3 NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Sunday 1/5/25

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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New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins

Bruins Moneyline (-115)

This has been a tumultuous week for the Boston Bruins. The B’s have played three times since Tuesday, losing all three battles. Now, they suit up for the fourth time in six nights and on the second night of a back-to-back as they take on the New York Islanders.

While nothing has gone the Bruins’ way, they’ve been the dominant team in all three outings this week. Boston has put together an impressive 59.8% expected goals-for rating, averaging 10.3 high-danger and 28.3 scoring chances per game. After being held to just one goal through the first two contests, the B’s finally responded with a four-goal effort on Saturday. More of the same is expected against the Islanders.

Defense isn’t the Islanders' strength. They rank in the bottom half of the league in scoring and high-danger chances allowed, an issue that is evident across their recent sample. New York has allowed two of its last three opponents to eclipse 10 high-danger and 24 scoring opportunities.

With Boston playing as efficiently as they are, we’re anticipating another high-scoring performance from them at home. A condensed schedule is the only factor working against them, but their efforts haven’t waned throughout the week. We see an edge in backing the hosts in this one.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Anaheim Ducks

Ducks Moneyline (+142)

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue their West Coast road trip with a stop against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. Anaheim had three statement games over the past week. The Ducks carry that momentum into tonight’s tilt versus a tired Bolts side.

Since the holiday freeze, the Ducks have collected wins over the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Winnipeg Jets, some of the best the NHL has to offer. While the Ducks are coming off a loss to the Oilers, their offense continues to trend in the right direction. Anaheim has totaled 14 goals over their last four with an above-average 12.6% shooting percentage. Still, the Ducks are operating below their expected total, suggesting sustained growth is anticipated.

That scoring boon is expected to continue against the Bolts. Tampa Bay has given up 10 or more high-danger chances in three of five with two of those teams also going north of 40 scoring chances. Moreover, they elected to start primary netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on the first night of the back-to-back, meaning backup Jonas Johansson is expected between the pipes at the Honda Center.

The betting price doesn’t reflect it, but circumstances favor the Ducks in this inter-conference affair. As a result, Anaheim's moneyline is the value play.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Over 6.5 (+106)

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers have been two of the most reliable over teams in the NHL recently. Those trends and some sturdy offensive underlying metrics support that Sunday’s tilt should be a high-scoring one.

Toronto is coming off a six-goal performance against the Bruins on Saturday night in a game that resulted in 10 goals scored. That was the 8th time in 10 games that the Leafs exceeded the total. Offensively, the Maple Leafs have gone north of 10 high-danger chances in five of those contests while averaging 9.8 throughout.

The Flyers have been going over the total with nearly as much frequency. They’ve eclipsed the number in six of their past eight with an average of 7.9 goals per game. Like the Leafs, those high-scoring games are validated with top-end production. Philadelphia has attempted 12 or more high-danger opportunities in three straight with 9.6 chances per game.

Opportunities will flow abundantly in this one, and both teams should be able to capitalize. We see a decided edge in taking the over at Scotiabank Arena.

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