Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (How to Bet Avalanche vs. Blues)

Iain MacMillan | Feb 23, 2025

The Avalanche are road favorites in St. Louis on Sunday. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

We were a shootout away from completing the 3-0 sweep in the NHL's first day back in action, but still managed to go 2-1 cashing in on both the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights.

Let's try to keep the momentum going on Sunday in what is an uncharacteristically loaded of slate of games. With plenty of options to choose from, I'm once again locked in on three picks. Let's dive into them.

Top NHL Predictions Today

• Predators +102 vs. Devils via DraftKings
• Avalanche vs. Blues UNDER 6 (-115) via BetMGM
• Canucks vs. Utah UNDER 5.5 (-105) via DraftKings

Devils vs. Predators Prediction

I'm going to fade the Devils for the second day in a row and take the Predators as home underdogs in Nashville. The Devils continue to slump and now rank just 18th in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage over their last 25 games.

Tonight, they take on a Predators team that has been trending in the opposite direction from a metrics perspective. Their record hasn't caught up to how well they've been playing, but Nashville is seventh in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage in their last 25 games and the shooting issue that plagued them in the first half of the season has been solved. In fact, at 10.05% they now have a better shooting percentage over their last 25 games than the Devils at 9.58%.

That's enough for me to back the Preds as underdogs on their home ice.

Pick: Predators +102

Avalanche vs. Blues Prediction

Throughout the 4 Nations Face-Off there were many people, myself included, wondering why Jordan Binnington was getting the start for Canada over the likes of Logan Thompson and Mackenzie Blackwood. The goalie matchups are yet to be confirmed, but it's looking like tonight's game will be a showdown between Binnington and Blackwood in what will be an intriguing meeting between two Canadian netminders.

That could lead to a low-scoring affair, especially when you consider these two teams rank amongst the best in the NHL in expected goals against. Over their last 25 games, they rank second and sixth in that stat. The Blues have also allowed the second fewest high-danger scoring chances in that stretch of games.

I'm taking the UNDER in this Central Division showdown.

Pick: UNDER 6 (-115)

Canucks vs. Utah Prediction

There's no need to overthink this one. The Vancouver Canucks and Utah Hockey Club have been two of the worst shooting teams in the league over the past couple of months. Over each team's last 25 games, they rank 28th and 30th in shooting percentage. The Canucks are scoring on 9.09% of their shots on goal while Utah is scoring on 8.72%. As a result, they're scoring a combined 4.89 goals per 60 minutes in that time frame.

If that trend holds true, the UNDER seems like a great bet tonight.

Pick: UNDER 5.5 (-105)

---

Are you new to DraftKings? Sign up today and place a $5 bet to earn a guaranteed $150 in bonus bets. Win or lose, DraftKings will issue six $25 bonus bets instantly.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!