NHL Best Bets & Picks: Blues vs Avalanche and Bruins vs Oilers – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of 10 games on the schedule for Wednesday, as we get ready to drop the ball and flip the calendar to ring in 2026. We have some matinee hockey, but we're going to focus on evening games.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Wednesday's college bowl action, NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays, and Happy New Year! 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.
St. Louis Blues 
at Colorado Avalanche 
The Blues (15-17-8) and the Avalanche (29-2-7) meet at Ball Arena in Denver at 9 p.m. EST.
St. Louis heads into this one with a 7-8-3 mark on the road, while Colorado enters play with a 13-2-5 record at home.
St. Louis won three of the final four meetings last season, outscoring Colorado 10-6, winning all three games as an underdog. In fact, if you bet St. Louis in those three games, it would have netted +414.
That was then, and this is now, however. The Blues are very erratic, and they cannot seem to string together solid efforts or victories. St. Louis is coming off a 4-2 loss against the Buffalo Sabres on home ice on Monday, cashing the Over (5.5) with Joel Hofer in between the pipes. Brayden Schenn and Jimmy Snuggerud helped the Blues to a 2-1 lead after the first period, but Buffalo scored three in a row to win it. Hofer made 30 saves, but he fell apart down the stretch.
The Avalanche posted a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings as heavy favorites (-215) as the Over (6.5) cashed. Mackenzie Blackwood helped the Avs to an eighth consecutive victory since a 4-3 loss in a shootout in Nashville on Dec. 9.
Jordan Binnington (7-8-6, 3.44 GAA, .870 save percentage) is expected to start for the Blues, while Blackwood (12-1-1, 2.15 GAA, .923 save percentage, 2 SO) is projected to go for the home side.
Colorado has just been unstoppable, ranking No. 1 in the NHL in goals scored (4.0), shots on goal (34.4) per game, 2.2 goals allowed and an 85.3 percent penalty kill. What's hard to believe is that Colorado ranks just 26th on the power play at 15.5 percent. If the Avs ever figure that out, they may never lose again.
I don't care that Colorado lost the final three to St. Louis last season; this team is unstoppable.
Avalanche -1.5 Goals (-125 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Under 6.5 Goals (-134 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Boston Bruins 
at Edmonton Oilers 
The Bruins (20-18-2) and Oilers (20-14-6) meet at Rogers Place in Edmonton at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
Edmonton has won four in a row in this series, with the Under going 4-0 in each of those outings, while cashing at a 7-1 clip in the previous eight in the series. That includes a 3-1 win at TD Garden in Boston on Dec. 18 as slight favorites (-135) as the Under (6.5) hit.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Pavel Zacha exchanged power-play goals in the first period of that game, while Quinn Hutson lit the lamp in the second period for the go-ahead goal at 14:38. In the third, Connor McDavid struck with a shorthanded goal to give the Oilers insurance that they've never needed, as RNH had an assist, as did Darnell Nurse.
That was more than enough offensive support for the combination of Tristan Jarry and Calvin Pickard. Jarry suffered a lower-body injury, and he is on Injured Reserve, expected to miss a few weeks. Pickard came on to stop all 13 shots he faced for hockey's version of baseball's save. He is 2-2-0 with a 3.30 GAA and .913 SV% in four starts and a relief appearance in December.
The Bruins are expected to counter with Jeremy Swayman (14-10-2, 2.87 GAA, .903 save percentage), who stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced in the loss to the Oilers. He is 0-2-2 in his past four starts, and he is 3-4-2 with a 3.32 GAA and .874 save percentage in nine starts and 10 appearances in December.
We're going to back the Oilers, as they just own the B's lately, and we'll go Over on the total.
Oilers ML (-195 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Over 6 Goals (-130 at BetMGM)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+778 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Avalanche -1.5 vs. Blues and Under 6.5 - SGP (+200)
- Oilers ML vs. Bruins and Over 6.5 - SGP (+192)
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+184 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Avalanche -1.5 (-134) vs. Blues
- Oilers ML (-205) vs. Bruins
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+252 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-134) - Avalanche vs. Blues
- Over 6.5 (+102) - Oilers vs. Bruins
