NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Thursday, January 2

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Published on January 2, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Thursday, Jan. 2

There are a total of 12 games in the National Hockey League on Thursday. We have a couple of intriguing matchups in the early window that we'll be focusing upon for parlay opportunities, both with puck drops of 7 p.m. ET. Let's get started!

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Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers

The Hurricanes (22-13-2) and the Panthers (23-13-2) meet at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Carolina suffered a 4-3 OTL against the Columbus Blue Jackets on New Year's Eve, and it is just 2-3-1 in the past six games. The Hurricanes are 1-6-2 in the past nine road games since Nov. 21, including a 6-0 loss in Florida on Nov. 30.

Florida bounced back from a pair of consecutive home shutout losses against the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning for a 5-3 win against the beleaguered New York Rangers. The Panthers are still 5-2-0 in the past seven outings despite the pair of shutout setbacks. The Over (6) cashed last time out, halting a 3-0-1 run to the Under.

The Panthers received offense from some unlikely sources against the Blueshirts, as Eetu Luostarinen and Mackie Samoskevich bagged goals, while Jesper Boqvist had a pair of markers. Aleksander Barkov put a bow on the scoring with an empty-net goal.

Florida swept a home-and-home set with Carolina, winning 6-3 in Raleigh on Nov. 29, and 6-0 in Sunrise on Nov. 30. The Hurricanes were having some goaltender injury issues then, but Pyotr Kochetkov (14-7-1, 2.52 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to be in the crease for the Canes.

The Panthers are expected to counter with Sergei Bobrovsky (17-7-1, 2.81 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 SO). He stopped 28 of 31 shots in the first meeting in Raleigh on Nov. 29.

Look for the Panthers to maintain their mastery over the Hurricanes, and playing the Under is the way to go. The total has gone low in six of the past nine meetings in this series.

Panthers ML (-122 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-134 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your go-to sports betting apps without ensuring you have the best and latest NHL odds.

Minnesota Wild at Washington Capitals

The Wild (23-11-4) and the Capitals (25-10-2) meet at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., with a puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

The Wild posted a 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators on New Year's Eve in St. Paul. Minnesota has gotten back on track with three wins in the past four outings after a four-game skid from Dec. 15-21, as Minnesota notched a total of just four goals in the span.

In Tuesday's win over the Predators, Marco Rossi opened and closed the scoring for the Wild, including an insurance marker with a power-play goal in the third period to make it 5-3. Filip Gustavsson was on point, turning back 43 of the 46 shots he faced in a win.

Washington dumped the Boston Bruins 3-1 on NYE, led by Aliaksei Protas, who had an even-strength goal and an empty-net goal to back Logan Thompson. The goaltender made 27 saves on 28 shots.

The home side has won three in a row in this series, with the Under holding a 3-2-1 edge in the past six meetings. We'll stay away from the total here, but back the Capitals to get the job done on their home ice.