NHL Betting Picks for Tuesday 12/5/23: Canucks Collide With Devils

The eight-game slate tonight is quieter for an NHL Tuesday, but there's plenty to like betting-wise on the schedule.

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.

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.

NHL Best Bets

New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators

Rangers ML (-134)

When one of the best teams in the NHL comes in with odds like this on their moneyline against an inferior opponent, it's tough to pass up.

The New York Rangers have been the top team in the league, putting together an 18-4-1 record, good for 37 points this season. As they face the bottom of the Atlantic Division in the Ottawa Senators, it's hard to do anything but pick the Rangers to earn the victory tonight.

New York is at the top of the league in Goals For and Goals Against. They're 6th in scoring, averaging 3.39 Goals For per 60 minutes. They then rank 5th in Goals Against, coming into tonight with a 2.53 clip.

The Senators have been able to score -- 3.29 Goals For -- but they're allowing the exact same Goals Against, which has contributed to them going 9-10-0.

Igor Shesterkin is expected to be in goal tonight for the Rangers. He's been unsurprisingly great through his first 14 starts. Shesterkin will enter the night with a 10-4-0 record while sporting a 2.58 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Shesterkin also has saved 7.4 goals above expectation (GSAx), putting him among the best in the league as he often places.

Ottawa will be starting Anton Forsberg. Forsberg hasn't been all too good this year, and his 3.03 goals against average and .882 save percentage illustrate that very well. He's also got a brutal -3.65 GSAx, giving us all the more confidence that the Rangers can take care of business tonight.

New Jersey Devils at Vancouver Canucks

Over 6.5 Goals (-134)

Two of the elite offensive teams collide Tuesday night in what very well could be the best matchup of the slate.

The New Jersey Devils travel to Canada to take on the Vancouver Canucks for a game that will be talked about aplenty. The reason is that it will be the first NHL game that Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, and Quinn Hughes will all play together -- pretty cool. All three brothers have been key parts in their respective teams' offensive success, so it should be a big game for them outside of just getting to play with one another.

These two teams are top five in scoring. The Canucks are tied for first in Goals For per 60 minutes, averaging 3.82 goals. New Jersey is just a step behind, placing 4th with 3.57 Goals For per 60 minutes. Now, the major difference between these two teams is in Goals Against, with the Devils ranking second-to-last by allowing 3.71.

Vancouver has limited their opponents to 2.55 goals per 60 against them, but the Devils' elite 66.88 Corsi For should help them make up for it.

The goaltending matchup is what has set these two teams apart for much of the season. Thatcher Demko will start for the Canucks, and Vitek Vanecek will be in for the Devils.

Demko has been among the best in hockey, ranking top 10 in goals against average (2.26), save percentage (.924), and GSAx (14.35). Vanecek, on the other hand, has been one of the league's worst. He has a 3.49 goals against average, .879 save percentage, and NHL-worst -9.51 GSAx. Demko could hurt the chances of Over 6.5 Goals, but with how the Devils have been at stopping offensive output, we're confident in covering.

The Devils are 17-5 on the over/under this year while the Canucks are 15-8-2 -- the best two teams in the league at hitting.

Anaheim Ducks at Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche +1.5 (-120)

The Colorado Avalanche are coming into this game looking to turn their fortune after dropping three straight games.

It should be happening tonight, as they are back on home ice and will be taking on the Anaheim Ducks.

The Avs have been great overall in the 2023-24 season as advertised. Offensively, they rank top 10 in Corsi For (63.48) and Goals For per 60 minutes (3.55). Colorado has been strong on the defensive end, as well, limiting the offensive opportunities with just a 56.43 Corsi Against per 60 minutes (6th) and 2.89 Goals Against per 60 minutes (12th).

Anaheim is not all too good offensively, posting a 55.87 Corsi For and just 2.73 Goals For. They're also allowing 3.47 Goals Against per 60 minutes, ranking 26th in that respect.

On paper, it looks like the Avalanche should have no problem taking care of business tonight. It will come down to the goalies, though.

Alexandar Georgiev and John Gibson are both expected to be between the pipes. Georgiev has done fine for the Avalanche, as he has saved two goals above expectation with a 2.90 goals against average and .900 save percentage. Gibson, however, is the one leg up that the Ducks have tonight. He has been right around Georgiev with a 2.80 goals against average and .907 save percentage. Where they differ is that Gibson has made a stunning 9.94 GSAx, the 7th-best in the NHL.

Even with the differences in goalie, they're close enough that the Avalanche should be able to handle it.

Notably, the Avalanche are 13-11 against the spread. But they should cover tonight with the determination to stop their mini-losing streak.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.