There are six games on the National Hockey League schedule on Wednesday and five of those games look like potential mismatches according to the odds. Here are our NHL best bets for Wednesday based on the best NHL odds.
Five of Wednesday's six games have a favorite with odds of 2-to-1 or more, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Chicago Blackhawks in the biggest mismatch of all.
Toronto is favored at -600 at DraftKings, which offers implied odds of more than 85% for a Maple Leafs victory.
Can the Leafs, and the rest of Wednesday's big favorites, handle expectations?
Here are our best NHL picks for Wednesday (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, and PointsBet; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out our NHL picks.
Wednesday's NHL schedule and odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Chicago Blackhawks (+450) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-600)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (-250) vs. Arizona Coyotes (+210)
- Detroit Red Wings (+195) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-230)
- Colorado Avalanche (+120) vs. Minnesota Wild (-140)
- New York Rangers (-200) vs. Vancouver Canucks (+170)
- Buffalo Sabres (-210) vs. Anaheim Ducks (+180)
Wednesday's NHL best bets
- Moneyline: Avalanche ML vs. Wild (+120 via DraftKings) ???
- Spread: Sabres -1.5 vs. Ducks (+120 via BetMGM) ????
- First period total: Rangers-Canucks Over 1.5 (-165 via DraftKings) ????
- Prop: Dylan Larkin anytime goal (+220 via DraftKings) ????
Wednesday's NHL top picks
Although the Avalanche are playing the second game of a back-to-back, after losing 4-3 in a shootout against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, they offer more value than the Wild on the moneyline.
Since the December holiday break, the Avalanche are 5-4-1 on the road, which is consistent with this team's inconsistency, but injuries have a lot to do with Colorado's struggles.
Injuries have hit the blueline hard lately, taking Cale Makar, Erik Johnson, and Josh Manson out of the lineup. Manson has a chance to return to action Wednesday, but has not played since Dec. 1.
The Wild are not necessarily in position to take full advantage of Colorado's situation, however. Minnesota has zero regulation wins in their past 10 games, earning two wins via shootout and one in overtime.
By my calculations, this game is nearly a pick 'em, so getting the Avalanche at plus money offers the better value. As the only game on the board without a heavy favorite, there is still value to be found in playing an underdog.
DraftKings and PointsBet both have the Avalanche priced at +120 on the moneyline, just ahead of Caesars at +118. BetMGM (+115) and especially FanDuel (+112) are far enough off the price to avoid making the wager at those books.
Winless in four straight games, the Sabres are still hoping to earn a playoff spot. They are six points behind the Washington Capitals for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo has played four fewer games, though, so they still have a chance if they take care of business.
Buffalo has the eighth-best road record in the league at 15-8-2 and they rank third with 3.60 goals for per 60 minutes. That explosive of fense is why they can be expected to earn a comfortable win at Anaheim on Wednesday.
The Ducks are in 30th with 40 points in 54 games but, believe it or not, that overrates their level of play. Since the holiday break in December, the Ducks have managed 37.4% of expected goals in 10 games on home ice during five-on-five play. They are five percent behind the 31st-ranked Columbus Blue Jackets in that time.
BetMGM is offering the best price on the Sabres puck line, with Buffalo -1.5 (+120), while the rest of our top-rated sportsbooks are at +115 with FanDuel at +116. In any case, there is a clear edge being offered at BetMGM.
Winners of five straight games, the Rangers have a 12-2-2 record in 2023, the best points percentage (.813) in the league since Jan. 1.
In that time, the Rangers have been a more dynamic offensive team, ranking second in the league with 3.71 goals per 60 minutes. They have reached a total of two goals or more in four of their past five games.
The Canucks are approaching this from the opposite angle. While Vancouver can score, they are also allowing goals at a league-high rate of 4.41 goals per 60 minutes since Jan. 1. Vancouver has gone Over a 1.5-goal first period total in seven straight games.
DraftKings has Over 1.5 priced at -165, which is better than FanDuel (-174) and BetMGM (-182). Caesars has pushed the first period total to 2, at +118, while PointsBet has it priced at +110.
Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has scored 20 goals in 51 games and has been a productive scorer on the road. He has recorded at least one goal in nine of 23 games away from Little Caesars Arena.
He has tallied five goals during a three-game goal-scoring streak.
Lar kin faces an Edmonton Oilers squad that is 7-1-2 in the past 10 games, but the Oilers are not exactly a shutdown defensive team. On home ice, Edmonton ranks 24th in expected goals against per 60 minutes and 23rd in goals against per 60.
While DraftKings and BetMGM are offering a Larkin anytime goal at +220, that is substantially better than the competition. FanDuel is at +176 and Caesars is at +165.
NHL Best Bets picks made 2/15/2023 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
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