Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Sunday, January 4

We've got a 5 game slate of NHL action on tap today and Daniel Dobish goes through the card and highlights his best picks and parlays

January 4, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Sunday, January 4

By:

Daniel Dobish

January 4, 2026

NHL Picks

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NHL Best Bets & Picks: Hurricanes vs Devils and Golden Knight vs Blackhawks – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has just five games on tap, including three puck drops of 5 p.m. EST or earlier. We'll focus on the two evening starts at 7 p.m. EST.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Sunday's NFL Week 18 games, NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays, and Happy New Year! Let's get started.

Top up your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos like this BetMGM bonus code offering $1,500 in bonus bets.

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.

Carolina Hurricanes at New Jersey Devils

The Hurricanes (24-14-3) and the Devils (22-17-2) meet at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. at 7 p.m. EST, and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.

Carolina suffered a 5-3 loss at home against the red-hot Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night, and now it faces the quick turnaround against New Jersey on the road. The Canes have dropped three in a row, but they're still one game clear of the New York Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division exactly halfway through the regular-season schedule.

In Saturday's loss to the Avs, Frederik Andersen was in between the pipes, and he continues to struggle, allowing 4 goals on 34 shots. With Andersen playing Saturday, and Pyotr Kochetkov out for the season, it isn't confirmed, but red-hot rookie Brandon Bussi (13-2-1, 2.33 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) is all but certain to start Sunday.

The Devils closed out 2025 with a 3-2 win in Columbus on New Year's Eve, and it posted a 4-1 win over the visiting Utah Mammoth after flipping the calendar to 2026. The Devils have cashed the Under in three in a row, and nine of the past 10 outings, with New Jersey allowing just 21 goals, or 2.1 goals per game (GPG) during the span. On offense, the Devils are good for just 1.7 GPG in the same 10-game stretch.

Carolina has won 3 in a row in this series, including the first meeting Oct. 9 in Raleigh, 6-3, and the final two installments of a five-game playoff series last April. The Over has cashed in three in a row in the series.

The Hurricanes lost 5-1 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 30 the last time it had a home-road back-to-back. Prior to that, Carolina lost 6-4 at Tampa Bay on no rest on Dec. 20, and it is just 1-3-1 in the past five games on no rest. The Under has a slight 3-2 edge in those games.

We're going to take the Devils to get the job done, while going Under on the total.

Devils ML (-102 BetRivers Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 (-130 DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

Vegas Golden Knights at Chicago Blackhawks

The Golden Knights (17-11-11) and the Blackhawks (16-18-7) meet at United Center at 7 p.m. EST, also on ESPN+.

These teams met in Las Vegas on Dec. 2, with the Golden Knights posting a 4-3 victory in a shootout as heavy favorites (-255) as the Over (6) cashed. VGK has won three in a row in the series, outscoring the Blackhawks 16-11, with the total going high in four consecutive meetings.

Vegas has dropped three in a row in regulation, including a 4-3 loss in St. Louis on Friday to kick off its three-game road trip as the Over (5.5) cashed. The total has gone high at a 6-0-1 clip in the previous seven outings. The Golden Knight have struggled lately, going 1-5-2 in their past eight outings..

For the Blackhawks, they're perfect for 2026 so far, winning 4-3 on New Year's Day at home against the Dallas Stars (+155), and 3-2 in a shootout on the road against the Washington Capitals (+210) as the Under (5.5) connected.

Chicago is 3-1-1 in the past five games, with four one-goal contests during the span. The Over is 3-2 in that five-game span, too.

Carter Hart (4-3-3, 3.27 GAA, .875 SV%) is projected to be in net for the Golden Knights, while the Blackhawks are expected to counter with Arvid Soderblom (4-7-1, 4.02 GAA, .872 SV%).

The Golden Knights are too expensive to back straight up, and the Blackhawks have played four one-goal games in the past five outings. Let's take Chicago as underdogs on the puck line, while going high on the total.