NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Thursday, January 9

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Published on January 9, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Thursday, Jan. 9

It's a busy night on the National Hockey League (NHL) slate on Thursday night, as there are 10 games on tap. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on hulu and Disney+, in addition to ESPN+, where all of the other nine games can be viewed. We'll select three games to cobble together what we hope are successful parlay opportunities. Let's get started.

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New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers

The Devils (25-15-3) and the Rangers (18-20-2) meet at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

New Jersey hits the Lincoln Tunnel for NYC looking to maintain its mastery in this series. The Devils buried the Rangers 5-1 on Dec. 2 as a slight road favorite (-121) on Dec. 2 as the Under (6.5) connected, while also blanking the Blueshirts 5-0 in Newark on Dec. 23 as a heavy favorite (-260) as the Under (6) once again came through.

The Devils have been an Under machine, cashing in four straight games since New Year's Eve, while cashing at a 4-1 clip in the past five in this series, too. In addition, New Jersey has hit the Under at a whopping 14-2 clip in the past 16 games since flipping the calendar from November to December.

For the Rangers, the Over has hit in three in a row, and five of the past six games. However, again, New York has one goal in two games against Jersey this season. Back the Devils, and back the Under.

Devils ML (-178 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-120 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Don't place any wagers on your go-to sports betting apps to ensure you have the latest NHL odds.

Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Oilers (25-12-3) meet the Penguins (17-17-8) at PPG Paints Arena with a puck drop at 7 p.m. ET.

Edmonton has won seven straight meetings in this series dating back to Dec. 1, 2021, including a pair of 4-0 victories in the past two outings. The Oilers have outscored the Penguins 37-9 in the seven-game span, notching at least four goals in each victory, while limiting the Pens to two or fewer goals in six of those games. That's dominance.

Speaking of 4-0, that was the score of Edmonton's win last time out against Boston, too. The Oilers have won four in a row, scoring 3.8 goals per game (GPG), while allowing just five total goals. Edmonton has cashed the Under in four in a row while going 7-2 in the past nine games.

For the Penguins, they've dropped three in a row either in overtime or a shootout, while going 0-1-3 in the past four games overall. The offense is good for 2.5 GPG in the four-game span.

Based on the series dominance, we'd like to take the Oilers, but on the moneyline, Edmonton will cost at least two times your potential return. With Pittsburgh losing three in a row in overtime or a shootout, let's back the underdog on the puck line instead. And, we'll go Over, since the Pens have allowed 3.8 GPG in the past four tries.

Penguins +1.5 (-144 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 6.5 Goals (-105 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes

The Maple Leafs (27-13-2) and Hurricanes (24-15-2) square off at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Carolina swept this series in three meetings last season, and it has won four in a row in the series overall. The favorite has taken the past five meetings in the series, too.

The Hurricanes were topped 3-2 by the Tampa Bay Lightning last time out Tuesday, and it is just 3-4-1 in the past eight games, as Carolina just cannot stack victories lately. It's having a little bit of a midseason slump.

The Maple Leafs are sitting pretty atop the Atlantic Division, and Toronto has won five straight, including a home-and-home sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday and Tuesday, both by 3-2 scores. The Under is 4-1 in the past five games for the Leafs, too.

Let's back the Maple Leafs to get the job done on the road while going low on the total.