NHL Best Bets - Who Should I Bet on Today?
The ultimate resource to help you find the best bets each and every day in the NHL.
This page is divided into 3 simple sections.
The first section lists all of our premium member best bets for the day. This section lists all the games for all sports, including NHL. If you don't have a membership at Doc's Sports you can test out our premium best bets risk free with a complimentary free $60 account here.
The second section lists one or two of our complimentary NHL matchup reports. We write these daily for every single NHL game. These articles are more for the do-it-yourself types that want to really dig in and also have the time do the extensive research required each day.
The third section ties into the second section where our experts give advice on what to do with the information and how to spot a best bet in NHL.
Best NHL Bets Tonight [Updated Daily]
TODAY'S TOP NBA PLAYS
VERNON CROY is a red hot 12-1, +7,620 with his last 13 top NBA plays rated 7.0+ and is on an outstanding 64-40, +9,880 NBA run. Croy is releasing a 7-Unit NBA Play (7 p.m.) Wednesday night. Sign-up now!
TODAY'S TOP MLB PLAYS
DOC’S SPORTS MLB BASEBALL has a 7-Unit Play on Wednesday afternoon (2:35 p.m.). We are 2-0-1 on our top plays this season and 2-0 on our 7-unit plays. Doc’s Sports has nailed 6 straight top plays in all sports! Receive this selection by signing-up below with a daily picks package from MLB Baseball.
STRIKE POINT SPORTS has been on a tear in MLB, going 8-2, +3,040 with their last 10 plays and winning six of their last seven on the diamond. SPS is looking for more with a 7-Unit MLB Runline (7 p.m.) and you can sign up below to get on it now.
ARUN SHIVA has released a 7-Unit MLB Selection between the Chicago Cubs vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Wednesday @ 6:40pm est). IC has won 3 straight Baseball selections for +1000 including his 4-Unit on the Braves over the Angels on Tuesday (7-2) (Win) and the Angels +1.5 over Braves (6-2) (Win). IC won his one and only 7-Unit MLB Selection on the Tampa Bay Rays -115 over St Louis on March 29th (11-7) (Win). Join IC as he continues his winning season and posts his 4th straight winner today!
NICK MENKEN hit a 5-Unit win Monday (Brewers) and is now 19-6 (76%), +7,170 across all sports on plays rated 5.0+. Menken is up +2,340 so far this MLB season and is releasing a 6-Unit MLB Play (3:45 p.m.) as part of a two-pack of picks. Sign up below and get on it!
TODAY'S TOP NHL PLAYS
JASON SHARPE is releasing an 8-Unit NHL Game of the Year (7:30 p.m.) Wednesday. Sharpe is having a superb hockey season, banking over +6,000 so far, and he has gone 15-5 with his last 20 plays and he is 17-7 with his plays rated 7.0+. Sign up below! (YOUNG has the opposing side.)
AUGUST YOUNG is up +9,390 this NHL season and up over +20,000 all-time. Young is releasing a 7-Unit NHL Play Wednesday (7:30 p.m.). Young has hit nine straight NHL plays rated 7.0+ for +6,610 and is looking for more with this top ticket! Sign up below and get on it now. (SHARPE has the opposing side.)
STRIKE POINT SPORTS has gone 4-2, +1,675 with their last six plays rated 5.0+ in all sports and is releasing a 7-Unit NHL Play (10 p.m.) Wednesday. Sign up below and get on this top pick now.
TODAY'S TOP SOCCER PLAYS
STRIKE POINT SPORTS has hit back-to-back 7-Unit soccer winners and is 4-1, +1,565 with their last five plays on the pitch. Strike Point Sports is releasing a 7-Unit Soccer Play (3 p.m.) Wednesday from the Champions League and you can get it by signing up below.
TODAY'S TOP DAILY PROP PLAYS
SCOTT RICKENBACH is 3-1 with his last four props after a win Tuesday. He is 4-1 on props rated 6.0+ and has a 7-Unit Daily Prop Play (9:40 p.m.) Wednesday. Rickenbach won his last 7-Unit Prop and is on a +4,145 props surge. Sign up below and get this NBA team total.
TODAY'S TOP GOLF PLAYS
DOC’S SPORTS has a 7-Unit Selection from the 2026 Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA. This is a play to finish in the top 20 and is available to wager at all major sportsbook. Sign-up for this selection anytime throughout the day on Wednesday with a daily picks package from Golf. Watch the event live on ESPN/CBS/Prime.
Existing members log in to buy now or if you are new set up a free account.
Complimentary NHL games today [Updated daily]
Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, 4/8/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/7/2026
The Washington Capitals are on the docket to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Patrolling the crease for the game will be Logan Thompson for Washington and Joseph Woll for Toronto. This report includes betting odds and our expert NHL picks for todays game. Read More >>
Edmonton Oilers vs San Jose Sharks Prediction, 4/8/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/7/2026
The Edmonton Oilers are on the docket to take on the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. Protecting the goal for this matchup will be Tristan Jarry for Edmonton and Yaroslav Askarov for San Jose. This matchup report includes betting lines and our pick of the day for this game. Read More >>
What Makes a Best Bet in NHL?
Here you will find a list of tips from our NHL experts that will help you understand what makes up a NHL hockey best bet and what you should be looking for in order to spot one on your own.
Doc's Sports – What we like to look for happens off the ice as we like to make our best bets from situational handicapping spots in hockey. Situational handicapping comes in many forms, but these four spots are what we normally look for. Revenge, look-ahead games and letdown situations are traditional things to look for. But we're going to focus on the scheduling opportunities that make up a best bet. We like to look for teams playing back-to-back days or three games in four nights. Every team has to do it, and some nights you just expect a team not to have "it" based on how their first game or first two games have gone. Tired legs are never a good thing in hockey. And it's up to us to find these situational spots and exploit them.
Robert Ferringo – Hockey is unique to other moneyline sports because the difference between the teams is so slim. That leads to a lot of upsets. So when it comes to a best bet or top play in hockey, the main thing that I'm looking for is regression. I like to find a team whose recent results don't match up to their recent play. Again, weird upsets and odd results happen all the time in hockey. So I like to find teams that have either won several games that they shouldn't or lost several games that they shouldn't. Shots on goal, power play performance and overtime results are two key indicators that suggest a team is due for a regression. Mix in either extra motivation against an opponent or some long-term head-to-head trends against that opponent, and that should add up to excellent value and a top play.
Tony George – Rarely do I sway from 3- or 4-Unit flat betting method that I use in all sports. There has to be a preponderance of evidence, game day scenarios, and the perfect storm to go against one team to take a side or total with high degree of certainty. Two of the things that I pay a lot of attention to are the goalies and recent trends. Several teams do not like playing the same goalie two games in a row on back-to-back days. And many of those teams have less than stellar back-ups that we can take advantage of. Also, long-term trends can show that certain teams fair better against certain opponents than others. When those trends cover a large sample size and we get a good price, then that's a great opportunity for a best bet.
Raphael Esparza – A hot goalie can cash you tickets left and right. A perfect example is the year the Blues won the Stanley Cup. Without Jordan Binnington dominating in the net during the playoffs, the Blues would not have won the championship. Another thing I look at is backup goalies and teams playing on back-to-back nights. If the back-up goalie is scheduled to go that night and maybe the team is off a back-to-back night, then it could be a big play depending on the money-line and game situation. If you see a hot goalie, don't be afraid to ride him.
Vernon Croy – When I'm looking for a best bet in the NHL I always try to find value and I like to take high quality teams that give us the best shot a victory. I look at the goaltending matchups and how each team has done against the goalies in the past. Are we going with a hot goalie against a team that has struggled recently? Little things like this play a small part of creating a best bet in the NHL for me. Teams have tendencies in the NHL, and I also look for strengths there as well. I also always make sure there are no key injuries on the team we are backing, because unlike other major sports like the NBA when a star player goes down in the NHL they are very hard to replace no matter how much the team steps up in their absence.
Indian Cowboy – There are several factors that go into making an NHL best bet. A good place to start is really breaking down the schedule of both teams. You should take a look at who these teams both played last. Then which team are they playing now? Finally, who are they playing next? What you are looking for here is for teams coming off an emotional divisional game or a big rivalry situation. Then consider whether or not the current opponent sets them up for a possible look ahead spot. For example, if the team we want to bet against is coming off a tough game against a division rival and are now playing a below .500 team from a different conference or division, they might not be as motivated and this can be great set up to back an underdog.
Strike Point Sports – Hot goalies and home ice are both crucial components for a best bet in the NHL. However, I have learned to not be afraid to ride a hot team or go against a team in a lull. The hockey season has so many ups and downs for clubs that you can't expect these teams to turn things around over night. Even the best teams can go through spells where they lose four of five or five of seven games, and being able to spot a team that is tired or just out of sync is important. One of the stats that we look for is blocked shots. That's a pretty good indicator of effort. And when teams aren't giving a full effort, they are ripe for a loss.
Scott Spreitzer – The market is softer in NHL betting than in the other major sports. While it doesn't mean it's easier to beat than the NFL, or college football, for example, creating your own power numbers can be helpful. This makes implied probability of utmost importance. If you have a team that's listed at -125, for example, the implied win probability is 55.56%. If you take the time to develop a solid set of power ratings, and your line for the same side in the same game is -132, for example, your rating show an implied probability of 56.88%. This means at -125, you're on the right side and in the long run, you're likely to turn a profit. A simpler NHL handicapping tool is the Vegas flu. Season one of the Golden Knights existence saw opponents struggle badly if they arrived in Las Vegas the night before playing VGK. Teams took advantage of their off night in Sin City to party it up, and the results were outstanding for VGK bettors. After season one, opposing coaches and teams decided to take care of business first and hit the town afterwards. And going back to season two (2018-19), through the current season in 2019-20, teams have had a difficult time winning in their first game after leaving Las Vegas. If you use those two tools, one with a greater degree of difficulty than the other, you should find yourself in the black by the end of an NHL season.
Alan Harris – Look for spots where you can play on a team that has a competent backup goalie in goal. If the backup is decent, teams will look to give them between 25-30 and sometimes up to as many as half of the starts. In many cases, a team's backup goalie will have stats similar to that of the starter. But when they are inserted into the line-up, the moneyline will sometimes drop by 20 or 30 cents. When a starting goalie goes down with an injury, look to play on the backup until the oddsmakers adjust for the fact that really there isn't that much difference between the starter and backup (in some cases). Also, the players know that the backup busts his hump in practice and when he earns a start, the players sometimes play with some extra effort to try and get him a win.
Existing members log in or if you are new set up a free account.
If you are the do-it-yourselfer type check out our free NHL picks, tips and predictions updated daily.
Daily Free Picks Menu
NFL Picks
College Football Picks
NBA Picks
College Basketball Picks
MLB Picks
NHL Picks
KBO Picks
UFC Picks
Golf Picks
NASCAR Picks
WNBA Picks
Soccer Picks
CFL Picks
Tennis Picks
Email Picks
All Free Sports Picks
Daily Best Bets Menu
Best Bets Today
NFL Best Bets
College Football Best Bets
NBA Best Bets
College Basketball Best Bets
MLB Best Bets
NHL Best Bets