Check out our NHL best bets today for Tuesday, January 30 – our top hockey picks and predictions.
The Action Network's hockey experts have compiled their favorite betting picks for tonight's NHL doubleheader, which we've also covered with our individual NHL game guides.
However, for our NHL best bets tonight, we're targeting a variety of bets from the two games. Our experts have scoured the NHL odds boards and all of the betting markets, and they've uncovered some prop bets, among other picks.
Tonight's NHL lineup kicks off at 8 p.m. ET for the Blue Jackets vs. Blues on the NHL Network, and the Kraken vs. Sharks is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Below, check out our experts' favorite picks for both of those games.
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NHL Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
  | 10:30 p.m. | |
| 10:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Blue Jackets vs. Blues
By Tony Sartori
Oddsmakers are expecting a high-scoring affair between the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues on Tuesday evening with the total set at 6.5 across the board. That bodes well for goalscoring player props, and I am specifically targeting Columbus forward Kirill Marchenko to find the back of the net at +270 via BetMGM.
This is a particularly good number that is 10-60 cents longer than most of the rest of the market at the time of this writing.
There are multiple reasons why I like Marchenko in this spot, starting with the fact that he leads the team in goals with 15.
He certainly isn't afraid to shoot the puck, and he averages 3.2 shots on goal per game over his past 10. Not only can Marchenko score at even-strength, but he also leads the team in power-play goals with seven.
This stat is important to note because St. Louis ranks 22nd in the league in penalty-kill percentage. However, even if Marchenko doesn't score on the man-advantage, I am still confident in his ability to get it done at even-strength due to the Blues' poor defensive play.
This season, St. Louis ranks 20th or worse in both goals allowed per game and shots on goal allowed per game. The Blues are even worse analytically, ranking 30th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 5-on-5.
Finally, Marchenko scored and added an assist in the Jackets' lone game against St. Louis earlier this season.
Pick: Kirill Marchenko Anytime Goalscorer (+270 at BetMGM) | Play to +260
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Blue Jackets vs. Blues
By Greg Liodice
Despite having a slower start to the season, Pavel Buchnevich is one of the league’s more productive players. Currently on a three-game goal streak (including one two-goal game), Buchnevich shares the lead in goals for the St. Louis Blues along with Robert Thomas.
Along with the surface-level numbers working in Buchnevich’s favor, he’s also an analytical darling. In 11 straight games, he’s generating at least two shots on goal, and that’s not including his Corsi. He leads all skaters in Corsi For, with a 52.35 CF%, along with leading in expected goals (50.80 xGF%), is tied for the lead in scoring-chances-for with a 53.19 SCF%, and ranks in the top five in PDO.
The numbers don’t lie, and they tell me that Buchnevich is always a threat to net a goal.
To top it all off, he leads the team in power-play goals with six. The Blues’ opponents in the Columbus Blue Jackets are a bottom-five team in xGA/60, and they have a poor penalty kill at 77%.
Not only that, but either goalie for Columbus is far from efficient. Elvis Merzlikins is very inconsistent, and Spencer Martin has yet to solidify himself as a force in the crease.
I really like Buchnevich’s chances to score here. While the Blues are far from the NHL’s gold standard, there’s no denying that he’s been one of the league’s more efficient players. He generates chances, forces plays to happen, and he gives opposing teams headaches with his net-front presence.
We're getting a good price at +155.
Pick: Pavel Buchnevich Anytime Goalscorer (+155 at FanDuel) | Play to +140
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Kraken vs. Sharks
From Dec. 12 to Jan. 11, the Seattle Kraken went on an 11-0-2 tear. Ten of those wins were in regulation, and they played to an absurd +26 goal differential.
While they were due for some regression in terms of their actual goals-for percentage during that period, the factors that caused the 0-4 losing skid that followed directly after were actually injuries and a nightmare schedule.
Now with Vince Dunn, Matty Beniers and Andre Burakovsky back in the mix, the Kraken look primed to push for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot.
Seattle looked great last week while putting up a 2-0-1 mark and 14-7 goal differential with those three back in the lineup.
(Hockey bettors: North Carolina sports betting is set to launch soon! Keep up with the latest developments.)
Admittedly, those games came against a soft schedule, but that's exactly what a matchup versus the league's second-worst team is.
The Sharks have stabilized with wins in four of five, but their recent underlying results are still dreadful. They went on exactly this type of run at the start of December, followed by an abysmal stretch of multi-goal losses. In the last 10 games, their 43.79 xGF% ranks fourth to last, and beyond the data, we always want to keep in mind their scoring talent is drastically below league average.
Mackenzie Blackwood hasn't been very good in goal, either. He owns a -1.6 GSAx and .896 save %, and he has been confirmed as the Sharks starter tonight.
If we see Joey Daccord get the start for the Kraken, I think it's closer to a coin-flip they cover the puck line (-1.5) in this matchup, and I would play anything at +110 or better.
Pick: Kraken -1.5 (+120 at DraftKings) | Play to +110
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Kraken vs. Sharks
By Carol Schram
A 20-goal scorer in his first two years with Seattle, Jordan Eberle needs to pick up the pace if he wants to reach that milestone for the ninth time in his career.
He is trending upward. After logging just four goals and 16 points through Seattle’s first 33 games this season, Eberle has 12 points in 12 Kraken games in January. That total includes five goals on 22 shots – a shooting percentage of 22.7%, which has moved his season average up to 9.6%.
And that is still well below his career average of 12.8%, so Eberle is due for some more positive regression.
With the Kraken back in good health and brimming with offensive confidence after scoring 13 goals in their last three games, Seattle is in a good position to feast on the worst defensive team in the league when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
The Kraken logged a 7-1 home win back in November, and Eberle has had success against the Sharks in his career, with 11 goals in 43 games.
Eberle scored a pair of power-play goals in the Kraken’s 4-2 win over Columbus last Sunday. Look for him to keep that going at the Shark Tank and connect in back-to-back games for just the second time this year.
The pick: Jordan Eberle anytime goal (+230 at FanDuel); play down to +200
Pick: Jordan Eberle Anytime Goalscorer (+240 at DraftKings) | Play to +200
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