Hockey night in Canada features six exciting primetime matchups for hockey fans with the Buds taking on the feisty Sharks, the Rangers travel to the Bell Centre to take on the Habs and the Canucks looking to rough up young netminder Nico Daws and the Devils in Jersey. 

If you want to enhance your viewing experience and get in on the action, here are some of the best bets for the NHL's eastern games. 

 All betting odds listed are from Bet365 and are subject to change.

Minnesota Wild @ Columbus Blue Jackets

Both teams have losing records recently in this setting with the Wild having a 3-4-0 record on the road and the Blue Jackets having a 3-4-2 record at home, since the start of December. The numbers say the same for a year as a whole and will make it a tough game to find an angle on. The Wild have lost four straight games and Columbus has just three wins in their last eight games.

The safest place to go would be the total on the game and the under feels like the best play. Both teams have struggled to score in this setting so far this season and there has been seven or fewer goals in 12 straight matchups between these two in Columbus.

Pick: Under 6.5 goals (-130)

New York Rangers @ Montreal Canadiens

The Habs have been a hard team to predict as right when you think they have an edge up on someone, they lose 6-1 to the Sabres at home. So the odds don’t look good for them to improve against the Rangers, who are tied for first in road points with a 13-5-1 record this season. They have also dominated in the Bell Centre with five straight wins and covering the puckline in three of the five wins. They could again in this one with a 6-6 record as a road favourite against the spread this season.

Montreal has also been one of the worst home teams in the league for some time now with a 7-10-2 record this season and a league-worst 35-57-9 record at home dating back to the 2021-22 season. So they have been bad but hold onto your horses before betting the house on the Rangers as the Habs have been lethal at covering spreads this season. They have a 23-12 record as an underdog and a 10-7 record as a home underdog this season. So the Rangers may win but don’t be surprised if the Habs find a way to keep it close.

Pick: Rangers ML (-190) + Habs +2.5 (-330) Parlay (+140)

Vancouver Canucks @ New Jersey Devils

The Devils haven’t been overly impressive this season at home with a 9-8-2 record that ranks 23rd in the league as they are giving up the fourth-most goals against per home game this season with 3.58 a game. The Canucks have been an above average road team the year with the 11th best road record at 10-7-2 with the eighth-lowest goals against per road game at 2.84 per game. Both teams are offensive beasts this season with both ranking top six in goals per game with the Canucks on top of the league, averaging 3.76 goals per game this season. It should be a close game with the Devils picking things up with five wins in their last six games, making this line very close.

The difference-maker will be Devils netminder Nico Daws, who has won his first two NHL starts but against poor competition in the Senators and Capitals. Washington is the second-worst home scoring team barely ahead of the Sharks and he still gave up three goals. The Canucks are a beast he’s not seen before and they should get a few past him.

Pick: Canucks ML (-105), Canucks over 3.5 goals (+100)

Toronto Maple Leafs @ San Jose Sharks

The Leafs started off the new year with a California road trip, where they were awe-inspiring in a 3-0 win over the Kings and came back from down a goal to beat the Ducks. Their third stop on their trip is to San Jose to take on the Sharks, who the Leafs have a surprisingly bad history against when playing on the road. The Sharks are 7-3-0 in their last ten home games against the Leafs with five of the seven wins coming by two or more goals. In two of their three losses, the Sharks kept it close, losing by two or fewer.

The Leafs should come out on top and could be with the help of youngster Matthew Knies, who has been the Buds best young player with eight goals and 14 points in 34 games this season. A goose egg in the points column tonight would mark Knies' longest point drought of his young career. He should find his way onto the scoresheet against a Sharks team, that is practically giving away goals.

Pick: Matthew Knies over 0.5 points (+110), Sharks +2.5 (-220)

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins

The Bruins have been the best home team in the league recently with a 45-7-6 record dating back to last season. Their only hiccup at home has been when they play the Lightning. The Bruins have won three straight over the Lightning at the Garden but before that had lost seven straight home games in this matchup. 

The Lightning also have a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games against the Bruins and are riding into this game high with nine wins in their last 15 games with the seventh-best powerplay, operating at 26.2% during that span. Boston will know they need to get up for this game and will help secure the over as the Lightning will likely score fast and keep the Bruins on their toes.

Pick: Over 6.0 goals (-120)

Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins got the reputation of being the team full of old men and suffering because of it but as of late they have started to piece things together with an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games, while being tied for the eighth-best goals per game average with Devils at just over three and a half per game. The Sabres haven’t been as good lately with three wins in their last eight games and the seventh-worst goal against average with 3.75 a game during that span. 

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been on another level this season with seven goals and 13 points in his last ten games. He has points in seven of his last ten games versus Buffalo with a point per game average with 11 total. He should get on the scoresheet with an assist and help his team win at home.

Pick: Penguins ML (-165), Crosby over 0.5 assists (-120)