Watch out, because the Betting News NHL Best Bets articles are heating up! We are 5-1 over the last two articles giving us a solid overall record, and in the green for units earned. That big bounce back helped our 21-24 record on the articles, but we need to keep crawling back to get a positive record. Let’s see if we can avoid the naughty NHL players and get some extra presents from the nice ones.
We will be breaking down NHL best bets here at Betting News all playoffs long! Each article will look for VALUE, as in straights you can take to build up your bankroll or pieces you can use to beef up your parlays. All bets will be -135 or better odds. And while we will focus on NHL player props, there are times we will take sides and totals. So keep your eyes peeled here as we will drop these throughout the week.
And if you haven’t already be sure to check out some of my favorite futures and awards. So time to lace them up and get ready to ride with Betzky for my favorite NHL best bets of the day.
1. Matthew Schaefer Point -125 on Lucky Rebel:
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates into the offensive zone.
Through 31 games, Matthew Schaefer the 18-year-old No. 1 pick has 22 points (8G, 14A), a strong 0.71 points per game from the back end. That puts him right in the mix with established offensive defensemen, not just other rookies. Under the hood, the volume looks even better: Schaefer has 87 shots on goal with a 9.2% shooting percentage, ranking near the top of the league in shot generation for defensemen.
He announced himself immediately with a six-game point streak to start his NHL career (2G, 5A), tying the record for longest season-opening point streak by a defenseman and signaling that his offense isn’t a fluke hot week—it’s his baseline. He leads all NHL rookies in time on ice per game at 23:36, and that also tops the Islanders’ blue line. He’s averaging about 3:30 of power-play time per night and operates as the Islanders’ No. 1 power-play quarterback.
That combination—top pair at even strength plus PP1 quarterback—is exactly what you want on a simple “to record a point” market. He’s on the ice with the team’s best finishers (Horvat, Barzal, etc.) in all the situations that drive scoring: offensive-zone starts, first-unit PP, and late-game offensive pushes, making his situation pop for an NHL best bet.
His matchup is a great one, in what could be a back and forth afffair. Anaheim is fun and dangerous offensively, but they remain extremely forgiving defensively—exactly what you want when you’re betting on a puck-moving D to get on the scoresheet. The Ducks are near the top of the league in shots, scoring chances, and high-danger chances allowed per 60 at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. Even as their overall results have improved under the new coaching staff, their defensive environment remains high-event: lots of pace, lots of chances both ways.
2. Patrick Kane Point -125 on Lucky Rebel:
Patrick Kane of the Red Wings has been producing
These articles are all about finding value, and Patrick Kane’s point prop oozes it. We are getting a nice discount due to the Red Wings being on a back to back game against the Edmonton Oilers. But Kane has been on a tear, with a point in 8 of his last 10 games and 12 points in those games. So while this price does feel a bit fishy, it’s almost as if the books are just waiting for his inevitable miss. But tonight is not that night, and Kane’s point looks like an NHL best bet instead.
Kane has continued to produce at a strong pace in the 2025–26 season, already surpassing 20 points by early December and ranking among Detroit’s offensive leaders. He’s heavily involved both at even strength and on the first power-play unit—the situations most likely to generate points. Looking at Kane’s recent history against the Oilers, he’s been consistently involved in scoring plays whenever they meet. In the last several meetings, Kane has notched multiple multi-point games against Edmonton, including games with 2 assists and other multi-point efforts. This suggests he tends to “show up” offensively in this particular matchup.
The Oilers aren’t a defensive juggernaut—they’re among the league’s higher scoring but also higher conceding teams. As of Dec. 10, Edmonton sits near the top of the league in goals scored but hasn’t tightened up play in limiting opponents’ offense, making games more open and event-heavy. They are allowing the 4th most goals against in the league this season, making it hard to not want to take the value on this NHL best bet.
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3. Erik Karlsson o2.5 SOG +140 on Lucky Rebel:
Erik Karlsson rips rubber against the Montreal Canadiens
Some dudes just don’t let up against certain teams. And Erik Karlsson seemingly always rips rubber when he plays the Montreal Canadiens. Perhaps this goes back to the days when the Canadiens were his rival team when he was fresh in the league and in his prime on the Ottawa Senators. Maybe the Canadiens make him see red. Either way I love his SOG prop tonight at plus money as one of my NHL best bets.
Over the last 10 games, Karlsson has averaged roughly 2.3 shots per game, a strong indicator that he’s consistently generating attempts from the point. But not good enough to hit his 2.5 prop more than three times. However, the Penguins as a whole have been picking up in the shot front, taking the 11th most shots in the league over the last ten games. The real cherry on top here is that Karlsson has hit his 2.5 SOG prop in 7 of his last 8 games against the Canadiens. He averages 6.8 shot attempts in those games and averaged 4 shots on goal. Yeah, he doesn’t like them.
Montreal’s defensive performance has seen volatility this season: Recent losses with high goals against (e.g., a 6-1 defeat) point to defensive breakdowns and a permissive style at times. Montreal’s goals-against numbers remain among the higher marks in the league this season, suggesting teams get quality looks and sustained zone time against them. In a game that opens up, especially on the rush or in the offensive zone cycle, Karlsson is the type to release shots from the point as pressure builds.
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