3 Best NHL Bets and Predictions for Sunday 3/16/25

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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Edmonton Oilers vs. New York Rangers

Oilers Moneyline (-160)

The Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers are both wrapping up a busy weekend schedule. Edmonton had a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday while New York is wrapping up the second night of consecutive games. Altogether, both teams are playing for the third time in four nights, meaning the wheels could fall off for either team in this spot. Our analysis supports that the Oilers should prevail.

Curiously, the Rangers deployed primary netminder Igor Shesterkin in last night’s win versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. That leaves Jonathan Quick to pick up the slack for a tired Rangers team against a potent Oilers attack. Moreover, New York’s defensive zone coverage has been lacking recently. Three of their past five opponents have eclipsed 12 high-danger chances, which will inevitably lead to Quick being hung out to dry.

A tepid stretch through February has long since been forgotten for the Oilers. Edmonton has outplayed six of seven opponents since the calendars flipped to March, including posting a 71.8% expected goals-for rating last time out. Predictably, those above-average game scores correlate with elite offensive production with the Oilers averaging 11.4 high-danger chances per game across that sample.

The Rangers’ goaltending decisions will come back to haunt them. Their eroding defensive zone play will be exposed by the Oilers at MSG. As a result, there’s value on the Oilers moneyline price.

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Islanders Moneyline (+132)

The Florida Panthers are another squad skating on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday. Florida was dealt a 3-1 loss in Montreal last night while also starting their primary goalie. That puts them at a disadvantage when they head south to take on the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Florida’s analytics play has been slipping. The Panthers have been outplayed in three straight, with ineffective play in both ends of the ice. Across that sample, the Atlantic Division leaders have produced a 42.7% expected goals-for rating, with progressively worse results throughout. While their defensive zone play has been underwhelming, it’s the Panthers’ 6.0 high-danger chances per game that is cause for the most concern.

After a period of diminished productivity, it’s time for the Islanders to boost their metrics. They’ve been outplayed in six straight, yielding a 41.6% expected goals-for rating. That puts the Islanders more than eight points off their season-long benchmark, making them natural progression candidates over their coming games.

Scheduling-wise, this is an opportune spot for the Islanders. Florida is playing its fourth straight game on the road with worsening metrics throughout. Consequently, we’ve identified this as an ideal bounce-back spot for the the Isles.

Utah Hockey Club vs. Vancouver Canucks

Canucks Moneyline (+106)

At some point over the past year, the Utah Hockey Club has transformed into a legitimate hockey team. After years of bad results, Utah has emerged as an analytics darling. Despite that success, they still aren’t worthy of being road chalk versus the Vancouver Canucks.

Utah’s on-ice results appear promising, but there are a few considerations worth noting. While they’ve outplayed teams in three of their past four, some of the shine wears off when adjusted for opponent. All four of those foes rank among the nine worst analytics teams in the league. Moreover, all but one of those contests came at home.

Conversely, the Canucks’ metrics are built on much sturdier ground. Vancouver has outplayed its opponents in five of its last last seven, accumulating a 56.6% expected goals-for rating throughout. The 'Nucks have been flexing their offensive muscles throughout, including averaging 11.0 high-danger chances over their last four outings.

They might be better than they were, but the Utah Hockey Club aren’t as good as the betting line implies. On that basis, we see an edge in backing the Canucks in this Western Conference affair.

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