2 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Sunday 2/9/25

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.

For additional NHL insights, check out FanDuel Research's daily NHL projections, powered by numberFire.

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. Lineup notes come from Daily Faceoff.

NHL Betting Picks Today

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Utah Hockey Club vs. Washington Capitals

Hockey Club Moneyline (+164)

As always, the rest of the sports world moves aside for the Super Bowl, and the NHL is no exception. The Washington Capitals host the Utah Hockey Club in just one of two Sunday matinees. At first glance, the Caps might appear as the worthy investment, but our analysis supports that this spot favors Utah.

Washington has won two straight, scoring a combined 10 goals; however, that scoring is unsustainable and those wins are undeserved. The Caps have been outplayed in three straight, by a substantive margin. Altogether, they’ve compiled a 37.2% expected goals-for rating. More concerningly, 10 of their 14 goals over that stretch have come at five-on-five -- albeit on just 17 high-danger chances.

The results haven’t gone their way, but this is the best stretch of offensive hockey for the Utah Hockey Club this season. The newly minted franchise has eclipsed 10 high-danger chances in five of six, averaging 12.2 opportunities per game. Predictably, that correlates with an inflated expected goals-for rating of 55.6%.

We’re anticipating more wins for Utah in the immediate future. That starts with this afternoon’s showdown in Washington. Considering the steep price, we see tremendous value in backing Utah.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Moneyline (+142)

The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning are both skating on consecutive days with the Bolts coming in off a win. While the betting market has installed Tampa Bay as road chalk, we see an edge in backing the underdog Canadiens at home.

Montreal’s scoring woes hit a new level on Saturday. The Habs put forth their best offensive effort of the past two weeks, recording 23 scoring and 13 high-danger chances. Still, they were held completely off the scoresheet, losing 4-0 to the New Jersey Devils. That was the third time in five games in which the Canadiens failed to score at five-on-five. While their lack of output is concerning, we have the Habs primed for progression over their coming games.

Conversely, we’re anticipating a dry spell for the Lightning. Recently, Tampa Bay has vastly overachieved relative to production metrics. The Bolts have recorded 15 goals over their last three, a significant departure from their expected total of 10.6. Moreover, they’ve been held to a combined 24 high-danger chances across the three-game sample.

Analytically, these teams are positioned in opposite directions. The Canadiens are prime progression candidates while regression will come swiftly for the Lightning. As a result, Montreal is undeserving of their +132 moneyline price at home.

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