Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, January 12

Expert NHL picks & betting insights on Kraken vs Rangers & Oilers vs Blackhawks—get top best bets, totals ideas, & promos to level up your wagers.

January 12, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, January 12

By:

Daniel Dobish

January 12, 2026

NHL Picks

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NHL Best Bets & Picks: Kraken vs Rangers and Oilers vs Blackhawks – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has nine games on the schedule for Monday night, including the Seattle Kraken and New York Rangers hooking up at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden in the only nationally-televised game on NHL Network.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Monday's NFL Wild-Card Game, NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.

Top up your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos like this BetMGM bonus code offering $1,500 in bonus bets.

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Seattle Kraken at New York Rangers

The Kraken (20-15-8) and Rangers (20-20-6) meet at Madison Square Garden in New York at 7 p.m. EST on NHL Network.

Seattle is making the second stop on a five-game road trip. It started Saturday at Carolina, and the Kraken suffered a 3-2 loss against the Hurricanes. These teams met on Nov. 1 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, with the Rangers coming away with a 3-2 win in overtime as the Under (5.5) cashed.

The Rangers have been fabulous on the road, going 15-9-2, but they're just 5-11-4 in front of the home fans. In that win in Seattle, Vladislav Gavrikov and Noah Laba notched goals, while Will Cuylle came up with the game-winning goal in overtime. Cuylle had an assist, too, helping Igor Shesterkin to victory. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Shesterkin is out with a lower-body injury, as is D Adam Fox (lower body).

The Kraken received a power-play goal from Chandler Stephenson and an even-strength goal from Brandon Montour, but it wasn't enough to propel Joey Daccord to the win. Daccord (12-10-5, 2.83 GAA, .901 SV%, 2 SO) is projected to start for the visitors in net.

Stephenson is on the non-roster, as he returned home to Seattle to tend to a personal matter. Jaden Schwartz was activated from Injured Reserve in the corresponding move.

Seattle is 8-1-2 in the past 11 games, and the loss in Carolina Saturday was its first in regulation since Dec. 18. The Under has hit in the past two games, and seven of the past 10 outings.

New York was buried 10-2 in Boston on Saturday afternoon, and it is just 1-4-2 in the past seven outings. The Over is 4-1 in the past five games, too. Jonathan Quick allowed six goals on 20 shots before getting pulled in favor of Spencer Martin, who let in four goals on 14 shots in 28:34. Quick (3-8-2, 2.78 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO) is likely to be in net for the Blueshirts.

Let's back the Kraken, as they're playing much better hockey lately, and we'll go low on the total, as the Rangers have had offensive issues at home, and Quick's shaky play lately.

Kraken ML (+122 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 (+100 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks

The Oilers (22-16-7) and Blackhawks (19-19-7) meet at United Center at 8:30 p.m. EST, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Like the matchup above, these teams met once before this season, and it resulted in a 3-2 OTW for the Oilers at Rogers Place back on Nov. 1. Edmonton (-300) was a heavy favorite in that game, but Chicago really made it work for the victory.

Edmonton is looking to rebound from a 4-3 SOW at home against the Los Angeles Kings as the Over (6.5) cashed. The Oilers are 7-3-1 in the past 11 games on the road. The Over has cashed in five consecutive games, too, with the offense averaging 3.4 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 4.0 GPG in the span.

Chicago is coming off a 3-0 shutout win over the Nashville Predators as heavy favorites (+170) as the Under (5.5) cashed. Drew Commesso kicked aside all 36 shots he faced for his first NHL win and shutout Saturday, as both Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom have been out dealing with an illness.

In the 3-0 win, Tyler Bertuzzi kicked off the scoring festivities with a power-play goal in the second period, and it stood up as the game-winning tally. Nick Lardis and Ryan Greene had an empty-net goal, with Bertuzzi chipping in with a helper.

Edmonton has won nine of the past 10 meetings since Oct. 27, 2022, although the past two wins have been decided in overtime. The Over is 3-1 in the past four games, too.

Let's back the Oilers to get the job done on the road, and we'll go Over on the total, as even if Knight or Soderblom can return from illness, how much strength and stamina will they have?