NHL Best Bet 01/13/2026

Brad Blakemore

Written by: Brad Blakemore

Published: Tue Jan 13, 2026, 4:11 pm ET

Read Time: 6 minutes

NHL best bet

nhl

There were some hearbreaking misses last week, but our +140 prop cashed, which made the 1-2 article sting a bit less. What better way to start the week with a bounce back 3-0 day. Time to crack the broom closet because the house is dusty and needs a sweep. There are so many interesting matchups tonight and great ways to find value on NHL player props. Time to zig and zag to find some NHL best bets on this big Thursday slate. Let's start building up units by boosting our 29-34 record on the articles.

We will be breaking down NHL best bets here at Betting News all playoffs long! Each article will look for VALUE, as in straights you can take to build up your bankroll or pieces you can use to beef up your parlays. All bets will be -135 or better odds. And while we will focus on NHL player props, there are times we will take sides and totals. So keep your eyes peeled here as we will drop these throughout the week.

And if you haven't already be sure to check out some of my favorite futures and awards. So time to lace them up and get ready to ride with Betzky for my favorite NHL best bets of the day.

1.  James van Riemsdyk Point+130 on Lucky Rebel:

James van Riemsdyk is on a heater, making his point a best bet

James van Riemsdyk is on a heater, making his point a best bet

Sometimes you are just on a heater and cannot be stopped. James van Riemsdyk now has a point in four straight games, and 7 of his last 10 games. He has 7 points in those last four. Riemsdyk's production has spiked ever since getting put on the top power play unit (4 power play points in his last 10 games) and a line with the skilled winger Lucus Raymond. And if he keeps rolling, it will be easy to see why this plus money point prop is an NHL best bet.

Even in a depth role, JVR is driving offense right now: For the 2025-26 season, he has 12 goals and 7 assists for 19 points in 47 games with Detroit. Three multi-point nights (3-point game vs OTT, 2 points vs VAN, 1+1 vs OTT/Montreal/Carolina stretch). Detroit owns a 24.7% power-play percentage this season, 5th in the NHL, making their PP a real weapon. And now that JVR is on that top unit it has only gotten better and helped him rack up points.

A recent breakdown of Detroit's new additions highlights JVR as a net-front specialist, noting that he's generating well above league-average high-danger chances on the power play this year. That could pose as an issue for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins are allowing 3.21 goals against per game this season – a middle-of-the-pack defensive number that gives opposing forwards plenty of scoring opportunity. Their penalty kill sits around 79–79.2%, roughly league-average, not a shutdown unit. Add it all up and it's clear why this is an NHL best bet.

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2. Mikhail Sergachev o1.5 SOG -135 on Lucky Rebel:

Mikhail Sergachev love shooting the puck at home, making his SOG a NHL best bet

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev controls the puck in his own zone.

We have a perfect storm tonight in Salt Lake City. Top defenseman of the Utah Mammoth looks primed to rib some rubber, and his 1.5 SOG prop looks like one of the NHL best bets of the night. The home/road splits is in his favor, the opposing team is in his favor, and Sergachev is rolling right now. Grab a rain coat, because Sergy is getting SOGGY.

Let's start with the home splits. He has 97 shots on goal in 46 games, which works out to 2.11 SOG per game. That rate already clears a 1.5 line on his season average alone. And better yet, this happens much more frequently at home, where Sergachev has hit his SOG prop in 85% of his 20 home games. He averages 5.6 shot attempts at home vs 3.9 shot attempts on the road. And tonight the Mammoth host a Toronto Maple Leafs team who are coming off a huge win last night against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Maple Leafs allow the most shots against per game in the NHL this season, giving up 31.16 shots on goal per game.Their style is up-tempo and offense-tilted: they generate a lot themselves, but they also trade chances, which boosts overall shot volume on both sides.Toronto's defensive structure has been leaky all year; even when they win, they frequently surrender 30+ shots. The cherry on top of this NHL best bet is that Toronto just so happens to allow the most shots against to defensemen over the last 10 game, averaging 10.5 shots to the position a game.

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3. Connor McDavid + Leon Draisaitl 2+ Points +170 on Lucky Rebel:

Edmonton forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are looking to beat down on the Nashville Predators...again.

Edmonton forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are looking to beat down on the Nashville Predators…again.

We may never know why Leon Draisaitl absolutely destroys the Nashville Predators, but at least we can capitalize on it. Coming off a 3 point night against the Predators just on 1/6/2026, Draisaitl and McDavid will look to keep wrecking the Predators, who are one of their favorite targets in the league. Hell, you could say they "prey" on the Preds (I impress myself sometimes).

Instead of just taking Leon Draisaitl at two points (+100 and looks fantastic), I'm going to smack on the birthday boy Connor McDavid to get two points as well, and boost the odds. In his last 20 games Draisaitl has FORTY-SEVEN point against the Predators. 19 of those points are goals. And well, you better believe McDavid isn't far off, with 16 goals, 30 assists, 46 points in 25 games. Zooming out even further on this NHL best bet, Draisaitl has 28 goals, 23 assists, 51 points in 30 career games against Nashville. That's 1.70 points per game.

This bet is absolutely worth the gamble every time the Edmonton Oilers play the Nashville Predators. You could even take Leon Draisaitl at 3 points to make this NHL best bet even more spicy.

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Brad Blakemore
Brad Blakemore

Brad Blakemore, better known as Betzky, is a desert rat who was born and raised in Tempe Arizona. Shockingly this didn't stop Betzky from becoming a hockey fanatic. He specializes in NHL capping, and is (unfortunately) a diehard Coyotes fan, through all the highs and (mostly) lows. When not consuming NHL action Betzky collects records of all genres, attends tons of concerts and spends time with the Mrs, their cat Brain and doggo Ned. Follow Betzky on Twitter/X @gretzkybetzkys or on the Parlay Science discord.

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