NHL Best Bets and Betting Picks: January 2nd

It's officially 2024 in the NHL and I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break and of course the Winter Classic yesterday! If you followed me on twitter then you got a winning pick of under 6 goals for that game and it was a piece of cake! Looking towards tonight though we have a massive 13 game slate full of angles and stats to help us make some money! In today's article you will find a Money Line wager and a pair of game total wagers PLUS the Dog of the Day returns once again! If you like the rationale then tail the picks, if you don't feel free to fade as sometimes the best bets are the ones not taken!
- Season Record: 58-52-2
- Bankroll: +3.14 units
- Dog of the Day Record: 4-4 (+1.45 Units)
Follow me on twitter @jwaggs10
**all bets are one unit unless specifically mentioned.
NHL Best Bets for January 2nd
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins
It's the national game of the night on ESPN as the Caps travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins! I could write for paragraphs and more about how much this rivalry means and has meant to the game of hockey but I will say this, the sand in the hourglass is running short for matchups between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby so enjoy these moments while they last. That being said I don't expect a scoring bonanza tonight as each team as prioritized defense first this season. On the road this season the Capitals have scored just 2.35 goals per game, the 4th fewest in the NHL and that has led to a record of 10-7 towards the under in road games. On the Penguins side they score a little over 3 per game on offense at home but the defense is the key as they allow 2.29 goals per game at home this season. Scoring will be tough tonight given these trends and the total can still be found at 6 goals on many sportsbook sites, that's just too many for this iteration of the Caps and Pens so let's hit the under tonight.
Pick: Capitals & Penguins Under 6 Goals (-120 on BetMGM)
Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild
One of the big head scratchers for me this NHL season is the books obsession with the Flames and giving them better odds every game when they do not deserve it. Tonight's game in Minnesota has them at -110 across the board, its an even game on each sides Money Line but why? They are 6-13 on the road this season straight up and have allowed 3.8 goals per game over the past 30 days. The Wild on the other hand are a good home team with a record of 10-5-2 and have a superior goaltending situation in my opinion. I can't wrap my head around it so I won't try to, instead I will place a wager on the Wild to win on the Money Line tonight and collect my cash at the end.
Pick: Minnesota Wild Money Line (-110 on BetMGM)
Montreal Canadiens at Dallas Stars
When you have a slate this large finding an over you love more than the rest can be tough but with these two teams I feel good about a litany of goals. The Stars last season were the best of the best at hitting under the total but this season they are looser on defense allowing 3.39 goals per game on home ice while scoring 4.06 goals a game on offense. This has led to the Stars going over in 14 of 18 home games this season, a ridiculous trend. On the Montreal side of things they don't play much defense either as they allow 3.32 goals per game on the road this season and it looks like Jake Allen could be starting in net and he's horrible. The total is 6.5 goals of course given the stats but I see Dallas scoring 5+ tonight so the Habs just need to carry 2 goals tonight which they should.
Pick: Canadiens & Stars Over 6.5 Goals (-105 on Caesars)
DOG OF THE DAY
Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line vs Winnipeg Jets (+120 on Caesars)
Player News
Shelby Miller allowed an unearned run to pick up a loss to the Giants on Wednesday.
The run is unearned because it came in the 10th inning and it was the “zombie” runner who crossed the plate. It came on a sac fly from Andrew Bailey, and he didn’t allow a hit. It’s a loss for Miller — the third of the season — but at least it’s not a blown save and it didn’t hurt his ERA at all. We always look for positives. Miller has provided a good number of them thus far in 2025 to the surprise of most.
Camilo Doval worked two innings and allowed two runs while blowing a save and picking up a win against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Doval gave up a two-run homer in the ninth inning to blow his fourth save on the season. The good news is that he worked a scoreless 10th to get the win, but fantasy managers would have preferred he just get the job done an inning earlier. Even after allowing the two runs, Doval has a 3.03 ERA and doesn’t seem likely to be giving up his closing gig just yet.
Merrill Kelly didn’t pick up a decision after allowing three runs Wednesday over six innings against the Giants on Wednesday.
Kelly gave up two runs in the first, but settled down nicely after while giving up just one more in the fifth. The 36-year-old was not good during Friday’s start against Miami, but he bounced back the way he usually does after a clunker. Kelly will take on the Padres on Monday in what likely be his penultimate start before the All-Star break.
Landen Rupp worked four innings and struck out four while allowing two runs against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Roupp had command issues for the majority of the contest, and ended up issuing four free passes. The stuff was decent, the ability to locate it? Not so much. Roupp now has a 3.48 ERA and will look to hit his spots on a more consistent basis against the Phillies on Monday.
The Dodgers are holding out hope that Max Muncy’s knee injury sustained Wednesday is only a sprain.
Dave Roberts said the team was “optimistic” after initial testing, which is good news. Torn ACLs tend to be easy to diagnose, and the Dodgers should already know whether or not his intact. Either way, Muncy will have an MRI on Thursday and is surely IL bound after putting himself in a really bad spot with Michael A. Taylor sliding headfirst into third base. Hyeseong Kim and Enrique Hernández will likely pick up his at-bats.
Will Smith hit a solo homer in a win for the Dodgers on Wednesday over the White Sox.