NHL Best Bets & Picks: Penguins vs Flames & Capitals vs Canucks – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has six total games on Wednesday night, with five of those puck drops at 9 p.m. EST or later. The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs meet at 7 p.m. EST in the front end of a nationally-televised doubleheader on TNT/HBO Max/truTV, with the New York Islanders and Seattle Seahawks meeting in the second end at 9:30 p.m. EST.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with NBA and/or NCAA basketball 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.
Pittsburgh Penguins 
at Calgary Flames 
The Penguins (23-14-11) and the Flames (21-23-5) meet at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
The Pens kicked off a four-game road trip in Seattle on Monday at Climate Pledge Arena in a 6-3 victory as moderate favorites (-140) as the Over (5.5) cashed. Pittsburgh had five different goal scorers, with Connor Dewar netting an unassisted shorthanded goal and an empty-net goal. Blake Lizotte had a pair of assists, as did Anthony Mantha and a guy you might have heard about before, Sidney Crosby.
Stuart Skinner was not perfect, but he received plenty of support. He is 16-12-4 with a 2.73 GAA, .892 SV% and 2 SO this season. He knows a thing or two about the Flames, too, facing them frequently when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers.
The Pens are 2-0-2 in the past four games, while going 8-2-2 in the past 12 outings since Dec. 28, and the Over has hit in each of the previous three outings. Pittsburgh's offense has picked up the pace, averaging 5.0 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 3.4 GPG.
The Flames earned a 2-1 win on Jan. 10 in Pittsburgh, as Connor Zary scored an unassisted goal to open the scoring. Pittsburgh's Yegor Chinakhov managed an even-strength goal at 9:17 of the second period to make it 1-1, while Matthew Coronato had a goal 42 seconds into the third period, as Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund had helpers on the eventual game-winning goal. Andersson has since been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Devin Cooley stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced for the victory, but Dustin Wolf (15-19-2, 2.98 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO) is expected to get the nod.
We'll side with the Flames, who have won three of the past four in this series, and six of the past nine meetings since Oct. 28, 2021. And, let's go with the Over, which is 4-1 in the past five meetings.
- Flames ML (+100 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
- Under 6 (-115 at BetMGM)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Washington Capitals 
at Vancouver Canucks 
The Capitals (24-20-6) and the Canucks (16-28-5) square off at Rogers Arena in Vancouver at 10 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
Vancouver surprised Washington 4-3 on Oct. 19 at Capital One Arena in the first meeting this season as the Over (5.5) cashed. The Canucks fired out for a 4-0 lead in that game, as Elias Pettersson, Tyler Myers, Kiefer Sherwood (PPG) and Teddy Blueger scored, and it looked like it might be a laugher. However, Ryan Leonard (PPG), Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson made it interesting, with the latter's goal slicing the lead to 4-3 with the extra attacker. But the Caps couldn't get all the way back.
The Canucks have been horrific lately, and they've yet to taste victory since the ball dropped to ring in 2026. Vancouver has scored just 12 goals in eight straight losses in regulation, or 1.5 goals per game (GPG), and they're 0-9-2 in the past 11 games since Dec. 30. The Under is 3-1 in the past four games, too.
The Capitals enter with three straight losses, too, including a 5-2 loss at Colorado as moderate underdogs (+170) as the Over (6.5) cashed. On the road, the Caps have dropped four of the past five games, while the Under has cashed in two of the past three road contests.
Logan Thompson (17-14-4, 2.38 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO) is expected to go for the Capitals, while Kevin Lankinen (6-14-4, 3.40 GAA, .886 SV%) is likely to be in between the pipes for the Canucks.
We'll side with the Capitals, based on the struggles of the Canucks since late December, while going high on the total.
- Capitals ML (-164 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+909 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Flames ML (-102) vs. Penguins
- Under 5.5 (+106) - Flames vs. Penguins
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Canucks vs. Capitals
- Capitals ML (-164) at Canucks
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+218 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Flames ML (-102) vs. Penguins
- Capitals ML (-164) at Canucks
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+253 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (+106) - Flames vs. Penguins
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Canucks vs. Capitals
