3 NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Sunday 1/12/25

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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Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators

Senators Moneyline (+126)

The Dallas Stars are back in action on Sunday night after last night's thrilling overtime win. This time, they take on a surging Ottawa Senators side that could be too much to handle.

Despite the win, the Stars continue to lose traction in their end. They gave up 9 high-danger and 23 scoring opportunities against a typically reserved Montreal Canadiens side. As a result, opponents have attempted at least nine high-danger chances against the Stars in four straight, yielding an average of 9.8. Those issues will be brought to the forefront after Dallas elected to start primary netminder Jake Oettinger last night, reserving backup Casey DeSmith for tonight.

Ottawa finally got back on the winning track last night. More importantly, we like their chances of staying on track against the Stars. The Sens had substantially underachieved relative to offensive expectations. They had tallied 10 goals over a six-game stretch, coming up tragically short of their expected goals-for rating. Last night's effort should be a sign of things to come.

While both teams are skating on the second night of a back-to-back, the circumstances and analytics reveal an edge in backing the Sens in this one.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Lightning Moneyline (-146)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in action tonight, taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The betting market has the Lightning out in front -- but not by enough.

Before last night's loss, the Bolts had been trending positively. Tampa Bay had outplayed its opponents in four of five games, putting together some robust offensive metrics. The Atlantic Division contenders had attempted 10 or more high-danger chances in all but one of those contests and were averaging 12.5 quality opportunities across the five-game sample.

The Pens have been on a much worse stretch. Pittsburgh has been outplayed in four of its past five contests amid a breakdown in its offensive production. They have averaged 7.0 quality chances per game while falling below eight in four of those five contests. Last night's blanking could be a sign of things to come; the Penguins had previously substantially overachieved relative to underlying metrics.

The Penguins are deserving underdogs in this spot. Still, Tampa's chances of winning are more significant than the betting line implies. In that regard, we see value in getting a piece of the visitors.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Over 6.5 (+110)

There's a substantive difference in class between the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, and that's reflected in the betting price. While there doesn't appear to be a playable edge concerning the moneyline, we see a decided advantage in taking the over.

Anaheim's defense is crumbling. The Ducks have given up at least 10 quality chances in five of six, contributing to an 11.3 average over that stretch. More concerningly, they've allowed north of 30 scoring chances in four of those contests. The Ducks fended off their opponents early but have given up six goals in each of their past two. Another crooked number is forecasted on Sunday night.

We expect the Canes to take advantage of Anaheim's lackluster defense, but they also have been prone to defensive miscues more recently. Two of their last three opponents have tallied at least 25 scoring and 12 high-danger opportunities. The Ducks have shown improved scoring abilities this season, and they should have no problem taking advantage of the extra room to move in the attacking zone.

Skating on the second night of a back-to-back, things could go sideways for the Anaheim Ducks. We expect the Hurricanes to take advantage. Nevertheless, the Ducks should do enough offensively to send this one over 6.5. At plus money, that's an advantageous proposition.

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