This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Golden Knights vs Capitals & Jets vs Ducks – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of four games on the slate for Friday night. The only nationally-televised game of the evening, on NHL Network, features the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals at 7 p.m. ET.
After the lengthy break for the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, everybody is back in full swing, and it's a wild run to the finish line and the playoffs.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Friday's 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.
Vegas Golden Knights 
at Washington Capitals 
The Golden Knights (28-16-14) and Capitals (30-23-7) hook up at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and as previously mentioned, this is the standalone nationally-televised game on NHL Network at 7 p.m. ET.
Vegas makes the second stop on a five-game road trip, a journey that started Wednesday in Los Angeles with a 6-4 victory. Pavel Dorofeyev picked up where he left off before the Olympic break, potting two more goals, including a power-play marker late in the third period, and he now has goals in three straight games, totaling four goals and six points with a plus-3 rating in four February outings. For the chance to more than double up, he is worth a roll of the dice for Anytime Goal Scorer.
After a 0-3-2 skid from Jan. 25-Feb. 1, the Golden Knights have bookended the break with a three-game win streak, and they're now a respectable 5-3-1 in the past nine road games. The Over is 7-2 in those nine road contests, too.
For the Capitals, they're looking for a fourth win in the past five meetings in this series. Washington won 5-2 in Las Vegas in the most recent meeting on Nov. 17, 2024, and it won 4-2 on home ice against VGK on Oct. 15, 2024. The Over cashed in each of those meetings.
Adin Hill (5-3-3, 3.33 GAA, .864 SV%) is projected to start for the Golden Knights, while Logan Thompson (20-16-4, 2.41 GAA, .913 SV%, 2 SO), the former backup in Vegas, is expected to face his former team. The Team Canada silver medalist gives Washington a decisive edge in between the pipes.
Let's back the Capitals to get the job done on home ice, and we'll go high on the total, based on VGK's road trends and last season's series.
- Capitals ML (-114 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 6 (+100 at BetMGM)
- Pavel Dorofeyev - Anytime Goal Scorer (+220 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Winnipeg Jets 
at Anaheim Ducks 
The Jets (23-26-8) and Ducks (31-23-3) square off at Honda Center at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
It's been a huge fall from last season's run to the President's Trophy, as Winnipeg had the best record in the league during the regular season in 2024-25. This season, they're taking on water, and the playoffs appear to be unlikely.
The Ducks, meanwhile, have been resurgent, as the young talent, with a mix of veterans, has played well, and Anaheim could be on the verge of a return to the postseason for the first time since 2018. They currently reside in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
After a run to the gold medal, Connor Hellebuyck, who also picked up a Presidential Medal of Freedom at the State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, is likely to rest at least one more game, perhaps playing in San Jose on Saturday. Eric Comrie (10-9-1, 3.01 GAA, .893 SV%) is who we are projecting to start in the crease.
Lukas Dostal (22-13-2, 3.00 GAA, .895 SV%) was a backstop for Czechia in the Olympics, eventually falling to Canada in overtime in the Quarterfinals. He is likely to be in net for the home side, and that's a big edge for the Ducks.
Anaheim won the only previous meeting this season, 4-1, cashing as slight home underdogs (+115) as the Under (6.5) cashed. Even last season, the Ducks were a thorn in the side of the Jets, winning two of three meetings, taking the Jets to OT twice. We'll back Anaheim, and let's go low on the total, as long as you can get it at U6.5, as the Under is a healthy 5-1-2 in the past eight meetings in this series.
- Ducks ML (-130 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 (-130 at Bet365, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbook)
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+861 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Capitals ML (-115) vs. Golden Knights
- Over 5.5 (-115) - Capitals vs. Golden Knights
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Ducks vs. Jets
- Jets ML (-125) vs. Ducks
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+235 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Capitals ML (-115) vs. Golden Knights
- Jets ML (-125) vs. Ducks
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+220 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-115) - Capitals vs. Golden Knights
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Ducks vs. Jets
3-Leg NHL Same-Game Parlay + Player Prop (+846 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Capitals ML (-115) vs. Golden Knights
- Over 5.5 (-115) - Capitals vs. Golden Knights
- Pavel Dorofeyev Anytime Goal Scorer
