NHL Best Bets Today, 1/23: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Thursday
We have a loaded 11-game slate tonight and there are options abound for NHL best bets today!
This is an awesome slate with so much scoring potential and some very clear player props to target.
NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 1/23
The NHL season rolls on with some massive slates and we're getting incredible action every night.
The scoring was on display last night with 5+ goals from multiple teams.
Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes Prediction: Thursday, January 23rd
The Columbus Blue Jackets are coming off a big 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, but they face another tough test tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The calling card for the Hurricanes over the last few seasons has been tons and tons of shots or shot attempts. Since the start of January, the Hurricanes come in with 75.08 Total Shot Attempts Created per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the best in the NHL.
On the other side, the Blue Jackets have allowed 64.18 Total Shot Attempts in the same situations since the start of January, which is the sixth-most in the league. We have a matchup of two teams at the opposite ends of the shot creation and shot prevention spectrum, and it's all about the Canes tonight.
Let's turn to Andrei Svechnikov, who leads the Hurricanes with 133 shots on goal this season, or 2.7 per game. Over his last eight games, Svechnikov has hit three shots on goal five times, due to his role on the first forward line and the first power-play unit.
This is a very clear spot for Svechnikov to continue piling up the shots against a weaker defensive team.
- Expert Picks Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes
- Andrei Svechnikov Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-114 on FanDuel)
Golden Knights vs. Blues Prediction: Thursday, January 23rd
It's been a weird stretch of games for the Vegas Golden Knights but they're still a team worth trusting in the prop market. Vegas has the third-most points in the NHL and yet they come in as losers of six of their last seven, including four straight.
Hockey can be a weird sport sometimes, but the best teams generally rise to the top and it can present a buy-low opportunity. Despite these losses, Vegas is still playing “well”, at least by my definition. Since the start of January, they come in with 64.46 Total Shot Attempts Created per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-best in the league.
They're doing the right things on offense, they just aren't scoring goals and getting rewarded for their efforts. This is something I can buy into – doing things the right way, but variance not falling in their favor.
This brings me to Pavel Dorofeyev, who has the second-most (138) shots on goal for Vegas this season. Over his last 10 games, he has at least two shots on goal in nine of those games, and over 2.5 in seven of them. He's a consistent option on offense for them and that's what they continue to need in this little slump.
- Expert Picks Golden Knights vs. Blues
- Pavel Dorofeyev Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-106 on FanDuel)
Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 1/23
- Kirill Kaprizov Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+100 on FanDuel)
Player News
Luis Severino struggled again while allowing five runs over 4 2/3 innings to pick up a loss to the Giants on Saturday.
Severino has had a rough go of it for the majority of 2025, and Saturday’s outing was not an exception. He allowed five hits — including a homer to Heliot Ramos — while striking out only two against two free passes. He’s now 2-10 on the season, and his first start of July was much like the ones he had in June (7.71 ERA). His final start of a disappointing first half will come Friday versus the Blue Jays.
Logan Webb held the Athletics to two runs over 6 2/3 innings to pick up a win Saturday for the Giants.
Shawn Armstrong got the final out to pick up a save against the Padres on Saturday.
Armstrong had to clean up the mess made by Robert Garcia, but he was able to do just that to pick up his third save of the season. He’s been solid as a late-inning option with a 3.13 ERA, but it’s hard to imagine he’s going to get more than a handful of save chances in 2025.
Patrick Corbin allowed two runs over six innings while being credited for a win over the Padres on Saturday.
Corbin allowed a two-run homer to Jake Cronenworth in the second inning, and that was it. The 35-year-old scattered six hits through his frames with one walk and three strikeouts. Corbin has been better than expected in 2025 with a 4.18 ERA, and he’ll make his final start of 2025 against the Angels next weekend.
Stephen Kolek gave up nine hits and six runs over 5 1/3 innings to take a loss to the Rangers on Saturday.
Kolek allowed two homers, and he struck out only two while issuing a walk. The right-hander has been one of the most consistently inconsistent starters in baseball this year; even for a pitcher who didn’t make his first start until the beginning of May. His chance to be on the other side of the spectrum will come against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, and he’ll take a 4.24 ERA into that scheduled bout.
Ben Williamson hit an RBI double to give the Mariners a win over the Pirates on Saturday.
Williamson smashed a double to right-center with two outs to score Jorge Polanco and give Seattle a 1-0 lead. It’d be the last run for either team. Williamson has helped the Mariners immensely with the glove and his .256 average isn’t horrible, but there’s just no power in his bat as seen in his .318 slugging percentage.