3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Friday 1/24/25

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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Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars

Stars Moneyline (-154)

Fresh off their convincing 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues last night, the Vegas Golden Knights are back in action on Friday. This time, they're taking on a Dallas Stars team poised for a reversal of fortunes.

The Stars have been on an underwhelming stretch. Losers of three of its past four, Dallas has lost ground in the ultra-competitive Central Division. While the losses are mounting, the Stars have maintained their elite level of play. Across the four-game sample, Dallas has put together a 52.6% expected goals-for rating while outplaying all but one of those foes. Sustained efforts will undoubtedly lead to more wins, starting with tonight’s battle against the Knights.

This is a tough spot for the Knights, and we’re forecasting some difficulties at the American Airlines Center. Vegas has been outscored at five-on-five in six of their past eight, correlating with a less-than-stellar record. Over that stretch, the Golden Knights are a forgettable 2-5-1, underscoring their ineffective play.

The Stars are insulated at home and better than they’ve shown with their recent outcomes. As a result, there’s a bettor-friendly advantage in backing the hosts on Friday night.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders

Flyers Moneyline (+128)

Things didn’t go the Philadelphia Flyers’ way on Thursday night. Nevertheless, they have a chance at redemption as they take on the New York Islanders on the second night of a back-to-back.

Philadelphia’s loss to the New York Rangers last night isn’t an accurate reflection of its on-ice product. The Flyers maintained their stellar play, posting an expected goals-for rating above 52.4% for the fourth straight game and the sixth time in seven contests. Overall, they’re toting around an impressive 59.9% eGF rating but have come up shy of matching that production with their actual goals-for rating. Naturally, the Flyers remain progression candidates as those metrics balance out over their coming games.

The Islanders have been on a much less impressive run. They’ve been outplayed in three of their past six, yielding a diminished 51.7% eGF rating. Limited offensive production has been a driving cause in their underwhelming first half of the season, an issue that has persisted more recently. New York has been held to nine or fewer high-danger chances in all but two of those six outings, with an average of 8.0 per game.

It’s not reflected in the betting price, but the Flyers have an analytics advantage over their hosts on Friday night. Based on that, we give Philadelphia the edge.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Moneyline (+190)

The results haven’t gone their way, but we’ve seen renewed effort from the Chicago Blackhawks over their recent schedule. The team has improved their five-on-five results, which we predict will lead to more wins. That starts with tonight’s inter-conference battle versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chicago’s five-on-five scoring has gone through the roof in the new year. In nine games since the start of 2025, the Hawks have recorded 22 goals at five-on-five. Moreover, they’ve tallied at least three goals in five of those nine contests, including three of their last five. Combined with their improved goaltending, the Blackhawks have only been outscored once over that stretch, albeit with only one win for their efforts.

Conversely, the Bolts have a much worse track record over the last few weeks. Tampa Bay has been outplayed in six of its previous eight, predictably correlating with more losses. The Lightning are just 4-3-1 over that stretch but are still outperforming their expected values. That puts them at risk of ongoing regression as actual metrics balance with expected results.

We see a substantive edge in backing the Blackhawks at their current offering. They have successfully outscored their opponents at five-on-five, which should result in more wins. The Tampa Bay Lightning can become their latest victim in the Windy City.

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