NHL Best Bet 12/23/2025

Published: Tue Dec 23, 2025, 4:15 pm ET

Read Time: 6 minutes

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Ho ho ho! Santa Betzky has some early Christmas gifts with tasty NHL player props. Last article I was a little naughty, only hitting one plus money prop of our three. But a massive slate before three days off for the NHL and the stars are aligned for a big night. Let's keep rolling and finding discounts on NHL player props to keep boosting our 25-29 record on the articles. Let's see if we can avoid the naughty NHL players and get some extra presents from the nice ones.

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. Charlie McAvoy Point -125 on Lucky Rebel:

Charlie McAvoy has been hot, making his point an NHL best bet

Boston Bruins' Charlie McAvoy defends against Philadelphia Flyers' Bobby Brink.

Some players just understand the assignment, and Charlie McAvoy is one of those players. The assignment in question, SPANK THE MONTREAL CANADIENS WHENEVER YOU PLAY THEM. Much like Marchand and Pastrnak, some of the key Bruins players have always shown up against the Boston Bruins arch nemesis the Montreal Canadiens.

McAvoy enters tonight with 19 points (18 assists) on the season per ESPN's 2025–26 totals. And it's not empty production — his usage is heavy: he's logging 23:51 time on ice per game this season. Boston's power play has been excellent overall this year at 25.7%. Even better: their last-10-games power play rate is listed at 30.4%, showing current-form upside. McAvoy specifically has produced on special teams too — 9 power-play points this season. That's key against a Montreal penalty kill sitting around 77.6–77.9% (i.e., not a shutdown unit).

McAvoy's career numbers vs. Montreal are solid: 16 career points vs. the Canadiens. He has a point in 7 of the last 10 times playing Montreal. The bow on this NHL best bet gift is that McAvoy is hot. He has four points in his last three games.

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2. Matthew Schaefer o2.5 SOG +140 on Lucky Rebel:

Matthew Schaefer has been consistent with his SOG prop

Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates into the offensive zone.

Matthew Schaefer's over 2.5 shots on goal is the kind of number that can look "coin-flippy" at first glance… until you look at role + minutes + recent shot volume. For tonight (12/23/2025) vs. New Jersey, the setup is quietly strong. Schaefer isn't playing sheltered rookie minutes — he's playing like a true minutes-eater. He's averaging 23:44 TOI per game and already has 98 shots in 36 games this season. That workload matters for a SOG prop: more shifts = more touches = more chances to fire from the point and off the rush.

On the season, Schaefer is at ~2.7 shots per game. That means you're not asking for an outlier game — you're asking for him to land slightly above his normal rate. And lately, the "over" has been showing up often enough to like; hitting in 5 of the last 10 games and averaging 6.1 shot attempts a game.

New Jersey has allowed 28.61 shots against per game this season. They're also running a 75.8% penalty kill, which is on the leaky side — and that's where Schaefer's point-shot volume can stack quickly. Even if the Islanders' power play hasn't been a wagon (they're at 16.4%), the process still helps shot props: more zone time, more set plays, more point looks. But what makes this NHL best bet look so good is the fact that the Devils allow 4th most shots against from defensemen in the league.

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3. Igor Chernyshov Point +145 on Lucky Rebel:

Igor Chernyshov has been on fire ever since cracking the NHL line up

WHO?! Igor Chernyshov was a faller in the 2024 NHL draft, falling out of the 1st round. But he had a talent profile that was tantalizing and the San Jose Sharks snatched him with the first pick of the 2nd round. Oh yeah and the draft took place in the Sphere in Vegas (remember this).

Chernyshov made his NHL debut three games ago, and was vaunted to the top line of the San Jose Sharks. Through his first three games this season, Chernyshov has 3 assists in 3 games — a clean point-per-game start and playing with one of the leagues hottest players, Macklin Celebrini who has 10 points in his last four games. And while this sample size is small, if you want the longer-track confirmation Chernyshov tore up the AHL with 23 points in 25 games before this call-up. That's a strong indicator the assists you're seeing in the NHL aren't random — he's been creating offense consistently in the games immediately prior.

Vegas has allowed 2.88 goals against per game this season and owns an 81.2% penalty kill, so they're not a "target them every night" defense. However, Vegas has shown recent cracks: they've dropped three straight and just gave up 4 goals to Edmonton on Sunday (12/22), including two power-play goals against. And then there is the fact that this game will be in the city where Cheryshov had his first giant NHL moment. Maybe that he is back in the city he dropped out of the first round will give him a little more motivation tonight, making this an NHL best bet.

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