Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Sunday, April 12

Get picks and parlays for Sunday's NHL schedule, including games involving the Senators, Ducks and Mammoth, as they each make playoff pushes.

April 12, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Sunday, April 12

By:

Daniel Dobish

April 12, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Canucks vs Ducks & Mammoth vs Flames – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of six games on the schedule for Sunday. We'll focus on the games with playoff implications, especially in the Western Conference. The nationally-televised games are early on the schedule, so we won't be touching on those games.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Sunday's MLB and/or NBA 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.

Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils

The Senators (43-27-10) and Devils (41-36-3) meet at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. for the penultimate game of the regular season.

Ottawa is tied with the Boston Bruins with an identical 43-27-10 record and 96 points through 80 games. The Senators have a comfortable edge with 37 regulation wins, however, as opposed to 31 for the Bruins, so they would get the nod in a tiebreaker situation. The Senators (and Bruins) can each punch their tickets to the postseason with at least one point in Sunday's game. Boston plays in Columbus at 6 p.m. on NHL Network.

We'll see how inclined the Devils are to play spoiler. They were eliminated from the postseason chase after staying alive until this past week. These teams have split the first two meetings, both in Ottawa, with the Senators winning the most recent battle 4-1 on Jan. 31 as moderate favorites (-155) as the Under (5.5) cashed.

James Reimer (6-4-1, 2.42 GAA, .881 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to be in net for the Sens, while Nico Daws (1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .967 SV%) was recalled from Utica of the AHL after veteran Jacob Markstrom was shut down for the remainder of the season. The only previous NHL start this season was in October.

We'll side with the Senators, who are actually playing for something, but we'll go low on the total.

Senators ML (-126 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-125 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Vancouver Canucks at Anaheim Ducks

The Canucks (23-48-8) and Ducks (42-32-5) meet at Honda Center at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Anaheim is still trying to stay in the mix for the Pacific Division title. It has 89 points through 79 games, sitting two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights, who have played 80 games. The Edmonton Oilers are in second place with 90 points and 80 games, so the Ducks are very much in the hunt, although they have just 25 regulation wins, so they lose all tiebreakers.

The Canucks have been abysmal, although they're a respectable 15-21-3 on the road. However, Vancouver has an NHL-low 54 points, and a minus-97 goal differential. Anaheim 'should' be able to easily secure two points, and, if not, it doesn't deserve a shot at the division title.

We'll keep it short and sweet here, and go Anaheim laying the goal and a half, and we'll go Over based on the trends. The Ducks have cashed high in five of the past six games, and the Over is 5-1 in the past six games at home, too.

Ducks -1.5 Goals (-118 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 6.5 Goals (-130 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

Utah Mammoth at Calgary Flames

The Mammoth (42-31-6) meet the Flames (32-38-9) at Scotiabank Saddledome at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Utah is into the playoffs, that much we know. However, the Mammoth are just three points clear of the Los Angeles Kings for the top wild-card spot, while sitting three points higher than the Nashville Predators. The Mammoth and Kings have played 79 games, while Nashville has 80 points, so it will be tough for the Preds to squeeze in. L.A. also has a chance to finish in the top three in the Pacific, dropping either VGK, Edmonton or Anaheim into a card spot.

Anyway, the Mammoth can clinch the top wild-card spot with two points against the floundering Flames, who will miss the postseason yet again.

While Utah lost 4-1 on home ice to the Carolina Hurricanes last time out, it is 5-1-0 in the past six games, and the offense has been electric, posting four or more goals in six of the previous seven games, while averaging 4.8 goals per game (GPG) in the span.

After some shaky play last month, Karel Vejmelka has collected himself, and the Mammoth have won five of his past six starts. Look for Utah to keep its foot on the gas in Calgary, getting the job done, winning with relative ease.