Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (Predictions for Kraken-Rangers, Hurricanes-Red Wings, Canucks-Canadiens) – Sports Illustrated


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The NHL has a bigger slate on this Monday night with nine games on the docket.
I’m looking at a road underdog, and road favorite, and a high-scoring Canadian clash tonight.
Read on as I break down my NHL best bets – and their odds at the best betting sites – for Monday, Jan. 12.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
The Rangers continued their slide with an embarrassing 10-2 loss in Boston on Saturday afternoon. That was their third straight loss and sixth in their last seven games, and they have a Kraken team that has turned the tide coming to town on Monday night.
Seattle is coming off two straight loss itself, but those came in overtime against the Wild and then by one goal in Carolina. The Kraken had a nine-game point streak prior to that with a goal differential of 36-18.
New York has struggled at home this season at 5-11-4 and is dealing with a few key injuries to Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. Seattle is 10-8-3 on the road and shouldn’t be this big of underdog tonight.
The Hurricanes are healthy and finding their groove again. Top defenseman Jaccob Slavin returned on Saturday as Carolina held the Kraken to just 12 shots on goal. It was the second-straight game with a stifling effort by Carolina after it allowed 13 shots to the Ducks last week.
The Canes have now won four games in a row, all by at least two goals, after a three-game losing streak. That includes a road win in New Jersey and a big win over the Stars.
The Red Wings have won three straight themselves, but their wins have been less impressive over the Senators, Canucks, and Canadiens. Furthermore, the Hurricanes’ have a league-best 57.29% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5 in the last 10 games while Detroit’s 41.13% is third-lowest in the league.
The Eastern Conference is tight this season, but the Hurricanes are a class above the Red Wings.

The Canucks and Canadiens have both trended rather heavily to the over this season, so it’s a bit surprising to see plus odds on this over 6.5. Their first meeting finished with a 4-3 final score for one of the Canucks’ 26 overs in 44 games, and Montreal’s 27 overs in 45 games.
Both teams have struggled mightily in net this season. They’re each in the group of just nine teams with a save percentage below .890 this season.
The Canucks have struggled to score a bit, but they’re capable of putting up a few goals, and the Canadiens had 14 goals in three games prior to a shutout against the Red Wings on Saturday.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Ryan is a sports betting writer at Sports Illustrated. He has experience working for NHL.com, NBC Sports, Covers, and more throughout his decade in the industry. As a Philadelphia native, he understands the passion and pain that come with being a sports fan.
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