Best NHL Bets Today | NHL Picks, January 15

It is a new week in the NHL with great matchups coming and more opportunities to win some earnings. This Monday, the NHL will have some early games kicking off a new week due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. This special day is a great chance to celebrate and relax with some great matchups and make some key bets.

These oddsmakers are giving great opportunities for fans of the NHL and casual bettors to potentially earn some great winnings tonight through DraftKings.

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Seattle Kraken vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

• Time: 1:00 PM E.T. - Monday

• Moneyline: Kraken (+120) | Penguins (-142)

• Puck Line: Kraken +1.5 (-205) | Penguins -1.5 (+170) 

• Total: Over 6 (-115) | Under 6 (-105)

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My Pick: Seattle Kraken (SEA)

Another early game has the potential to be one of the most entertaining matchups of the week. The Seattle Kraken (19-14-9) will go on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-5-6) in a cross-conference battle. Both the Kraken and the Penguins are on the verge of a complete season turnaround and being serious conference title contenders.

The Kraken and the Penguins will meet for the fifth time ever in the young franchise history of Seattle. The Kraken won both matchups versus the Penguins last season.

Seattle is on a roll now with the best current winning streak in the league with nine consecutive wins. After the 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on December 18, Seattle went from an overall record of 10-14-9 to 19-14-9.

They have battled through inconsistent play, mostly on the defensive side of the ice as they have only allowed more than two goals once in those nine games. Their last three wins have been on the road against Eastern Conference teams.

Through most of the season from October to the middle of December, the Penguins have struggled to either get to .500 or get above .500%. They were struggling to beat teams with this many future Hall of Famers and established players, which is a coaching and management problem.

From December 12 to January 4, the Penguins’ offense kicked up their intensity again by winning eight of the 11 games. Pittsburgh, however, has lost three of its last four games with the last two coming in overtime losses to the Vancouver Canucks and at the Carolina Hurricanes. A combination of fatigue on defense and offense and coaching was an indicator of this loss.

Seattle’s miracle run will have to end at some point, but it isn’t likely going to be a current struggling Penguins team, despite having homecourt advantage.

New York Islanders vs. Minnesota Wild

• Time: 5:00 PM E.T. - Monday

• Moneyline: Islanders (-105) | Wild (-115)

• Puck Line: Islanders +1.5 (-265) | Wild -1.5 (+215) 

• Total: Over 6.5 (+105) | Under 6.5 (-125)

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My Pick: New York Islanders (NY)

One of the more interesting matchups of this Holiday Monday is set for another Eastern Conference versus Western Conference battle. The New York Islanders (19-13-10) are set to go on the road to take on the Minnesota Wild (17-20-5), who have yet to find a rhythm and set of consistency despite recently establishing a new coaching staff.

The Islanders are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, the most competitive and talented division in the NHL. The Islanders have the most overtime losses in the league as they have the talent to compete with any team in the league. They have lost five of the last seven games, but have faced some of the best teams from the Western Conference.

The Wild are a team that should be in the running for some of the more efficient playmaking on the defensive side of the ice. This is due to the talent they possess throughout their roster. Instead, the Wild have only won one of their last nine games as a combination of poor play on defense and offense alternate.

Minnesota is a team that has become a recent darling of sportsbooks. Despite playing terribly within the last two weeks, the Wild are a team that are favorites against middle-tier to above .500% or close underdogs to great teams. Minnesota was a close underdog in the two games to the Dallas Stars last week. They lost both games with a combined score of 11-2. Then, the Wild were favorites at home to the Philadelphia Flyers and the Arizona Coyotes. They lost to the Flyers 4-3 in overtime and then to the Coyotes with a crushing 6-0 score.

The Islanders are a much more trusting team on the ice than the Wild. This game should be one of the better matchups to bet on this Monday. 

Nashville Predators vs. Vegas Golden Knights

• Time: 6:00 PM E.T. - Monday

• Moneyline: Predators (+105) | Golden Knights (-125)

• Puck Line: Predators +1.5 (-230) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+190) 

• Total: Over 6 (-105) | Under 6 (-115)

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My Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (VGK)

One of the most entertaining Western Conference games of the day is set for the Nashville Predators (24-18-1) going on the road to take on the Vegas Golden Knights (24-14-5). This game will be the first matchup of the season between these two teams that will be serious threats in the Western Conference getting closer to playoff time.

Both the Predators and the Golden Knights are teams that have seen some form of struggle two weeks into the new year or shortly before. Nashville only won two of their final six games of 2023 as they faced a brutal set of teams from the Eastern and Western Conference. They have won five of their last seven games, including two huge games at the Dallas Stars.

The Golden Knights have been wildly inconsistent since the start of November after starting the season with an overall record of 11-0-1. Since then, the Golden Knights have accounted for a record of 13-14-4. They have won only four of the last 13 games as their offense has been unproductive.

The Golden Knights started the season with one of the top offenses in the league. Going into this Monday, Vegas is only averaging 3.07 goals per game, 18^th in the league. Their defense, on the other hand, is among the top teams in the league as they only allow an average of 2.74 goals per game (eighth in the league).

The Predators possess a good, but not great set of impact players on both sides of the ice. Nashville ranks 16^th in the league in goals per game (3.16) and 18^th in goals allowed per game (3.12).

The Golden Knights are a team that hasn’t re-established their consistency in a month and a half. Nashville, however, doesn’t possess the talent to stay on pace with Vegas for all three periods.