Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Wednesday, January 7

Expert NHL picks & best bets for Jan. 7: read predictions on Blues vs. Blackhawks & Senators vs. Mammoth, plus parlay tips and odds info.

January 7, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Wednesday, January 7

By:

Daniel Dobish

January 7, 2026

NHL Picks

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NHL Best Bets & Picks: Blues vs Blackhawks and Senators vs Mammoth – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has five games on the slate for Wednesday night, including a doubleheader on TNT and HBO Max. We'll include the second game of the double dip, as the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks lock horns at United Center at 9:30 p.m. EST. We'll also look into the matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Utah Mammoth at 9:30 p.m. EST.

We crushed Tuesday, cashing the Lightning as home underdogs against the Avalanche and the Under, while also easily hitting with the Hurricanes pounding the Stars as the Over cashed. If only all of the nights and bets could go so well. Let's try and do it again.

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.

St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks

The Blues (17-18-8) and the Blackhawks (17-18-7) meet at United Center in the second end of a nationally-televised doubleheader. These teams have nearly identical records, and the victor will emerge at .500 on the season.

The Blues are coming in with some steam, as Jordan Binnington kicked aside all 26 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens as short underdogs (+135) at home as the Under (5.5) cashed. Jonatan Berggren and Robert Thomas each scored goals to back the goaltender. In fact, Thomas' goal was of the shorthanded variety, with Alexei Toropchenko picking up the assist.

The Blackhawks are also coming in with a little pep in their step after taking down the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime at United Center on Sunday as the Under (5.5) cashed behind Arvid Soderblom. In fact, it was Tyler Bertuzzi 3, and VGK 2. He had a first-period goal, he scored midway through the third to tie things 2-2, and he sent the fans home happy with an overtime winner.

Chicago has been involved in four straight one-goal games, and it has gone to overtime or a shootout in four of the past six games. The Under is also 3-1 in the past four games for the Blackhawks, as Spencer Knight and Soderblom have each given Chicago good goaltending since the holidays.

The Blues won the first meeting Dec. 12 in St. Louis as a slight favorite (-110). They've won six of the past seven meetings since Dec. 23, 2023, and eight of the past 10 in the series.

Joel Hofer (9-8-2, 2.88 GAA, .899 SV%, 3 SO) is projected to start, although it wouldn't be shocking to see Binnington back in there after the shutout win last time out. For the Blackhawks, Knight (12-11-6, 2.60 GAA, .910 SV%, 2 SO) is expected to be the home netminder.

Let's roll with the Blackhawks to get the job done on home ice, and we'll go low on the total.

Blackhawks ML (+105 Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Under 6 (-110 Bet365 and Caesars Sportsbooks)

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Ottawa Senators at Utah Mammoth

The Senators (20-16-5) and Mammoth (20-20-3) meet at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.

Ottawa suffered a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings as heavy favorites (-175) in Canada's capital city Monday, while the Over (6.5) easily cashed. That's three straight Over results for the Senators, as they're averaging 3.7 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 3.4 GPG. In fact, the Sens have had defensive and goaltending issues lately, allowing 30 goals in the past eight games, or 3.8 GPG. The Over is 6-2 in that eight-game span.

Utah is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Mammoth won two of three games on the trip, all against Eastern Conference teams. Utah is 4-3-0 in the past seven games against Eastern Conference teams and 4-1-0 against teams from the East not named the Devils.

Karel Vejmelka was sharp at MSG against the Blueshirts, stopping 22 of 24 shots, while Sean Durzi provided the game-winning tally in overtime. Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone also chipped in on offense.

Utah is a respectable 9-7-1 at home, while Ottawa is a decent 10-8-2 on the road. The Sens have won all three meetings since the Mammoth relocated to Utah, while outscoring them 11-3. That includes a 4-2 win in Canada on Nov. 9, as Leevi Merilainen backstopped a win with 29 saves, while Ridly Greig, Jordan Spence, Nick Cousins and Michael Amadio provided the offense for the Sens. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz were the scorers for the Mammoth.

Until the Mammoth can figure out how to solve the Senators, let's back Ottawa to get the job done. We'll lean high on the total based on Ottawa's giving ways lately.