Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Senators Strong Upset Pick vs. Flames)

Jan 4, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Angus Crookshank (59) skates with
Jan 4, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Angus Crookshank (59) skates with / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
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After a winning Monday night, going 2-1, let's keep the momentum going with a great slate of NHL action scheduled for Tuesday.

We're in the heart of the NHL season now and we're starting to get an idea of which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. There's one team that I'm absolutely done with and that's going to reflect in one of my bets tonight: the Calgary Flames.

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Best NHL Bets Today

  • Kings -116 vs. Lightning
  • Panthers -176 vs. Blues
  • Senators +112 vs. Flames

Kings vs. Lightning prediction

The Los Angeles Kings are on a five-game losing streak so I picked a wrong time to start blindly betting on them in every single game, but I'm still convinced they're the best team in the NHL despite their current rut.

The Kings enter tonight's game ranking third in CORSI% and second in expected goals percentage per 60 minutes of adjusted 5-on-5 play over their last 25 games. The Lightning rank 15th and 19th in those two metrics yet the Kings are just a small favorite in Tampa Bay.

It's a great buy low spot on the Kings to get out of their slump in Tampa tonight.

Panthers vs. Blues prediction

This is a game between one of the best teams in the NHL and one of the worst teams so I won't hesitate to lay the big number on the Panthers.

The Panthers have won seven-straight games and this hot streak hasn't been a fluke. They're second in the NHL in CORSI% and third in expected goals percentage over their last 25 games. The Blues are 23rd and 27th in those two respective stats.

It's also worth noting the Blues have been horrific on the powerplay this season, scoring just 11.01 percent of the time they have a man advantage, the second worst mark in the NHL.

If you want to get more aggressive, you can always back the Panthers on the -1.5 puck line instead.

Senators vs. Flames prediction

I love the Senators as an underdog in this spot. The Flames have been a disaster this season and one of their worst traits has been their powerplay, sporting the third worst powerplay in the NHL. One of the main reasons to bet against the Senators has been a league-worst penalty kill, but that shouldn't hurt them tonight considering how bad the Flames powerplay has been.

Many of the metrics between these two teams are very similar, so with the Senators not getting punished for a bad penalty kill and with them being listed as underdogs, I'll take a chance on Ottawa tonight.


Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!