3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Sunday 4/6/25

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. Vancouver Canucks

Golden Knights Moneyline (-160)

The Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights are both back in action after triumphant wins on Saturday. However, different circumstances are impacting both teams’ chances of victory. At a diminished rate, we see an edge on the Golden Knights in this one.

In last night's contest, Vancouver elected to start its primary netminder, Thatcher Demko. That means Kevin Lankinen and his 89.9% save percentage will be standing between the pipes on Sunday. Those concerns are amplified when we factor in the Canucks’ recent performances. They’ve been outplayed in five of their last six and have given up 11 or more high-danger chances in three of those contests.

Those aren’t advantages that you can give to the Vegas Golden Knights. The once-removed Stanley Cup winners rank sixth in the NHL in scoring and remain a dominant analytics force. Vegas is coming off a dominant effort, putting up a 69.4% expected goals-for rating in last night’s win. They’ve crossed the 65.0% threshold in two of their previous four.

The Canucks are severely outmatched in this one, and they’ve put themselves at an even more considerable disadvantage with their goaltending situation. As a result, the Golden Knights' moneyline should be substantially higher than their current offering.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Nashville Predators

Canadiens Moneyline (-110)

This season has not gone the Nashville Predators’ way. Their offseason transformation has resulted in a worse on-ice product, which has looked even worse across their recent sample. The Montreal Canadiens are playing for their playoff lives and can take advantage of a floundering Preds squad on Sunday night.

Nashville’s most recent performances have been disastrous. They’ve been outplayed in six straight, accumulating an ugly 39.4% expected goals-for rating. That eroding value has finally resulted in a full-on collapse. The Predators have given up 11 goals at five-on-five over their past two games, resulting in a 13-5 scoring margin across all strengths.

The Habs are trending in the opposite direction. Montreal has outplayed its last two opponents by a substantive margin, earning a 65.0% expected goals-for rating. The Canadiens’ offense is finding its rhythm, but their defensive performances have been the most impressive part of those showings. Across those two outings, Montreal’s opponents have been held to a combined 34 scoring and nine high-danger chances across those two outings.

The Predators have waved the white flag and are already looking toward the offseason. The Habs can press their advantage in Nashville, leaving an edge in backing Montreal in this spot.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Penguins Moneyline (-134)

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ dynasty is on the decline, but that hasn’t stopped them from putting their best foot forward over the latter stages of the campaign. While both teams play for pride, the Pens have a significant advantage over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.

This season, Pittsburgh’s actual results don’t reflect its quality on-ice product. They remain an above-average analytics team but sit almost seven points shy of their expected goals-for mark. Those metrics have started to balance out more recently with the Penguins outplaying their opponents in three straight while collecting victories in all but one of those contests.

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks can’t figure anything out on either end of the ice. Chicago has outplayed just one of their last six opponents with its most recent efforts sinking to an all-time low. Across their previous three games, the Hawks haven’t eclipsed nine high-danger chances but have given up at least 12 each time out. As a result, their expected goals-for rating plummeted to 35.7%.

These teams are trending in very different directions, and the Penguins’ betting advantage should be more pronounced than it is. Naturally, the advantage lies in backing the visitors at the United Center.

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