Best NHL Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, February 2

Written by

Published on February 2, 2025

The National Hockey League (NHL) has nine games on tap for Sunday, with three matinee games having a puck drop of 4:00 p.m. ET or earlier. We'll focus on the evening games to give you more time to get those bets in. Perhaps you'll want to use some of these picks to play a multi-leg, cross-sport parlay with college hoops games, the NBA or perhaps you can go with Kyle Larson in the NASCAR Cup Series' Cook Out Clash at Bowman-Gray Stadium for a top-five finish (hint, hint). Let's get started.

Top up your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos like this BetMGM bonus code featuring a first-bet bonus worth up to $1,500 and $50 in Rewards Points.

Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Sunday, Feb. 2

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

St. Louis Blues at Utah Hockey Club

The Blues (23-25-4) and Utah Hockey Club (21-21-9) meet for the third time this season. Utah has won each of the first two meetings 4-2, including the most recent battle on Jan. 18 in Salt Lake City.

Connor Ingram kicked aside 22 out of the 24 shots he faced in that mid-January win in Salt Lake City. Tyler Tucker opened the scoring just 2:05 into the game, giving the Blues a 1-0 lead. However, Michael Kesselring notched a power-play goal at 6:06 to level the game, while Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller made it 3-1 by the end of the first period.

Jake Neighbours hit a power-play goal to open the second period, but Logan Cooley restored the two-goal lead while putting a bow on the scoring for the night. There were no more goals in the final 29:18 of the game, as Ingram and Jordan Binnington each stood on their heads down the stretch. Keller was still able to finish with a goal and three points, while Cooley had a goal and three points.

For some reason, Utah seems to have the number of St. Louis. However, it is 0-2-2 in the past four games and 3-5-2 in the past 10 games. The under has cashed in three in a row and four of the past five. The Blues have dropped four in a row and been blanked in two of the past three. The under is 5-2-2 in the past nine outings.

Neither team gives us much confidence as far as a side bet, but the Uunder is a strong play.

Under 5.5 Goals (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Don't make any on your favorite sports betting apps without consulting the NHL odds first.

Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks

The Red Wings (26-21-5) travel to meet the Canucks (23-18-10) at Rogers Arena at 8:00 p.m. ET. Detroit is coming off a 3-1 win in Calgary on Saturday night behind Cam Talbot.

The Wings now travel over the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver, and it's Alex Lyon's turn to take the crease. He had an amazing 45 saves on 47 shots in a 3-2 shootout victory in Edmonton in the previous outing.

Dylan Larkin opened the scoring in Calgary. He has managed 11 goals and 23 points with a +8 rating across the previous 18 games. If you wanted to take a chance on Larkin as an anytime goal scorer, he is plus-money (+160) and worth a roll of the dice. In addition, while there is risk in a back-to-back situation, Larkin (+128) is plus-money to record four or more shots on goal (SOG) at FanDuel Sportsbook. Let's get on that, as he had 11 SOG in Edmonton and 38 total shots in the past six outings.

The Red Wings have won five in a row, outscoring opponents by a 17-7 score, with the under 3-1-1 in the stretch.

Vancouver suffered a 5-3 loss Friday in the Metroplex, halting a three-game win streak. The over and under has alternated in the past six outings since Jan. 21. The Canucks won the first meeting 5-4 in overtime in Detroit back on Dec. 1, cashing as a slight favorite (-123) as the Ooer (5.5) easily hit.

The Canucks have had some upheaval lately, as they traded J.T. Miller and Erik Brannstrom to the New York Rangers for Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini. Vancouver also continues to corner the market on dudes named Pettersson, scooping up Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a separate deal for Vincent Desharnais, Melvin Fernstrom, Danton Heinen and a draft pick. It's uncertain if Chytil, Mancini, O'Connor, Pettersson, etc. will be available on Sunday.

However, if the new players do get worked in, we have to wonder about lines, chemistry, etc. It could take time to get on track, especially against a red-hot Red Wings team. Let's back Detroit and we'll go low on the total, as the Red Wings have cashed low at a 5-1-2 pace in the past eight outings. The under has cashed in three in a row at home for the Canucks, too.

Red Wings ML (+140 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (+100 at BetMGM)
Dylan Larkin 4+ SOG (+128 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Today's Best NHL Bet(s)

We had the under (5.5) in Saturday's game between the Los Angeles Kings and Carolina Hurricanes, but we ended up with a total of six goals. The Kings were shut out in the previous two games, and we knew the scoreless streak wasn't going to last forever. However, entering play, L.A. had scored just 1.5 goals per game in the previous 10 outings, so the offensive outburst was certainly a surprise. Let's get it back on Sunday.

Let's roll with that Larkin SOG player prop at plus-money. He has four or more SOG in five of the past six games, and he had two assists with five SOG in the first meeting at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 1.