NHL Betting Picks for Wednesday 12/20/23: Will the Kings Take Care of Business?

With three-games set for today's NHL slate, it makes it all the more important to find the best bets.

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

New York Islanders at Washington Capitals

Islanders +1.5 (-225)

With so few options thanks to a short slate, I'm playing it safe with this one as the New York Islanders should be able to cover against the Washington Capitals.

The Islanders head into the game tonight fresh off a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers last night. They moved their record to 15-8-8 as a result. When they take on the Capitals, they'll have top goaltender Ilya Sorokin between the pipes, giving them the key to cover.

Sorokin has unsurprisingly been great for New York. He's got respectable marks in both goals against average and save percentage, entering the game with clips of 3.04 and .914, respectively. The netminder is also 11th in goals saved above expectation (10.43).

It's not all about Sorokin, though.

New York is averaging 3.04 Goals For per 60 minutes -- which ranks just 18th. However, the Capitals are in the cellar in this department, putting together just 2.35 Goals For per 60 minutes, ranking 30th overall. Both teams limit their opponents enough -- Islanders average 3.10 Goals Against while the Capitals average 2.74 Goals against. This should lead to a competitive, low-scoring affair between these two teams.

numberFire's model gives the Islanders a 78.0% likelihood of covering tonight, besting the 69.2% implied probability at -225.

Seattle Kraken at Los Angeles Kings

Kings Moneyline (-176)

Out of the six teams playing on the slate, none better than the Los Angeles Kings.

The dominance of the 18-6-4 Kings has been apparent at both ends of the ice. Los Angeles ranks 4th in the NHL with a 66.23 Corsi For per 60 minutes, creating tons of offensive opportunities for themselves. They're also limiting teams on the defensive end, allowing the second-fewest chances with their 52.89 Corsi Against per 60 minutes.

That matches up well against a poor Seattle Kraken team that has struggled for the majority of the season. Seattle is averaging just 2.63 Goals For per 60 minutes and 3.1 Goals Against per 60 minutes -- giving the Kings all the tools to dominate tonight. Los Angeles is top three in Goals For (3.53) and leads the NHL in fewest Goals Against (2.33).

Seattle will be sending out backup goalie Joey Daccord, and the Kings are expected to start Cam Talbot.

Daccord is 5-5-8 on the year with a 2.65 goals against average and .905 save percentage -- fine enough numbers for being a backup. He just allowed four goals in his last game, so the Kings are getting him at a good time. With the Kings rolling out Talbot, they'll have the advantage in net, as well. Talbot has been one of hockey's best with his 2.02 goals against average, .926 save percentage, and 12.45 goals saved above expectation all ranking in the top 10 in the NHL.

Take the Kings to get the victory tonight.

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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.