3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Wednesday 3/5/25

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. New York Rangers

Rangers Moneyline (+106)

The New York Rangers have undergone a modest facelift over the past few weeks. Rangers GM Chris Drury has retooled his roster with several trades, trying to make a run at a coveted playoff spot. The early returns are promising, giving them hope of cashing as plus-money underdogs versus the Washington Capitals.

New York hasn’t allowed a goal in either of their last two games and has been playing with a new structure in its own end. The Rangers have held two of their past three opponents to nine or fewer high-danger chances, with neither of those teams surpassing 15 scoring opportunities. Combined with their 10.7 high-danger chances per game, the Broadway Blueshirts are starting to tilt the ice in their direction.

The Rangers must maintain that defensive responsibility to corral a dangerous Capitals attack. However, the Caps have shown signs of slowing down in their opponents’ end. Over their last three games, Washington has been held to seven or fewer high-danger and 21 or fewer scoring chances on two occasions. Not surprisingly, they only have five goals at five-on-five over that stretch.

Scoring could be an issue for the Capitals on Wednesday night. New York is playing with renewed confidence in its own end, continuing to maximize offensive efficiency. As a result, we see an edge with the Rangers in this Metropolitan Division clash.

St. Louis Blues vs. Los Angeles Kings

Blues Moneyline (+138)

The Los Angeles Kings have let their defenses down recently, costing them valuable points in the standings. They’ll try to reverse course as they settle into a back-to-back against the St. Louis Blues. However, the Kings’ chances of winning on Wednesday aren’t as promising as their betting odds imply.

LA isn’t performing at its usual level. Thanks to their ineffective play in the defensive zone, the Kings have been outplayed in four of their last six contests. All but two of those opponents have eclipsed ten quality chances. As a result, LA has been out-chanced in four of those six contests. While they were able to offset that deficit early, the Kings only have four goals over their last three games. Ongoing struggles are anticipated versus a surging Blues squad.

Clearly, St. Louis has embraced Jim Montgomery’s systems. Thanks to their staunch defensive play, the Blues have seen a sharp increase in their analytics. They’ve held their previous seven opponents to seven or fewer high-danger chances, resulting in an above-average expected goals-for rating in every one of those outings. Altogether, they have a 61.4% eGF rating over that stretch while holding opponents to 5.3 high-danger chances per game.

Analytically, the Blues are on another level, giving them a pronounced advantage over the Kings. Smart money should gravitate toward St. Louis in this one.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Moneyline (-210)

The Vancouver Canucks desperately need to pump the breaks on their recent skid. Thankfully, they’ll get that chance when they take on a beleaguered Anaheim Ducks squad on Wednesday night.

With just one win over their last five games, the Canucks have fallen out of the Western Conference playoff picture. But their recent effort is a sign of things to come versus the Ducks. Vancouver put up 30 scoring and 12 high-danger chances last time, contributing to a 70.8 expected goals-for rating. Another dominant performance is expected at home versus the Ducks.

Anaheim enters tonight’s intra-divisional battle on the second night of a back-to-back. While they triumphed over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, they continued their lackluster defensive play. The Ducks have given up at least 11 high-danger chances in three of their past five. Predictably, that correlates with an ineffective 40.0% expected goals-for rating over that stretch.

This is a bad spot for the Ducks, and Vancouver should be able to capitalize on the surge in scoring chances. They may be favorites, but there’s still value in the Canucks.

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