3 NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Sunday 12/22/24

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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Los Angeles Kings vs. Washington Capitals

Capitals Moneyline (-160)

Staying competitive on the road is a hard enough challenge in the NHL -- let alone when you’re at the end of a seven-game road trip and playing on consecutive nights. That’s the situation impacting the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, and it puts them at a sincere disadvantage against the Washington Capitals.

While L.A.’s road trip has been wildly productive, the Kings are starting to show signs of wear and tear. They’ve fallen below nine high-danger chances in three of five, resulting in expected goals-for ratings below 50.0% in two of their past four. Those metrics will continue to slide as the Kings play their seventh straight game in a different arena while spending the past two weeks on the road.

Washington lost its way a few weeks ago, but the Caps have gotten back on track with their more recent efforts. They’ve outplayed six of their past seven opponents, generating an impressive 58.8% expected goals-for rating. While the Capitals are coming off their worst performance over that stretch, it sets up an ideal bounce-back spot against the Kings.

The Kings have been alternating between their netminders for the better part of the season, but David Rittich is the projected starter in Washington. His .890 save percentage won’t help the Kings fend off a Caps team that has exceeded 10 high-danger chances in five of their past eight. We predict this price will shift towards the hosts, leaving an edge in backing the Caps.

Ottawa Senators vs. Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Moneyline (-182)

The Ottawa Senators have been on an equally daunting trek lately. Now playing their fourth straight game on the road and compounded by some gnarly East-to-West travel arrangements, the Sens will also be skating on the second night of a back-to-back and for the third time in four nights. They might not even know what timezone they’re in when they take on the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Ottawa started its roadie with a stop in Seattle. They followed that up by coming back East for a date in Calgary before heading back out west for a game in Vancouver. Now, they’re traveling back east, taking on the Oilers in Edmonton. All of this has happened while posting deteriorating metrics.

The Sens have been outmatched by a wide margin as the visitors. They’ve posted expected goals-for ratings below 40.0% in four of their past five, a stretch that unexpectedly includes five straight victories. Assuredly, more losses will start to follow those abysmal efforts, starting with tonight’s clash at Rogers Place.

The Oilers are still up to their usual shenanigans. The Pacific Division contenders have eclipsed 10 high-danger chances in three of five, contributing to their fifth-best expected goals-for rating on the season. Edmonton’s path to victory appears more probable than the betting line implies.

Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Moneyline (-250)

Analytically, there aren’t many teams worse than the Seattle Kraken, but somehow, they’ve managed to lower the bar with the more recent efforts. As a result, we’re expecting them to have a hard time keeping pace with the Colorado Avalanche at home.

Seattle isn’t doing anything right these days. The Kraken have been outplayed in three straight, combining for just 14 high-danger chances over that stretch. More concerningly, they’ve been out-chanced by a wide margin in each one of those contests, giving up a total of 34 quality opportunities over that stretch.

Colorado is primed to extend the Kraken’s ineffective stretch. The Avs have out-chanced their opponents in high-danger chances in three of four, which is their usual standard on home ice. Colorado has a 54.1% high-danger chance rating at Ball Arena this season, the eighth-best mark in the league. Further, they’ve been outchanced just once over their previous six contests.

The Kraken don’t have the structure or personnel to hang with the Avs. Colorado is insulated at home and should head into the holiday freeze on a modest three-game winning streak.

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