NHL Best Bets Today: Expert Picks for Wednesday, January 15

Written by

Published on January 15, 2025

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for
Wednesday, Jan. 15

The National Hockey League (NHL) has just two games on the schedule for Wednesday night's TNT/truTV/Max doubleheader. The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres meet at 6 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center in the early game, while the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild battle at 8:30 p.m. ET at XCel Energy Center in the Twin Cities. Let's get started.

Build your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos such as the BetMGM bonus code that offers a first-bet bonus of up to $1,500.

Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres

The Hurricanes (26-15-3) and the Sabres (16-22-5) meet at KeyBank Center in Buffalo in the early window, and on paper, this appears to be a mismatch. But, let's look just a little deeper at this one.

Carolina won two of the three meetings last season, but the home team won all three installments, and two games were unable to find a winner in regulation. It was surprisingly tight.

The Hurricanes are coming off a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss to the lowly Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night behind Pyotr Kochetkov. It spoiled the good feelings of a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Thursday and a 2-0 shutout by Dustin Tokarski against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. Still, the Canes picked up five out of a possible six points, and they're 5-2-2 in the past nine games.

The Carolina offense has been a little bit erratic, but it is capable of doing big things at any time. The Buffalo offense, not so much. While the Sabres have 10 goals in the past three games, which is pretty strong, it is mid with 3.0 goals per game (GPG), with the power play checking in at a dismal 17.7 percent, good for just 27th in the NHL.

Defensively, Buffalo allows 3.4 GPG, while the penalty kill hits at just 78.4 percent, which is good for 22nd in the league.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to go in this one, and he has allowed three or more goals in four of the past five starts. Look for the Hurricanes to get the job done, but let's take the Sabres as the puck line underdogs while going high on the total.

Sabres +1.5 (-160 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 5.5 Goals (-140 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Before placing a bet on your sports betting apps ensure you have the latest and most competitive NHL odds.

Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild

The Oilers (27-13-3) and the Wild (27-13-4) meet for the third time this season and the second time at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

We've probably covered this before, but it's a misnomer that the capital of Minnesota is Minneapolis. A lot of people, especially sports fans, think that. The capital is St. Paul. OK, enough geography.

The Oilers routed the Wild in the most recent visit to the Twin Cities on Dec. 12, winning 7-1 as moderate favorites as the Over cashed. They returned the favor after Minnesota won 5-3 in Edmonton on Nov. 21 as a moderate 'dog, also cashing high on the total.

In that 7-1 win in St. Paul, the Oilers had seven different goal scorers, too, as Zach Hyman (PP), Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown (SH), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (PP), Leon Draisaitl, Troy Stecher and Derek Ryan scored. Someone missing? Oh yeah, Connor McDavid didn't score, but he had two apples.

McJesus did account for the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings last time out, backing Stuart Skinner who kicked aside all 30 shots he faced. Is it me, or does Skinner look a little like Luigi from Mario Brothers?

Anyway, he has looked like Grant Fuhr lately, going 3-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .937 save percentage with a shutout in four January starts. He is likely to be opposed by Filip Gustavsson, who has been uneven lately, allowing four or more goals in each of the past three starts, posting a 4.11 GAA and .864 save percentage in four January outings, and he was pulled in his last start against the Oilers, too, giving up five goals on 26 shots through two periods.