3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Saturday 3/15/25

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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Washington Capitals vs. San Jose Sharks

Sharks Moneyline (+195)

Soon, all of the glory the NHL offers will be showered onto Alex Ovechkin. Ovi is within striking distance of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, and it seems like a virtual certainty he will reach that plateau this season. Still, that does nothing to correct the Washington Capitals' eroding metrics. The betting market has the Caps out in front, but they shouldn’t be priced this far ahead of the San Jose Sharks.

Washington has vastly overachieved relative to its underlying metrics, but that divide has been widened more recently. The Capitals have been outplayed in three of their past five while performing ineffectively in the attacking zone. Across that five-game sample, the Caps have eclipsed eight high-danger chances just once. Despite that decreased productivity, we’ve seen an increase in scoring. Inevitably, those metrics will start to balance out, coming at the expense of more wins.

San Jose is still going through growing pains, but they’ve put together more promising performances over its recent stretch. The Sharks have held five of their last eight opponents to eight or fewer quality chances. Equally as impressively, they’ve out-chanced three of those five teams. That’s tilted the ice in their direction, precipitating more wins.

The Sharks are rallying late, and that should continue against a Capitals squad doomed to regression. Consequently, we see a sizable advantage in backing the hosts in Saturday’s matinee.

Nashville Predators vs. Los Angeles Kings

Kings Moneyline (-225)

The Nashville Predators refuse to learn from their mistakes, dooming them to unrelenting losses. That will be the case again on Saturday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings.

The Predators are skating on the second night of a back-to-back tonight. Unfortunately, they elected to start Juuse Saros in Friday’s defeat, meaning Justus Annunen is the projected starter. Deploying their backup against a division contender is unlikely to yield the desired result in LA, but their issues are more profound than that.

Nashville can’t find a way to score. They were held off the scoresheet at five-on-five on Friday night, leaving them with just two goals across their last three contests. Moreover, their production metrics are drying up. The Preds have collected an insignificant 39 scoring and 12 high-danger chances over their previous two games.

The Kings’ defensive structures are among the most complex systems to crack in the NHL. Their last four opponents have combined for 24 high-danger opportunities, a desirable benchmark that should remain diminished against the Preds. As a result, we give the Kings a much better chance of winning than their betting odds imply.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Hurricanes Moneyline (-172)

The Carolina Hurricanes still have divisional aspirations. While they sit 10 points back of the Capitals for the Metropolitan Division lead, they have enough runway left to catch their division rivals. That ascent continues in Saturday’s battle versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

As we’ve seen in previous years, the Canes are gearing up at the right time of year. They’ve eclipsed 10 high-danger chances in all but one of their past eight, averaging 12.0 opportunities per game. Predictably, those dominant offensive performances correlate with an increased expected goals-for rating. Altogether, Carolina is skating around with a 54.9% expected goals-for rating and a 7-1-0 record over that stretch.

The Flyers are in a much worse position. Following their trade deadline moves, they’ve been outplayed in five of their last six. Most of their metrics are falling apart, but the Flyers have looked particularly listless in the offensive zone. Philadelphia has failed to eclipse nine high-danger opportunities in any of those contests.

The betting market gives the Flyers a puncher’s chance; however, that’s misplaced confidence. The Canes should have no problem besting their division rivals on the road.

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