Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (How to bet Kings vs. Oilers)

Iain MacMillan | Jan 13, 2025

The Los Angeles Kings are road underdogs to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

With two straight winning nights betting on the NHL, we're starting to climb ourselves out of the hole I've put us in with a recent cold streak of bets. We can make back some significant ground tonight if things break our way, as I'm backing two big underdogs including the Los Angeles Kings in Edmonton.

Let's dive into my three bets for Monday night.

• Season-to-date record: 86-84-6 (-5.79 units)

NHL Best Bets Today

• Flyers +160 vs. Panthers via DraftKings
• Flames vs. Blackhawks UNDER 6 (-110) via BetMGM
• Kings +180 vs. Oilers via Caesars

Panthers vs. Flyers Prediction

I'm going to continue to bet on the Philadelphia Flyers, despite it not yet working out for me. They have been outplaying their opponents and now rank first in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage over their last 25 games. The only thing holding them back has been their poor goaltending.

The poor goaltending may not come back to haunt them today as they host a Panthers team that is 26th in shooting percentage in that time frame, scoring on just 9.59% of their shots on goal. I think there's some nice value on the Flyers as home underdogs in this spot.

Pick: Flyers +160

Flames vs. Blackhawks Prediction

The Calgary Flames have continued to be a poor shooting team, scoring on just 8.36% of their shots on goal over their last 25 games. While the Blackhawks shooting numbers are fine, they haven't been getting many shots off and now rank 31st in the league in high-danger scoring chances per game over their last 25 contests.

This game is a matchup between one team that can create chances but can't score and a team that can score but doesn't create many chances. Those signs point to an UNDER bet in this Western Conference showdown.

Pick: UNDER 6 (-110)

Kings vs. Oilers Prediction

I'm surprised to see the Kings as this big of an underdog. Yes, the Oilers have been red-hot in recent weeks, but so have been the Kings. The Kings have the fourth-best goal differential per 60 minutes over each team's last 25 games at +0.72. They've also been arguably the best defense in the league, sporting an expected goals per 60 minutes in that time from of 2.48.

Los Angeles doesn't deserve to be this big of an underdog. I'll take a shot on the Kings.

Pick: Kings +180

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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!