NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Sunday, December 8

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Published on December 7, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Sunday, Dec. 8

The National Hockey League has a total of seven games on tap for Sunday. We're going to focus on the three games featuring teams that did not play Saturday for a handful of parlay possibilities that you might be able to mix and match with some Week 14 NFL action. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

Seattle Kraken at New York Rangers

The Kraken (13-14-1) and Rangers (14-10-1) do battle at Madison Square Garden with a 1:00 p.m. ET puck drop. The game can be viewed or streamed on the NHL Network.

Seattle is wrapping up a pretty good run on their four-game Eastern Conference road trip. It won the first two stops at Carolina and against the New York Islanders, averaging 3.7 goals per game (GPG) while allowing 2.3 GPG. It's no surprise the over/under is 1-1-1 with those averages.

Joey Daccord (12-6-1, 2.50 GAA, .913 save percentage, one shutout) is making Kraken management look smart after he was locked into a five-year contract extension with a $5 million annual average value back in October. He allowed nine goals on 56 shots in his final two starts of November, both losses, but he is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .917 save percentage on the current trip.

The Rangers are a mess, and they started shaking things up this week. Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick. The team just wanted him gone, giving younger players a chance on the back end. General manager Chris Drury has stated Chris Kreider is also available.

New York was able to top the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday at Madison Square Garden, but they are still just 2-6-0 in their past eight outings while the under is 3-1 in the previous four contests.

These teams met at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on November 17, with the Rangers skating away with a 2-0 victory behind Jonathan Quick, who stopped all 24 shots he faced. Alexis Lafreniere and Zac Jones provided all the offense Quick would need. It wouldn't be surprising to see Quick (5-1-0, 2.03 GAA, .936 save percentage, two shutouts) get a chance for the season sweep.

Despite all of the upheaval, the Rangers should get the job done. They've won six of the seven all-time meetings against the Kraken, including all three previous skates at Madison Square Garden by a combined score of 14-7. However, New York will cost you nearly twice as much as your return on the Moneyline. That's a bit too risky with how they've been playing. Let's back the Kraken on the puck line as underdogs.

Kraken +1.5 (-155 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Vancouver Canucks

The Lightning (13-9-2) and Canucks (14-7-4) meet in a West Coast matinee game, with a local puck drop time of 1:00 p.m. PT. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Tampa Bay flexed its offensive muscle with an 8-1 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks last time out, as seven different goal scorers lit the lamp. Only Brandon Hagel went back for seconds. Andrei Vasilevskiy (11-8-1, 2.42 GAA, .909 save percentage, two shutouts) received ample support while turning aside all but one of the 21 shots he faced. Hagel is red-hot lately, going for four goals and 14 points in the past seven games, or two points per contest in the span.

Vancouver won 5-2 against the Blue Jackets Friday, snapping a string of three straight games decided in overtime. The Canucks won two of those games in the extra session.

Despite Friday's win, the Canucks are still just 3-5-1 in the past nine games at home. The Lightning have won eight of the past nine meetings in this series since December 18, 2018, including three wins in the past four trips to the Pacific Northwest.

The over has hit at a 5-1-1 clip in the past seven outings for the Lightning while going 4-1 in the past five for the Canucks and 7-2 in the previous nine contests.

Tampa Bay is a nice value as a road underdog. You have to go high on the total based on recent trends for both sides.

Lightning ML (+118 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 5.5 Goals (-144 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Make informed decisions when placing bets on your favorite sports betting apps by utilizing our NHL odds page so you have the latest and most competitive odds.

Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars

The Flames (13-9-5) and the Stars (16-10-0) meet for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Calgary took two out of three meetings last season, and the over cashed in each of those games. The over is on a 6-0 run in the past six in the series, while going 7-0-1 in the past eight battles since May 13, 2022.

The Flames are on a 1-3-2 slide since November 25, however, while the over is 5-2 across the past seven games. defense and goaltending have been a bit shaky, allowing 24 goals in the past seven contests.

For the Stars, they've dropped back-to-back 3-2 road games at Los Angeles and Vegas. At home, however, Dallas has won three straight on home ice, while going 5-1-0 in the past six at American Airlines Center.

While it's been mostly about the over for the Flames lately, the under is 4-0 in the past four for the Stars, averaging 2.3 goals per game (GPG) while allowing 2.0 GPG.

Dustin Wolf (8-4-1, 2.59 GAA, .918 save percentage, one shutout) is expected to be in between the pipes for Sunday's game, while Jake Oettinger (13-6-0, 2.45 GAA, .911 save percentage, one shutout) is likely starting for the home side.

Let's go low on the total. However, you can't play Dallas while risking more than two times your potential return. It has been struggling to score lately. Let's back the underdog Flames catching the goal and a half. Calgary is 7-3 in their past 10 on the puck line as an underdog, including four outright victories.