embracing the John Tortorella style of hockey -- taking care of defense first.

Philly will have Carter Hart back in goal tonight. He's definitely their best goalie option despite being slightly below water on goals saved above expected (GSAx) this season.

Both teams like to remain defensively responsible, so I believe the most likely outcome is a lower-scoring game when these two teams match up.

Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers

Oilers -1.5 (+128)

Are the Edmonton Oilers back? It's probably too soon to tell, but they have at least looked good over the past two games.

Edmonton has won their last two games, each by a score of 4-1. In those two games, they've had 61.8% of the expected goals (xG). It was also nice to see Connor McDavid tally two points on Monday and Leon Draisaitl get three. If the Oilers are going to get out of this hole they've dug themselves, these guys need to start producing.

The Oilers will host the Seattle Kraken, who were their opponents on Saturday. The Oilers dominated that matchup, controlling 65.5% of the xG. That was on the road, so in theory, Edmonton should do even better at home.

I had hope for the Kraken on Monday, but they got destroyed by the Colorado Avalanche, 5-1. In that one, they were again outplayed anyway you look at it, and it just doesn't seem like this team is as good as last season's squad. They are the third-worst team in generating xG per 60 minutes.

Edmonton's leaky defense and shaky goaltending have thrived from playing weaker offenses like the Kraken and New York Islanders over the past two games. Getting the matchup against Seattle again should be what they need to win by at least two tonight.

If the Oilers are the team we thought they were heading into the season, getting +128 on them -1.5 at home against the Kraken is definitely a reasonable number.

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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.