NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Friday 12/13/24

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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Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Senators Moneyline (+172)

There’s only one game to look forward to on tonight’s NHL slate, pitting one of the NHL’s best against an up-and-coming squad. The Carolina Hurricanes have re-asserted themselves as a powerhouse and Stanley Cup contender. On Friday night, they host the rejuvenated Ottawa Senators at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ottawa has had a mixed bag of results this season. They burst out of the gates early, only to give up their position as we passed the season's quarter mark. Nevertheless, the Sens have picked up the pace over their recent sample and climbed back to .500. More importantly, they have some solid analytics working in their favor.

The Senators have outplayed their opponents at both ends of the ice, precipitating a massive swing in their expected goals-for rating. Over their last six games, Ottawa has risen to 55.6% while surpassing the 60.0% threshold in each of their past two outings. That effective play will help the Senators keep pace with the Hurricanes on home ice.

Carolina is trending in the opposite direction. The Canes have been outmatched in three of five, witnessing a substantive decrease in offensive production over the past few weeks. Across its six games since November 29, Carolina has failed to exceed nine high-danger chances. The Canes are averaging 5.8 high-danger chances per game across that sample while out-chancing their opponents only once.

The betting price might not reflect it, but the Senators have an analytics advantage over the Canes. They’ve tilted the ice in their favor, relying on improved efficiency at both ends of the ice. We expect the Sens to wield that advantage on Friday night, leaving an edge in backing them as meaty road underdogs.

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