Get expert NHL picks for Blues vs. Mammoth & Capitals vs. Blackhawks on Friday, Jan 9: best bets, parlays & live odds to power your wins!
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Capitals vs Blackhawks and Blues vs Mammoth – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has three games on the schedule for Friday night, including the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks squaring off at 8:00 p.m. EST on NHL Network. We’ll also check out the battle between the St. Louis Blues and Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City at 9:00 p.m. EST.
We’ll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with the College Football Playoff game between Oregon and Indiana, NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let’s get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire’s NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire’s NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
Washington Capitals at Chicago Blackhawks
The Capitals (22-16-6) and Blackhawks (18-18-7) meet on the west side of Chicago at United Center in the only nationally-televised game.
Washington has been decent at home, but it is just 9-8-3 on the road this season, while Chicago is a respectable 10-8-4 at United Center.
Chicago heads into this battle looking for the season sweep, which would be its first since the 2021-22 season. The Blackhawks topped the Capitals 3-2 in a shootout Saturday afternoon as short underdogs (+105) while the Under (6.5) cashed.
Ryan Donato got the Blackhawks off to a good start with an even-strength goal just 73 seconds into the game with a helper to Ilya Mikheyev. Dylan Strome answered back at 4:46 of the first period, and that’s how it stood until the second period. Teuvo Teravainen gave Chicago another lead with a power-play goal, but Ryan Leonard replied at 11:18 of the third period to force overtime, and eventually the shootout.
Both Spencer Knight (32 saves) and Logan Thompson (31 saves) did a good job in the crease in that low-scoring duel.
The Blackhawks have won four in a row while picking up at least one point in five consecutive matchups. They crushed the rival St. Louis Blues 7-3 on Wednesday as home underdogs (-105) as the Over (5.5) cashed behind Knight.
Washington suffered a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at home as moderate underdogs (+155) as the Under (6.5) cashed, and the team is just 4-7-3 across the past 14 games. The Over is 6-2 in the past eight outings as well.
Even though the Under hit in the most recent matchup, let’s go high on the total, and we’ll back Chicago to get the job done on home ice, completing the regular-season series sweep.
- Blackhawks ML (+130 at Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
- Over 5.5 (-135 at Bet365, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Don’t make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
St. Louis Blues at Utah Mammoth
The Blues (17-19-8) and the Mammoth (21-20-3) lock horns at Delta Center in Salt Lake City at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
St. Louis is making the second stop on a three-game trip, and it hopes things go much better than the last time out. The Blues were defeated 7-3 in Chicago on Wednesday despite being a slight road favorite (-120), while the Over (5.5) easily cashed.
Things started out fine Wednesday, as Tyler Tucker scored just 27 seconds into the game. It was 2-2 at 8:22 of the second period as well, but the floodgates opened afterward. Chicago scored five unanswered goals before St. Louis finally got a late goal from Nathan Walker at 13:19 of the third period to put a bow on the scoring.
Jordan Binnington took one for the team, allowing seven goals on 35 shots. It’s all but likely that Joel Hofer (9-8-2, 2.88 GAA, .900 SV%, 3 SO) will be back in between the pipes after Binnington’s stinker.
The Mammoth are flying high after topping the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-1 as slight favorites (-120) on Wednesday, as the Under (5.5) cashed. Karel Vejmelka allowed just a single goal on 33 shots, while Lawson Crouse, John Marino and Daniil But provided the offense. Clayton Keller also picked up a pair of assists.
Utah has climbed over .500 with three wins in the past four games, while cashing low in three straight outings.
Let’s back the Mammoth to get the job done on home ice, even though the Blues have won three of the past four meetings in this series. The first two meetings resulted in a 7-4 win by Utah in St. Louis on Oct. 23, and a 1-0 victory by the Blues on home ice. As a result, there isn’t much to glean there for the series total trends. However, since Vejmelka has been hot, we’ll go low on the total.
- Mammoth ML (-157 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (-105 BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
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Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+988 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Blackhawks ML (+122) vs. Capitals
- Over 5.5 (-130) – Blackhawks vs. Capitals
- Under 5.5 (-105) – Mammoth vs. Blues
- Mammoth ML (-175) vs. Blues
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+248 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Blackhawks ML (+122) vs. Capitals
- Mammoth ML (-175) vs. Blues
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+245 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-130) – Blackhawks vs. Capitals
- Under 5.5 (-105) – Mammoth vs. Blues
