NHL Betting Picks for Wednesday 1/3/24: Devils Aim for Big Division Win Against Capitals

Only two games are set for tonight's NHL slate, leaving us with only a few bets worth considering.

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 Jersey Devils at Washington Capitals

Devils ML (-164)

Meeting expectations has been difficult for the New Jersey Devils, but their young, highly productive unit should be able to take advantage of the Washington Capitals playing in a back-to-back.

The Devils have proven their ability on both ends of the ice to be one of the best teams in hockey. Unfortunately, as their 19-14-2 record shows, they have yet to pull away from other teams, leaving them in sixth in a stacked Metropolitan Division. This game will be another crucial one with the Capitals two points ahead of them heading into this tilt.

On paper, the Devils do seemingly everything better than the Capitals. New Jersey ranks top-10 in both earning chances and stopping them on the defensive end. Coming into tonight's game, they rank 6th with a 64.25 Corsi For per 60 minutes and rank 4th with a 53.84 Corsi Against per 60 minutes. On the other side, the Capitals rank at the bottom for both with a 30th-ranked Corsi For (54.36) and a 24th-ranked Corsi Against (62.72).

The major problem that the Devils have run into is goaltending, making the main difference in play between these two teams. The Capitals are holding their opponents to just 2.74 Goals Against per 60 minutes while the Devils are at the bottom, allowing 3.49 Goals Against per 60 minutes. It's a number that has come from their struggles in net.

New Jersey will trot out Vitek Vanecek tonight. He's been under fire for much of the season with 3.35 goals against and a .883 save percentage. Even with those numbers, we will roll with him against Hunter Shepard, who has been good in three games this season but allowed four goals the last time he faced the Devils.

In their first game of the new year, the Devils should come out firing on all cylinders to get the win.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Anaheim Ducks

Maple Leafs -1.5 (+112)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to find consistency right now and should be able to find it when they take on the Anaheim Ducks.

Toronto has shown the flashes of dominance we've come to expect from a team that has Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and others. Their offensive numbers are among the best in the league, ranking 9th in Corsi For per 60 minutes (62.68) and 7th in Goals For per 60 minutes (3.43). It's the defensive end and goalie where they've been inconsistent, leading to the 11th-most Goals Against per 60 minutes (3.26).

The good news for them heading into tonight is that the Ducks haven't been all too good at putting the puck in the net or keeping it out of theirs for that matter. Anaheim is allowing 3.34 Goals Against and is totaling only 2.54 Goals For per 60 minutes, which ranks bottom-five in the league. There shouldn't be many problems for the Maple Leafs scoring, and that's why I love them at -1.5 with +112 odds.

Dennis Hildeby will make his NHL debut between the pipes for the Maple Leafs tonight. In 15 starts down in the AHL, he's put together a 2.20 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. Those are respectable numbers that can potentially be part of the solution for them. John Gibson will be a tough one to crack for Toronto (2.96 goals against average; .904 save percentage), but he's coming off a game where he allowed seven goals. This is the time to get to him and score -- a lot.

Take the Maple Leafs -1.5 tonight with them riding a 3-0 shutout win over the Los Angeles Kings one night ago.

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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.