NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Friday, January 10

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Published on January 10, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Friday, Jan. 10

We have a total of five games on the slate for Friday night, including an Original Six battle featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings on NHL Network at 7 p.m. ET. The Vancouver Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes also square off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, but with a winter storm warning in the Raleigh-Durham area, that game could potentially be in danger of postponement. We'll highlight the other four games for parlay opportunities. Let's get started.

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Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings

The Blackhawks (14-25-2) and Red Wings (18-18-4) meet at Little Caesars Arena at 7 p.m. ET. The Red Wings have won four in a row in this series, including a 4-1 victory at United Center on the west side of Chicago on Nov. 6.

In that victory by the Red Wings, Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring against his former team, while Nick Foligno evened things up midway through the second period. However, Dylan Larkin notched a goal, helped out by DeBrincat, while Joe Veleno and Andrew Copp added third-period goals for the 4-1 victory. Cam Talbot allowed just a single goal on 29 shots, beating Petr Mrazek, who allowed three goals on 24 shots.

Detroit has rattled off five victories in a row, outscoring the opposition 20-12, with the Over going 5-1 in the past six outings. Talbot and the Red Wings picked up a 3-2 OT win against the Ottawa Senators last time out as short 'dogs (+104) as the Under (5.5) cashed. For Chicago, the Over is 5-1-2 in the past eight outings.

Let's back the Red Wings, while going high on the total.

Red Wings ML (-175 at BetMGM)
Over 5.5 Goals (-118 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Don't place any wagers on your go-to sports betting apps to ensure you have the latest NHL odds.

Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals

The Canadiens (19-18-3) and Capitals (27-10-4) meet at Capital One Arena, as the Caps look for their fourth consecutive victory in the series.

Washington doubled up Montreal 6-3 on Halloween in D.C., while also doubling up the Habs 4-2 at Bell Centre in the most recent meeting Dec. 7.

That Dec. 7 game started off well for the Habs, as Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored goals in the first period to take a 2-0 lead to the room. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in the second period, but the Canadiens still led 2-1 until 7:10 of the third period. That's when Tom Wilson struck for the first of his two third-period goals, while Dylan Strome posted a power-play goal to put a bow on the scoring. Logan Thompson allowed two goals on 24 shots, while Sam Montembeault conceded four goals on 35 shots.

Based on Washington's dominance in the series, and the fact it has cashed on the puck line in both, let's lay the goal and a half.

Capitals -1.5 (+120 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Over 5.5 Goals (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Los Angeles Kings at Winnipeg Jets

The Kings (23-10-5) and the Jets (28-12-2) meet at Canada Life Centre, with a puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

Los Angeles is back in action for the first time since Saturday, as its game earlier this week against the Calgary Flames was postponed due to the terrible wildfires in Southern California.

The Kings have won four consecutive outings, outscoring the opposition 14-8, while splitting the Over-Under 2-2. However, on the road, Los Angeles is 2-2-2 in the past six games.

These teams last met Nov. 27 at Crypto.com Arena, with David Rittich allowing just a single goal on 14 shots to outduel Connor Hellebuyck, who coughed up three goals on 32 shots. Speaking of Hellebuyck, he posted his 300th NHL victory last time out in a 5-2 over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. He is the third-fastest NHL goaltender to hit 300 wins in 538 regular-season games. He is the fastest U.S.-born goalie to hit the mark, too.

The Kings have won four of the past six meetings, and the underdog is 7-3 in the past 10 in the series. Let's back the rested Kings as short 'dogs, and we'll roll with the Under.

Kings ML (+145 at ESPNBet Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (-106 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

San Jose Sharks at Utah Hockey Club

The Sharks (13-24-6) and Utah Hockey Club (17-16-7) meet at Delta Center at 9 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City.

San Jose was doubled up 4-2 last time out against the Vegas Golden Knights, slipping to 2-8-1 in the past 11 games. That includes a 4-3 loss at SAP Center in the most recent game with Utah on Dec. 14.

Karel Vejmelka allowed three goals on 22 shots, while Vitek Vanecek allowed four goals on 40 shots for the Sharks.

In the first period, Dylan Guenther and Alexander Wennberg exchanged goals in the first period, while Mikael Granlund and Nick Schmaltz exchanged goals in the second. In the third, Fabian Zetterlund scored a power-play goal at 5:00 to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead, but Michael Carcone leveled the scoring at 9:49 of the final period before Clayton Keller scored a power-play goal at 19:16 to stun the crowd in the Bay Area.

Despite that win, Utah is 1-5-2 in the past eight games since Dec. 22, so you can't risk more than two times your potential return on the home side. Take the visitors on the puck line as underdogs, while going with the Over.