This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Lightning vs Blues & Ducks vs Kings – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has five games on the slate for Friday, including the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings doing battle on NHL Network at 7:00 p.m. EST. We're going to focus on the middle and late window, with a couple of intriguing games in St. Louis and Southern California.
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.
Tampa Bay Lightning 
at St. Louis Blues 
The Lightning (29-13-3) and Blues (18-21-8) meet at Enterprise Center at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN+, and it should be a favorable game for bettors.
In case you missed it, the Lightning are streaking in with 11 consecutive victories, including wins in the first three stops of the current five-game road trip. In fact, Tampa Bay has won seven games in the 11-game win streak, and it is 9-0-1 in its past 10 road games dating back to Dec. 9.
The win streak is the result of timely goals and solid defense and goaltending lately, although there are also a few instances where Tampa Bay simply outscored teams in high-scoring games. Since the win streak began Dec. 20 against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Lightning are outscoring the opposition 53-26, with the Over going 7-4.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (19-7-2, 2.28 GAA, .915 SV%, 1 SO) have won eight of the 11 starts since Dec. 20, and he is a sparkling 4-0-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .922 SV% in four January outings. When he starts, Tampa Bay is also 14-2-0 in his past 16 outings.
The Blues are coming off a 3-0 victory over the Hurricanes on Tuesday, as Joel Hofer stopped all 33 shots, while Nick Bjugstad, Dalibor Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud notched goals in the second period for the team's only offense. Bjugstad's goal was a shorthanded tally, while Snuggerud's goal came on the power play.
Hofer (10-9-2, 2.80 GAA, .902 SV%, 4 SO) is confirmed to start, as he is tasked with cooling off the Lightning. He is tied for the NHL lead with four shutouts, and he is on fire lately, going 8-6-0 with a 1.94 GAA and .927 SV% in the past 14 starts, pushing Jordan Binnington to the back burner.
Despite the good work from Hofer lately, the Blues are still 1-3-0 in the past four games and 3-5-0 across the previous eight matchups. The Under has cashed in two consecutive games, while going 8-5-0 in the past 13 contests.
The Lightning won 4-1 in the first meeting at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa as a heavy favorite (-265) as the Under (5.5) cashed. Tampa Bay has won six of the past eight matchups in this series, with the Under going 5-1 in the previous six meetings.
Let's "ride the lightning" until they cool off, and we'll go puck line, since risking more than two times your potential on the moneyline is not a recommended betting strategy. Additionally, go low on the total.
- Lightning -1.5 Goals (-130 at Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6 (-120 at BetMGM)
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Anaheim Ducks 
at Los Angeles Kings 
The Ducks (22-21-3) and Kings (19-16-11) meet at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Friday night at 10:30 p.m. EST, a game available on ESPN+.
The Ducks picked up a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars as slight underdogs (+105) at home as the Under (6.5) cashed. It snapped an 0-8-1 skid, and the Over had been on an eight-game run as well. The single goal allowed by the Ducks was the lowest since one goal was allowed in a 4-1 win on the road against the New York Rangers on Dec. 15.
The Kings are coming off a 3-2 loss in overtime at home against the Vegas Golden Knights, and they're just 1-2-2 in the past five games and 5-8-4 in their past 17 matchups since Dec. 10. The Under has also cashed in three of the past four games. Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper haven't been the problem lately, allowing just nine total goals in the past three games, including a 4-3 shootout win in Edmonton, as well as the 3-2 overtime loss to Vegas.
The Kings have won five of the past seven meetings and seven of the past 10 matchups in the series. Los Angeles has outscored Anaheim 35-19, which is an average of 5.4 goals per game (GPG). The Over has cashed in the past three meetings, but the Under is 6-3-0 in the past nine games in the series since Feb. 24, 2024.
The home team has won both meetings this season, with Anaheim winning 5-4 in a shootout at Honda Center as slight underdogs (+115) as the Over (6.5) cashed, while Los Angeles won 6-1 at home as a favorite (-130) as the Over (6) connected.
We'll go with the Kings, but know that center Anze Kopitar (lower body) remains sidelined, while right wings Joel Armia (upper body) and Corey Perry (personal) are each day-to-day, and left wing Trevor Moore (upper body) remains out. Also, let's go low on the total.
- Kings ML (-135 at Bet365, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-130 at DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+1437 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Lightning -1.5 (+130) at Blues
- Under 5.5 (+105) - Lightning at Blues
- Under 6.5 (-130) - Kings vs. Ducks
- Kings ML (-135) vs. Ducks
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+300 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Lightning -1.5 (+130) at Blues
- Kings ML (-135) vs. Ducks
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+262 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (+105) - Lightning at Blues
- Under 6.5 (-130) - Kings vs. Ducks
