NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, January 19

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Updated on January 19, 2025 8:02AM EST

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Sunday, Jan. 19

The National Hockey League (NHL) has only three games on the schedule for Sunday, including a doubleheader on NHL Network. The action kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET with the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils, both on a back-to-back situation, while the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens have an Original Six battle in the second end of the nationally televised doubleheader. The Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars also square off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Let's preview all three games and find some solid parlay opportunities. Let's get started.

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Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils

The Senators (23-18-4) and the Devils (26-16-6) meet at 1:00 p.m. ET in a battle of teams playing on no rest.

Ottawa outlasted the Boston Bruins 6-5 in a shootout in Canada's capital city Saturday afternoon, as the over (5.5) easily cashed. That halted a seven-game run to the under. The under is still 15-2-4 in the past 21 games for the Senators. Leevi Merilainen allowed five goals on 28 shots in the victory. He had allowed just three total goals in the previous four starts.

Josh Norris was the offensive star Saturday, going for an even-strength goal and a power-play goal with 12 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Tim Stutzle, who had an even-strength goal in regulation, hit the winner in a shootout.

New Jersey suffered a 3-1 loss at home to the Philadelphia Flyers with backup goaltender Jake Allen in the crease. He wasn't bad, stopping 15 of the 17 shots he faced. Dougie Hamilton opened the scoring at 2:17 of the first period, and Jersey looked well on its way. But, the Flyers struck for a goal early in the second period, while allowing a power-play goal midway through the third, and the offense never re-emerged for the home side.

Anton Forsberg (4-8-1, 3.10 GAA, .883 SV%, two shutouts) is projected to be in there for the Sens on no rest, while Jacob Markstrom (21-8-5, 2.20 GAA, .913 SV%, three shutouts) is expected for the Devils.

The Devils are having a tough time on offense lately, going 1-1-3 in the past five games and have managed just 19 goals in the past 10 games, or 1.9 goals per game (GPG). The Devils have cashed the under in eight out of their past nine contests while going 18-3 in the past 21 outings.

New Jersey has won six of the past seven meetings, with the over going 4-1 in the past five meetings, with the total going high at a 6-2 pace in the past eight. Let's back the Devils on the Moneyline and we'll play under since Markstrom is in there for the home side.

Devils ML (-180 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 6.0 Goals (-120 at BetMGM)

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New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens

The Rangers (22-20-3) meet the Canadiens (22-19-4) at Bell Centre on Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. Both teams are playing on no rest.

New York has picked up seven out of a possible eight points in the past four games on the road, including a 5-3 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday. On the road, the Rangers have cashed the over at a 5-2 clip in the past seven outings.

Montreal suffered a 7-3 loss at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night behind Sam Montembeault. It started fine, as Montreal fired out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes. But, the Leafs posted the touchdown in honor of the NFL playoffs.

In Sunday's game, the Habs turn to rookie Jakub Dobes (4-0-0, 0.98 GAA, .963 SV%, one shutout), who has been a sensation. The 23-year-old Czech native has allowed just four goals on 107 shots, winning his first four NHL starts, including a 34-save shutout of the defending Stanley Cup champs in Florida on Dec. 28 in his debut.

The Rangers have won each of the first meetings with the Canadiens this season, winning 4-3 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30 against Montembeault, while also beating him 7-2 on Oct. 22 at Bell Centre, as Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves. New York has won four in a row in this series, outscoring Montreal 23-11.

Based on the Rangers' performance against the Canadiens so far this season, and in recent seasons, and the fact Dobes is due to struggle at some point, let's roll with the Blueshirts on the Moneyline. The over has hit in the first two meetings this season, but we'll side with the under based on the recent performances of both teams.

Rangers ML (-130 at BetMGM)
Under 6.5 Goals (-125 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Detroit Red Wings at Dallas Stars

The Red Wings (21-20-4) struggled on the road in Tampa on Saturday night against the Lightning, falling 5-1. Now, Detroit faces the tough turnaround with a trip halfway across the country to battle the Stars (28-16-1) on no rest.

Dallas was also in action on Saturday, falling Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche 6-3. The Stars lost for the third time in the past four games. They started well, as Matt Duchene had a power-play goal to open the scoring at 3:24 of the first period, but Colorado scored five unanswered goals before Jason Robertson's two goals in the third period made things appear closer than they were.

Casey DeSmith took one for the team, allowing six goals on 36 goals, leaving Jake Oettinger (22-10-1, 2.30 GAA, .912 SV%, one shutout) for Sunday's home start. That's bad news for the Red Wings, who were already facing a tough situation with travel and no rest. Backup tendy Alex Lyon (8-5-0, 2.71 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 shutout) is set to go for the Wings.

Back the Stars on the puck line, and let's go low on the total.