NHL Betting Guide for Friday, December 31: Ring in the New Year with the Lightning

We're sending off 2021 with a bang in our daily NHL Betting Guide. Action is underway early with a pair of afternoon contests scheduled, but we're focusing on the evening slate that features a couple of games with positive expected value wagers available.

These are the bets we're looking at from FanDuel Sportsbook!

The Detroit Red Wings host the Washington Capitals in the final game of 2021. This will be the Red Wings' first game since December 18, while the Capitals have the advantage of playing earlier this week.

We've seen impressive defensive efforts from the Red Wings on home ice this season, and that's been evident over their recent sample. Detroit has limited four of their past six opponents to eight or fewer high-danger chances at five-on-five, getting out-chanced just once over that span. The Wings have also out-shot their opponents at five-on-five in four of six, going north of 30 shots in two of those games. Altogether, Detroit is putting forth some solid showings on home ice.

The Capitals are also playing a more defensively-structured brand of hockey over their recent sample. The Caps are on a similar trend as the Red Wings, limiting their opponents to nine or fewer quality chances and 23 or fewer scoring opportunities in four of six. That contributes to a cumulative 56.5% expected goals-for rating, with Washington posting game scores above 50.0% in five of six.

Tonight's matchup between the Caps and Red Wings should be a more structured affair with fewer offensive opportunities. The Wings have a more disciplined structure on home ice, similar to what we've seen from the Caps recently. It's on that basis that we're taking under six goals in Detroit.

The Picks: Under 6 -115

All NHL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.