NHL Best Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for Friday, November 8

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Published on November 8, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Friday, Nov. 8

The National Hockey League has four games on the slate for Friday night, including a battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals with a puck drop of 7:30 p.m. ET. The game between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+ and hulu.

We'll highlight all four games for some parlay possibilities, and perhaps you can also mix and match with some NBA games and/or college hoops. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs

The Red Wings (6-5-1) and Maple Leafs (7-5-2) renew acquaintances in this Original Six matchup at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

The Red Wings have won four of the past five meetings in this series since Jan. 12, 2023, with Toronto dropping the past three home games against Detroit.

Detroit has won back-to-back games, outscoring Buffalo and Chicago by a combined 6-2 count, with the Under cashing in back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 12-14.

Toronto had a feel-good game last time out Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, blanking them 4-0 behind Anthony Stolarz, who you can expect to get the nod in the blue ice again here.

Backing the Leafs is risky due to their underperformance lately against the Red Wings, and they'd cost you nearly two times your potential return. Let's play it safe and roll with the Under instead.

Under 6.5 (-132 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals

The Penguins (5-8-2) and the Capitals (9-3-0) tangle in the nation's capital.

Washington scooped up a 3-2 victory at home against the Nashville Predators last time out, rebounding from a 4-2 humbling in Raleigh from the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Penguins were also tattooed by the Hurricanes Thursday falling 5-1, so they'll be coming in on no rest while starting their backup goaltender Joel Blomqvist.

Pittsburgh was actually an impressive 8-3-0 with a plus-10 goal differential when playing on no rest last season, and they're 1-1-0 with a plus-2 rating and a pair of Over results in the second end of a back-to-back this season.

The Under is 3-1 in the past four games for the Pens, while the Caps have cashed low in the past two outings. We'll play Under here, too.

Under 6.5 (-115 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks

The Wild (9-2-2) and the Ducks (4-6-2) do battle at Honda Center in SoCal on Friday night.

The Wild bounced back from a 5-1 beatdown from the Kings on Tuesday, shellacking the Sharks in San Jose by a 5-2 count behind Marc-Andre Fleury. Now, the Wild will play on no rest with Filip Gustavsson getting the starting nod in between the pipes.

Last season, the Wild was 6-6-3 in 15 games with no rest, while the Over was 9-5-1 with eight of those games decided by a single goal.

For the Ducks, they're coming off a 5-1 rout at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks last time out Tuesday, and they're just 1-4-1 in the past six games, while scoring two or fewer goals in five of the six outings.

The Under is 3-0-1 in the past four games for the Ducks, and 6-1-2 in the past nine outings.

Under 6.5 (-138 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Vegas Golden Knights at Seattle Kraken

The Golden Knights (9-3-1) look to stay hot against the Kraken (5-8-1) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

VGK has dominated this series, going for wins in five of the past six in the series, and eight of 10 meetings since March 30, 2022. The Under has cashed in six of the past seven meetings, too.

The Under is not a recommended play, though, as Vegas has posted a 10-3 mark for the Over this season. VGK is No. 2 in the NHL with 4.5 goals per game, while the power play is humming at a 32.3% clip.

While Seattle has been shut out twice in the past three games, with the Under going 3-1 in the past four outings. Seattle has allowed three or more goals in six of the past eight games. Let's go high here.