3 NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Tuesday 12/31/24

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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Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings

Penguins Moneyline +106

The Detroit Red Wings got the new-coach boost in their first game with Todd McLellan behind the bench. However, it didn’t fix their underlying issues. We expect a bit of a learning curve in Motor City while the Red Wings adapt to McLellan’s new systems. That leaves an edge in backing the Pittsburgh Penguins at plus money in the short term.

Detroit bested the Washington Capitals in McLellan’s first game behind the bench, but their analytics woes persisted. The Wings were outplayed for the eighth straight game, dropping their season-long expected goals-for rating to 45.3%, the fourth-worst mark in the NHL. While McLellan may eventually be able to rectify those issues, it probably won’t yield immediate improvements.

Inconsistency has limited the Penguins’ ceiling this year, but we anticipate more fruitful results over their coming schedule. Pittsburgh was producing depressed stats, getting outplayed in five straight and putting together a 38.9% expected goals-for rating. However, their most recent effort showed signs of snapping out of that funk. Last time out, they put up a 63.5% expected goals-for rating with 24 scoring and 12 high-danger chances.

We anticipate another robust showing from the Pens on New Year’s Eve. As a result, we see an edge in backing them as short road underdogs.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. San Jose Sharks

Sharks Moneyline +146

The Philadelphia Flyers' six-game road trip continues Tuesday night as they take on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center. Philly’s road swing is off to an underwhelming start, which should continue against the Sharks.

The Flyers have dropped two of their first three on the six-game trip, but the more concerning metric is their icy offensive play. Philadelphia has been held to seven or fewer high-danger chances in three of four, a span in which they haven’t attempted more than 23 scoring opportunities. They could have difficulty keeping pace with a Sharks team that is finding their offensive footing.

As a young team, the Sharks' scoring patterns are more challenging to predict. However, a few factors support a solid showing on Tuesday.

First, their analytics are trending positively. San Jose has attempted 18 high-danger and 43 scoring opportunities over its past couple of games. Secondly, their best efforts typically come on home ice. Their shooting percentage jumps to 10.9% at home, up from 8.8% on the road. Finally, the Sharks are underperforming offensively, posting below-average shooting percentages in five of six. With improved production, we’re anticipating higher-scoring efforts in the immediate future.

We see this as an advantageous spot to back the Sharks. They're primed for positive offensive regression and should see a jump in scoring. That can come against a beleaguered Flyers squad.

Utah Hockey Club vs. Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Moneyline -215

Tuesday’s Western Conference showdown at Rogers Place is shaping up to be an ideal spot for the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton welcomes the Utah Hockey Club to town on the second night of a back-to-back. Combined with their positive analytics, Edmonton’s chances of winning are more significant than the betting line implies.

The Oilers’ offense is always dangerous, especially when their metrics are in order. Edmonton has eclipsed double-digit high-danger attempts in two of its past four, averaging 9.5 quality chances. More importantly, they’ve out-chanced their opponents in all but one of those contests.

That puts Utah at a significant disadvantage on Tuesday. The NHL’s newest hockey team has been hemorrhaging goals against lately. Utah goalies have combined for a .876 save percentage over its last four games, giving up 16 goals over that stretch. Now playing on consecutive nights, Utah's goals against and save percentage should continue to work in opposition of each other.

The Oilers remain an elite offensive team, an advantage they can wield unmercifully against the Utah Hockey Club. On that basis, we forecast an edge in backing Edmonton at home.

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