3 NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Friday 12/27/24

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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Chicago Blackhawks vs. Buffalo Sabres

Over 6.5 +110

The floodgates have finally opened. After weeks of coming up short, the Buffalo Sabres finally got off the schneid in their last game before the holiday freeze. They’ll be looking to build off that momentum as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. Buffalo enters the inter-conference affair as prohibitive -182 moneyline favorites, but we see a more advantageous position on the total.

We’ve been waiting for weeks for the Sabres to break out. Now that they got their first win, the snowball has started rolling, and it may not be long before their scoring is a full-blown avalanche. Buffalo has posted below-average scoring metrics in six of its previous 10 contests while falling below two goals at five-on-five in all but three. That decrease has come despite consistent offensive production, supporting that Buffalo should continue to proliferate offensively.

The Blackhawks are in a similar position. Chicago is operating below its expected goals for total, tilting their actual goals-for rating away from expected. Their sustained production should yield increased scoring, starting with tonight’s tilt in Buffalo.

The Sabres and Blackhawks are positioned for positive offensive regression. We should see sustained scoring from the hosts, but they also don’t possess the defensive structure or goaltending to hamper Chicago's output altogether. Consequently, this one should make its way over the total.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Utah Hockey Club

Utah Moneyline +118

The Utah Hockey Club comes out of the holiday freeze with a crucial intra-divisional matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Utah may have lost two in a row, but it still has some solid metrics working in its favor. As such, we see a decided advantage in backing the underdog hosts on Friday night.

Before the break, the Utah Hockey Club played some of their best hockey of the season. They had outplayed their opponents in five of their past six, yielding an impressive 54.1% expected goals-for rating. While they had respectable offensive production, the Hockey Club’s success was built in the defensive zone. They held all six of those opponents to nine or fewer high-danger chances, giving up just 6.3 high-danger chances per game in that span.

That impenetrable defensive structure gives Utah an edge over the visiting Avs. Colorado has struggled analytically over its recent stretch. They’ve been outplayed in six of their past eight while surpassing nine high-danger chances only three times over that stretch. Not surprisingly, that’s put the Avs at a deficit offensively, recording just five goals at five-on-five over their past four contests.

It’s not reflected in the betting odds, but Utah has been the superior team over its recent sample. We like their chances of perpetuating that elite play and escaping Friday’s matchup with the win.

Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues

Predators Moneyline -130

The Nashville Predators, winners of two in a row, are hoping to pick up where they left off when they take to the ice against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. The coaching change in St. Louis has not produced the desired results, with the Blues losing five of their last seven, and their form is unlikely to change against the surging Predators.

It took Nashville a few months to find its footing, but they were hitting their stride before the break. The Preds have outplayed their opponents in five straight. But despite their superiority, they have just two wins to show for their efforts. Moreover, their season-long PDO of 0.975 remains well short of the average, and their actual goals-for rating is over nine points below expected. As such, we’re anticipating better results in the short term for Nashville.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Blues. St. Louis has struggled to adapt to the coaching change and has been outplayed in three of its past four. That ineffective play results from lackluster offensive production, as the Blues have fallen below nine high-danger chances in six straight.

We give the Preds an edge in this one. Nashville has been the superior analytics team over its recent stretch, and the Blues clearly need some more time to figure out Jim Montgomery’s systems.

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