NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Tuesday, January 21

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Published on January 21, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Tuesday, Jan. 21

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of eight games on the schedule for Tuesday night. The Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars tangle at 8 p.m. ET, and the game can not only be viewed on ESPN+ like all of the others, but it is offered on hulu and Disney+, too. We're going to focus on that Canes-Stars game, as well as the Capitals-Oilers contest at 9 p.m. in Alberta. Let's get started.

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Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars

The Hurricanes (28-16-3) and the Stars (29-16-1) meet at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Tuesday night, and puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET.

These teams met Nov. 25 in Raleigh, with the Hurricanes coming away with a wild 6-4 victory as a favorite (-123). The Over (6.5) cashed, halting a 3-0 run to the Under in this series.

The Canes won that game behind Spencer Martin, who is now back with Chicago of the AHL. Carolina was able to hang five goals on 33 shots against Jake Oettinger. It was wild game, as Dallas fired out to a 3-1 lead through the first 7:13 of the second period, with Tyler Seguin, Thomas Harley and Mason Marchment lighting the lamp. Seth Jarvis had a shorthanded goal for the home side.

In the third period, all hell broke loose, as Carolina had goals from Sebastian Aho, Brent Burns and Shayne Gostisbehere on the power play, taking a 4-3 lead. Miro Heiskanen leveled things 4-4 at 14:46 of the third, but Martin Necas struck on the power play at 17:53, and Andrei Svechnikov dropped one into the empty net to put a bow on the scoring.

Pyotr Kochetkov (17-9-2, 2.52 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to start for the Hurricanes, while Oettinger (23-10-1, 2.26 GAA, .914 SV%, 1 SO) is likely for the home side.

Back the Stars straight up, and we'll go low on the total.

Stars ML (-130 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 6 Goals (-115 at BetMGM)

Don't wager on your favorite sports betting apps without knowing the latest NHL odds.

Washington Capitals at Edmonton Oilers

The Capitals (31-10-5) and the Oilers (29-14-3) meet at Rogers Place in Edmonton at 9 p.m. ET.

The big news is that Connor McDavid is suspended for three games for a cross-checking incident against Vancouver on Saturday. He will miss Tuesday's game, and the next two outing Thursday and Saturday.

The Capitals skate in on a four-game win streak, while going 7-0-3 across the past 10 games since Dec. 31. The Under has connected in six consecutive games, too, with Logan Thompson allowing just two total goals in the past four outings with two shutouts.

The Oilers lost 3-2 in Vancouver in that game McDavid got feisty. That snapped a four-game win streak. With no McDavid, let's roll with the Capitals to get the job done on the road.

Normally, we'd go low on the total, but even without the superstar McDavid, there is still plenty of firepower on the ice. Let's avoid the total for now.

Capitals ML (+115 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Florida Panthers at Anaheim Ducks

The Panthers (27-17-3) and the Ducks (18-22-6) meet at Honda Center in Anaheim with a puck drop of 10 p.m. ET.

Florida picked up a 3-0 win and cover on the puck line in the first meeting in Sunrise on Saturday, as Spencer Knight stepped up with a 34-save shutout to best John Gibson. The latter made 42 saves while allowing just two goals. Jesper Boqvist notched the first goal midway through the second period, and that stood up as the game-winning tally since the Ducks didn't score. Anton Lundell and Gustav Forsling added markers, with Knight assisting on Forsling's ENG.

The Panthers have won eight of the past nine meetings since Nov. 21, 2019, although five of those nine meetings have been one-goal games. The best play here is to take the Ducks as home 'dogs on the puck line.

Ducks +1.5 (-125 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Today's NHL Best Bet(s)

We didn't get off to a great start in the first 'best bet', as Winnipeg wet the bed in Salt Lake City in a 5-2 loss to Utah. We'll look to bounce back with the Hurricanes-Stars Under play in the Metroplex. Slow and low is the way to go.