3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Sunday 1/26/25

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

Get inside the crease and access who is starting in tonight’s NHL matchups and save projections with SportsGrid’s Starting Goalies Page.

Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets

Jets Moneyline (-245)

The Calgary Flames have vastly overachieved relative to preseason prognostications. Calgary was widely considered a Stanley Cup longshot, sitting around +25000 to win it all. Yet, here they are halfway through the season, hanging onto a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They get to test their mettle against one of the best in the Central Division: the Winnipeg Jets.

Undoubtedly, Calgary’s performances have been nothing short of phenomenal; however, they’ve hit a snag more recently. The Flames have been outplayed in four of their last five, producing an unflattering 43.0% expected goals-for rating. Despite the constant domination, the Flames are a respectable 3-2-0 over that stretch. That makes them natural regression candidates in the immediate future.

Conversely, the Jets have their metrics working in their favor lately. Winnipeg has been on a sensational seven-game run, in which the Jets have out-played their opponents in all but one game. Altogether, they’re flying around with a 59.1% expected goals-for rating, eclipsing the 60.0% threshold in three of those outings.

The betting odds reflect the Jets’ presumed dominance on Sunday night, but it’s still not an accurate reflection of their odds of winning. On that basis, we see an edge in getting a piece of the Jets' moneyline.

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Moneyline (+164)

The Chicago Blackhawks have shown that they still have some fight in them. They’ll have to pull out all the punches to get past the Minnesota Wild in tonight’s Central Division showdown.

While they continue to go through the analytics growing pains of being a young team, there are a lot of positives to take out of the Hawks’ recent efforts. Chicago has outscored its opponents at five-on-five in four straight games. Moreover, they’ve recorded three goals at five-on-five in three straight. Typically, those types of efforts would result in more points in the standings than we see; however, the Blackhawks have been held to one win over that stretch. We’re predicting more victories with sustained efforts.

Analytically, Minnesota has been an abomination. They’ve been outplayed in five of their last seven while giving up 26 goals over that stretch. The most concerning benchmark is their ineffective goaltending. 18 of those 26 tallies have come at five-on-five, including three or more in four of their past five games.

The Wild’s goaltending issues should allow the Blackhawks to maintain their current offensive pace. That gives Chicago an edge as it looks to put together a full 60 minutes at home. We like the Hawks’ chances.

Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Moneyline (-125)

The Florida Panthers’ four-game West Coast road trip concludes with a stop in Sin City. After last night’s thrashing of the San Jose Sharks, the Panthers are back in action, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Florida bucked a recent trend and got the better of the Sharks on Saturday night. Outplaying the floundering Sharks is hardly an accomplishment, and their underlying metrics remain a cause for concern. The Panthers have been held to seven or fewer high-danger chances in four of seven, including both games at the outset of this road trip. Predictably, that correlates with a suboptimal expected goals-for rating in all four of those contests.

The Golden Knights have been trending much more positively. Vegas has outplayed three of its last four while getting out-chanced in quality opportunities just once over that stretch. Despite the on-ice dominance, the Knights have just one win over that stretch. That imbalance makes them natural progression candidates, starting with tonight’s battle against the Panthers.

Vegas’ advantage is more pronounced than the betting line implies. The Panthers are skating on consecutive nights on the road amid a downturn in their metrics. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are earmarked for more wins. We see a substantive edge in backing the hosts.

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