Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, December 6

Get NHL’s hottest picks: expert best bets, odds & prop predictions for Canadiens vs Maple Leafs, Senators, Blackhawks & more – win your night’s betting edge!
Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, December 6

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of 12 games on the slate for Saturday, including a nationally-televised game between the Utah Mammoth and Calgary Flames at 7 p.m. on NHL Network.

We're actually going to focus on three games. The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs renew their heated rivalry on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators meet in Canada's capital city, also at 7 p.m. ET, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings play the second game of a back-to-back at Crypto.com Arena at 9 p.m. ET

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with College Football championship games, NBA action and/or NCAA basketball. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.

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NHL Best Bets Tonight: Canadiens vs Maple Leafs, Blackhawks vs Odds & Picks and More

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.

NHL Best Bets Tonight Odds and Picks for December 5 Matchups

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs

The Canadiens (14-9-3) and the Maple Leafs (13-11-3) meet at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 7 p.m. ET.

These teams met in Montreal on Nov. 22, with the Canadiens picking up a 5-2 win as moderate favorites (-145) as the Over (6.5) cashed. Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson opened the scoring midway through the first period, scoring within 82 seconds of each other. 

Dobson was back at 4:09 of the second, making it 3-0, and Josh Anderson had a goal at 13:11, on an assist to Florian Xhekaj, making it 4-0. That goal chases Joseph Woll, who had made 21 saves to that point. Dennis Hildeby came on and stopped the only three shots he faced, but the damage was done. Jakub Dobes made 24 saves in the victory.

That victory halted a four-game win streak by the Maple Leafs in this series, and Toronto had won eight of the previous nine. That includes a 5-2 win on home ice back on Oct. 8 as moderate favorites (-160), as the Over (6) also hit then.

Dobes (9-3-2, 3.11 GAA, .891 save percentage) is confirmed to start for the Habs, while Woll (4-3-1, 2.43 GAA, .923 save percentage) is expected to start for the Leafs.

Montreal is 4-2-0 in the past six games, and an impressive 7-3-2 on the road. Toronto is 8-4-3 on home ice, and playing much better hockey lately, winning three in a row, outscoring Pittsburgh, Florida and Carolina, all on the road, by a combined 16-4.

We'll stick with the home team trend in his series and go high on the total, too.

  • Maple Leafs ML (-130 at DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
  • Over 6.5 (-109 at BetRivers Sportsbook)

St. Louis Blues at Ottawa Senators

The Blues (9-12-7) make the second stop on a three-game Atlantic Division road trip, paying a visit to the Senators (13-10-4) at 7 p.m. ET.

St. Louis suffered a 5-2 loss in Boston to kick off the trip, and it has been outscored 9-3 in the past two games, both losses. The Blues are just 3-4-4 in the past 11 games, while the Under is 8-2 in the previous 10 outings.

The Senators were doubled up on home ice, 4-2, by the New York Rangers. Ottawa is just 1-3-0 in the past four games, while the Over has cashed in five in a row. In the five-game Over span, the Senators have averaged 3.0 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 3.8 GPG.

The home team has won six of the past seven games in this series, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four meetings. That includes a 4-3 victory by the Blues in St. Louis as slight underdogs (+100) as the Over (5.5) cashed.

Let's back the Senators, and we'll go with the Over.

  • Senators ML (-150 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
  • Over 5.5 (-110 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

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Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings

The Blackhawks (12-9-6) and Kings (12-8-7) meet in the second end of a back-to-back at Crypto.com Arena.

Chicago picked up a 2-1 win as moderate underdogs (+170) on Thursday in the first of two L.A. meetings this week, and the Under (5.5) easily cashed. After a scoreless first period, Connor Bedard struck on the power play at 6:17 of the second, while Wyatt Kaiser made it 2-0 with helpers to Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Trevor Moore sliced the lead in half midway through the third, but that's the only blemish to Spencer Knight's ledger. He made 26 saves, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 34 shots in a losing effort.

The Blackhawks have won three of the past five in the series, each as an underdog, and the Under has cashed in three in a row.

Knight (9-5-5, 2.44 GAA, .919 save percentage, 1 SO) and Kuemper (8-6-5, 2.35 GAA, .910 save percentage, 1 SO) are expected to run it back. We'll back the Blackhawks as underdogs on the puck line, similar to what we did in the first meeting. The Kings are 7-3-0 in the past 10 meetings. Let's go low, too, as it has cashed in three straight in the series. In fact, at 6.5, if you can get it, you should go rather aggressively on that.

  • Blackhawks +1.5 (-135 at Bet365)
  • Under 6.5 (-130 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

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

Parlay Strategies and Totals Picks to Boost NHL Betting Slates

6-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+2259 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens and Over 6.5 - SGP (+213)
  • Senators ML vs. Blues and Over 5.5 - SGP (+192)
  • Blackhawks +1.5 at Kings and Under 6.5 - SGP (+157)

3-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+493 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • Over 6.5 (-110) - Canadiens at Maple Leafs
  • Over 5.5 (-112) - Blues at Senators
  • Under 6.5 (-156) - Blackhawks at Kings

3-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+391 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • Maple Leafs ML (-132) vs. Canadiens
  • Senators ML (-156) vs. Blues
  • Blackhawks +1.5 (-142) at Kings

2-Leg NHL Best Parlay (+169 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

  • Senators ML (-156) vs. Blues
  • Under 6.5 (-156) - Blackhawks at Kings

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hockey writer, handicapper, unskilled fourth liner, 25-year fantasy sports and gambling industry veteran, FSWA's 2024 Player Notes Writer of the Year, and five-time FSWA award winner. Twitter: @danieledobish
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