The National Hockey League (NHL) has five games on the schedule for Friday. The Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils meet at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network, but we're going to focus on the two late games.
And, if you read Thursday, I mentioned my playoff game in Hillsborough, N.C. If you played the Under for the total and Over on my penalty minutes, you won. We ended up losing 3-2 in double overtime, while I took a slashing penalty. Inexplicably, I also opened the scoring, while a buddy had the equalizer to force OT on the 'other' side.
We ended up going 3-1 on Thursday, and that's 11-1 in the past 12 picks over the past three days. We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with College Football championship games, NBA action and/or NCAA basketball. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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NHL Best Bets Tonight: Mammoth vs Canucks and Capitals vs Ducks Odds & Picks
For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
NHL Best Bets and Odds Breakdown for Tonight's Matchups
Utah Mammoth 
at Vancouver Canucks 
The Mammoth (13-12-3) and Canucks (10-14-3) meet at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Utah has managed a 6-9-2 mark on the road this season, while Vancouver has posted a dismal 3-7-1 record in 11 tries on home ice.
Utah swept the regular-season series in 2024-25, outscoring Vancouver 8-4, including a 3-1 win in the only meeting in Vancouver as a moderate favorite (-130) as the Under (5.5) cashed. In fact, the Under cashed in all three of the meetings.
The Mammoth posted a 7-0 win on the road against the Anaheim Ducks with a score that would make the University of Utah Utes football team proud. That follows up a 6-3 loss in another football score at San Jose in the previous game on Monday. The Over has cashed in four of the past five games, with Utah averaging 3.2 goals per game (GPG) in those five outings, while allowing 3.0 GPG in the span.
Vancouver suffered a 3-1 loss at Colorado last time out, and it is 0-2-1 in the past three games, cashing the Under in each of those outings. It has managed two or fewer goals in five of the past six games, too.
Karel Vejmelka (11-7-2, 2.73 GAA, .889 save percentage, 1 SO) is projected to start for the Mammoth, while Kevin Lankinen (4-8-3, 3.47 GAA, .883 save percentage) is expected to be in the cage for the Canucks.
Vejmelka posted his first shutout of the season, stopping all 27 shots he faced in Anaheim. It was a nice bounce-back performance after allowing three goals on nine shots in just 13 minutes in San Jose.
Lankinen allowed three goals on 31 shots in a 3-1 loss Tuesday in Colorado, and he is 0-3-1 in the past four starts, while allowing a total of 14 goals in the span.
We're going to side with the Mammoth on the road, while going low on the total. Vancouver has struggled to score lately, and that isn't likely to change against a goaltender coming off a shutout.
- Mammoth ML (-125 at Bet365 and Caesars Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 (-120 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
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Washington Capitals 
at Anaheim Ducks 
The Capitals (17-9-2) and Ducks (16-10-1) meet at Honda Center at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Washington wraps up a four-game road trip, and it is looking to go a perfect 4-for-4. The Caps have outscored the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and Sharks by a 14-3 margin, hitting the Under in two of the past three games. Washington has won six in a row, and nine of the past 10 games, too.
The Caps have allowed three or fewer goals in six straight games, too, or 1.5 GPG. Offensively, Washington has scored three or more goals in each of the past nine games, though, averaging 5.0 GPG. The Over is 5-3-1 in the past nine outings, too.
For the Ducks, they're coming off an embarrassing 7-0 loss against the Mammoth as slight underdogs (+100) as the Over (6.5) cashed. Anaheim is 3-4-0 in the seven games, while the Over is 5-1 in the past six outings.
Ville Husso (2-2-0, 3.45 GAA, .859 save percentage) is holding it down in the crease for the Ducks, as Lukas Dostal (upper body) and Petr Mrazek (lower body) are each nursing injuries.
The Capitals are red-hot, and the Ducks are banged up in goal. Washington should be able to "cap" off the road trip with another win against the struggling Ducks.
- Capitals ML (-140 at Bet365 and Caesars Sportsbooks)
- Over 6.5 (-115 Fanatics Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategies Multi-Leg and Totals Parlay Options for NHL Betting
4-Leg NHL Parlay (+826 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Mammoth ML at Canucks and Under 6.5 - SGP (+210)
- Capitals ML at Ducks and Over 6.5 - SGP (+198)
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+233 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-120) - Mammoth at Canucks
- Over 6.5 (-122) - Capitals at Ducks
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+207 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Mammoth ML (-126) at Canucks
- Capitals ML (-140) at Ducks
