Free NHL Betting Picks For Thursday, January 12

A nice 9-game board gives us lots of selection for our free NHL betting picks for tonight, as we look to build on last night’s rock-solid 3-0.

A lot of eyes will be on the Montreal/Minnesota clash, and Penguins/Senators should be very interesting as well. But we’ve chosen 3 other games for our NHL betting picks tonight.

 

NHL Betting Picks For Tonight

1. Red Wings Team Total Over 2.5 +102 (Pinnacle)

Detroit’s struggled to score goals much of the year, but they’re rolling offensively right now. The Wings have scored 3 goals or more in 3 straight games and 7 of their last 8, even though they’ve been on the road for their last 6 outings. Tuesday, they put up 3 goals in an OT loss to a strong defensive team in Chicago. Dallas isn’t a strong defensive team. They did play some improved defence for a 10-game stretch recently but they’re back to their own ways again, allowing 3+ goals in 3 of 4 games and 6 of 8. The Stars have also lost 7 straight home games versus Detroit, and they’re in a fatigue spot playing their 3rd in 4 nights and 4th in 6. We could go for the Red Wings upset win here, but feel the Team Total Over 2.5 is the safer play.

Bet this game at Pinnacle

2. Devils +0.5 (regulation time) +100 (Pinnacle)

Edmonton is a -180 favourite in this game, which allows us to play the Devils +0.5 in regulation at even odds. That’s a pretty good bargain, considering that nearly 25% of NHL games go to overtime and also that this will likely be a low-scoring game. The Devils are opening a 4-game road trip here and could also get a boost as Taylor Hall returns to Edmonton. The Oilers haven’t played well defensively of late, allowing 3 goals or more in 5 of their last 6 games, and they’re 1-8 in their last 9 when playing their 4th game in 6 days.

3. Blues/Kings Over 5 -114 (BetOnline)

Both of these teams have been playing high-scoring games of late. The Blues have been gashed for 3 goals or more in 3 straight games and 6 of 7, while the Kings have allowed 3+ goals in 3 straight as well. Fortunately, each team is also clicking on the offensive end, scoring 3+ goals in 4 of 6 games and 3 of 5 respectively. The Over 5 allows us to guarantee ourselves a push at worst if each team gets 2 goals, and that looks like a pretty safe expectation here. Hopefully, one of the teams gets 4 – or they both get 3 – and we can cash this ticket instead of just pushing.