Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (Bet the UNDER in Senators vs. Devils)

Iain MacMillan | Jan 19, 2025

Bet the UNDER in Sunday afternoon NHL action between the Senators and Devils / Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

The journey to get my record back in the green continues after another profitable 2-1 night on Thursday. After a couple of days off, we're back with a three-game slate on Sunday.

Let's dive into my play for every game today, including a wager on the UNDER between the Senators and Devils.

• Season-to-date record: 92-89-6 (-3.9 units)

NHL Picks Today

• Senators vs. Devils UNDER 5.5 (+100) via DraftKings
• Rangers -115 vs. Canadiens via BetMGM
• Red Wings vs. Stars UNDER 6 (-115) via BetMGM

Senators vs. Devils Prediction

The New Jersey Devils have struggled to find the back of the net during 5-on-5 play, sporting a shooting percentage of just 8.38%. Their powerplay has been strong, but scoring during even strength has been a glaring weakness of theirs. Meanwhile, Jacob Markstrom and his .913 save percentage on the season continues to make up for that shortcoming.

The Senators continuously play in low-scoring games They have a combined score of 5.02 per 60 minutes of ice time of their last 25 games. Their actual goals per game (2.65) is below their expected goals mark of 2.83. Meanwhile, their actual goals against (2.37) is well below their expected goals against of 2.77.

I expect this game to be a low-scoring affair.

Pick: UNDER 5.5 (+100)

Rangers vs. Canadiens Prediction

The New York Rangers are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games which may be a sign they're finally starting to turn things around. Over their last 25 games, they're 31st in the NHL in PDO, which many believe is a stat that attempts to measure luck and variance. If you believe that, then there's good reason to expect some positive regression from one of the most disappointing teams in the league.

I'm going to bank on that theory and bet on them tonight as small favorites against a Canadiens team that's just 23rd in expected goals percentage over their last 25 games.

Pick: Rangers -115

Red Wings vs. Stars Prediction

The Red Wings offense comes down to their power play as they sport the second best unit in the NHL, scoring on 28.99% of power play opportunities. That's going to be nullified today when they face the best penalty kill in the NHL in Dallas, which allows a goal on just 14.88% of opponent's power plays.

The Stars have struggled to score lately, sporting an overall 9.54% shooting percentage over their last 25 games.

Finally, both goalies playing tonight have had solid seasons. Alex Lyon has stopped 90.4% of shots on goal while Jake Oettinger has stopped 91.2%. All of those signs point me to betting the UNDER in this interconference matchup.

Pick: UNDER 6 (-115)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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