The NHL is back with a small two-game slate for Friday’s calendar. The St. Louis Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks as a -122 betting favorite, while the Utah Mammoth are larger home favorites at -182 against the Seattle Kraken.
My NHL Best Bets, Odds, & Picks: Friday (12/5) settled 1-2 for a losing night. We won Vegas’ moneyline (-132) on the road in a 3-0 shutout against the New Jersey Devils. Losers came on the San Jose Sharks +1.5, losing 4-1 to the Dallas Stars, while falling just short of cashing Washington’s team total over 3.5 goals in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Let’s jump right into tonight’s action on the frozen pond! I’ve got two one-unit plays, one for each game on Friday night’s slate. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more NHL analysis and free picks.
NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
St. Louis and Chicago have both been enduring a rough stretch over their last 10 games played. The Blackhawks just bounced back with a solid 3-0 shutout win at home over the New York Rangers on Wednesday, while the Blues have been outscored 12-4 in back-to-back losses against Boston and Nashville.
The Blues are playing the second half of a back-to-back tonight. St. Louis will be back on home ice at the Enterprise Center, while the Blackhawks have a rest edge and a better goaltender in net.
Spencer Knight just posted his second shutout of the season against New York. Now, Chicago’s goaltender is probable to draw the start against the Blues tonight, sporting a 2.50 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
The Blackhawks are 10-5 ATS on the road in 2025. The Blues are 4-12 ATS at home, making them a bottom-five team on the puck line at home. Joel Hofer is expected in the net. He just gave up four goals to the Bruins in his last start on Tuesday.
Knight is the superior talent in net. St. Louis also lost one of its top point scorers, Jordan Kyrou, to I.R. The Blues have four forwards on injured reserve, while Nick Bjugstad will miss tonight’s tilt against the Blackhawks with an upper-body injury.
Chicago’s a much healthier team and has star forward, Connor Bedard, available to lead the offense. The wrong team is favored in this matchup, so let’s bet on the Blackhawks moneyline at plus odds.
Pick: Chicago Blackhawks Moneyline (+102)
Seattle Kraken vs. Utah Mammoth
Tonight’s late-night puck drop features the Utah Mammoth hosting the Seattle Kraken. Oddsmakers are backing the Mammoth as a -182 betting favorite, with a 5.5-goal total.
Utah has lost three straight games ahead of tonight’s home stand. Seattle just rallied late at home to beat Los Angeles 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. The Kraken snapped a six-game losing slump with that win, gaining momentum leading up to tonight’s road trip in Salt Lake City.
We’re going to lock in a total for this Western Conference matchup. The Kraken are 17-11 toward the goal total under in 2025. This makes Seattle the second most profitable team on goal total unders, while the Mammoth are an even 16-16 on totals. Utah is 7-6 toward the goal total over at home.
The Mammoth are missing one of their top goal scorers, Logan Cooley, due to injury. Utah has gone under 5.5 total goals in two of its previous four outings, while the Kraken are 7-2 toward under 5.5 total goals in their last nine games played.
Right now, Joey Daccord and Vitek Vanecek are expected to be the goaltenders in tonight’s game. Both have a 2.94 GAA or lower. However, their save percentages are also below .900.
Seattle ranks 32nd in goals scored per game (2.50), while Utah is averaging 3.00 per contest, ranked 16th in the league. Both teams rank inside the top-15 for goals allowed, meaning we’re going to take plus odds on under 5.5 total goals tonight.
Pick: Under 5.5 Total Goals (+104)
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