NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Friday, January 24

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Published on January 24, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Friday, Jan. 24

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of four games on the schedule for Friday night, including a nationally televised game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The other three games are available on ESPN+. We'll do a short and succinct preview for each game with a pick or two, as well as a couple of parlay opportunities and our best bet. Let's get started.

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Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders

The Flyers (22-21-6) and the Islanders (19-29-7) meet at 7:30 p.m. ET at UBS Arena.

The Flyers are playing on no rest, while the Islanders are trying to play their way out of the basement of the Metropolitan Division.

Philadelphia was pounded 6-1 at Madison Square Garden by the Rangers, as Samuel Ersson took it on the chin. He allowed five goals on 36 shots in the rout. As such, Ivan Fedotov (4-5-3, 3.26 GAA, .879 SV%) is expected to start. Fedotov is 0-1-2 with a 2.59 GAA and .886 save percentage in three starts in January.

Meanwhile, the Islanders have posted back-to-back wins over the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets, outscoring those teams 7-2. Of course, the most recent loss was against the Flyers on home ice last Thursday behind Ilya Sorokin in a 5-3 setback.

The Under is on a 5-1 run for the Isles while going 8-2 across the past 10 games. In that 10-game span, New York is averaging 2.5 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 2.2 GPG. So, we'll definitely go Under, although one of the Over results was the Philadelphia loss, so tread lightly.

Under 6.0 Goals (-120 at BetMGM)

Don't wager on your favorite sports betting apps without knowing the latest NHL odds.

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars

The Golden Knights (30-14-4) and Stars (29-17-1) meet for the second time this season. Vegas won 3-2 on home ice Dec. 6, as Adin Hill bested Jake Oettinger in a game that cashed the Under.

The Stars are looking to bounce back after a well-played 2-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night at AAC. The Stars have dropped three of the past four games, and offense has been a little bit of an issue lately. Dallas has managed nine total goals in the past four outings, or just 2.3 GPG, which is well below their season average of 3.1 GPG, which ranks 10th in the NHL.

The penalty kill for the Stars remains on point, hitting at an 85.8 percent clip, second in the league. The Under is on a 7-1 roll for Dallas, thanks in large part to Oettinger. The total has gone low in each of his past five starts while going 8-1-2 in his past 11 assignments. The past four head-to-head battles with Vegas, and six of the previous seven, have also ended up Under, so the play is rather obvious there.

As far as the side, Vegas has won the past four regular-season meetings since April 8, 2023. Four of the past five meetings in the regular season have resulted in overtime or a shootout.

Golden Knights ML (+136 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6.0 Goals (-115 at BetMGM)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks

The Lightning (25-18-3) and Blackhawks (15-28-4) meet at United Center, with a puck drop slated for 8 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay is looking to turn things around after dropping the first two games on this four-stop road trip. It lost 5-3 in Toronto on Monday and 3-2 in Montreal on Tuesday. Neither Jonas Johansson nor Andrei Vasilevskiy could take care of either of those Original Six teams. On Friday, Vasilevskiy and the Lightning will hope the third time is the charm.

Chicago had a game effort against the Carolina Hurricanes, falling 4-3 in OT on Monday night. Petr Mrazek kept the Blackhawks in the game, but it was another Over result for him. That's 4-for-4 in his past four outings. For Chicago, the total has cashed high in five of the past six games, while going 10-2-2 in the past 14 outings since Dec. 21.

Tampa Bay has seen the Over go 4-1-1 in the past six games, including a perfect 4-0 on the road. That's the best play in this matchup in Chi-town. And while Vassy and the Lightning should get the job done, they're too expensive to play straight up and too risky to back to win by two or more on the road.

Over 6.0 Goals (-110 at BetMGM)

Utah Hockey Club at Winnipeg Jets

The Utah Hockey Club (21-19-7) surprised the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night. Now, they travel to meet the Jets (32-14-3), who still sit atop the Western Conference standings despite having dropped two of the past three games.

Winnipeg is coming off a big 3-2 win in overtime behind Connor Hellebuyck, a second straight win in three meetings just since Dec. 31.

These teams just met Monday in Salt Lake City, with the Utah Hockey Club picking up a surprising 5-2 as moderate underdogs (+148) as the Over (5.5) cashed.

In that win, after a scoreless first period, Olli Maatta and Logan Cooley scored second-period goals to make it 2-0 after 40 minutes. Barrett Hayton and Matias Maccelli notched goals to build a 4-0 lead before Nino Niederreiter and Dylan DeMelo were able to slice the lead in half. It got interesting for a minute, but Clayton Keller deposited one into the empty net to put a bow on the scoring.

Since Karel Vejmelka started Friday in Minnesota, Connor Ingram will get the nod Friday. He kicked aside 23 saves on 25 shots in the 5-2 win in SLC.

However, the change of venue will make a difference here. The Jets are 18-5-3 at home and are a ridiculous 17-3-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .932 save percentage with five of his six shutouts at Canada Life Centre. Back the Jets, and lay the goal and a half, while going Under this time.

Jets -1.5 (+130 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (-104 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Today's NHL Best Bet(s)

On Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks surprised the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1, as the total (6) pushed. Anaheim led 2-1 after 40 minutes, but the Ducks had a pair of even-strength goals and an empty-net marker with exactly two minutes left in regulation to spoil what should have been an Under result.

The Over in the Tampa Bay-Chicago game is a tremendous play, especially if you can get it at a flat 6. In addition, going low on the Vegas-Dallas game is a strong play, too. Play both of those as your best bets for Friday night.