NHL Odds, Betting Notes, & Picks For November 29

In this article, I’ll break down my two best bets from Saturday’s hefty 11-game NHL slate based on Friday’s opening prices at online sportsbooks. Five of the seven Canadian NHL teams will be in action Saturday, and we will also touch on game notes from those matchups.

Without checking the schedule, I’m going to assume this is the most games that will be played over a two-game span at any point this season. That will mean a lot of moving parts ahead of Saturday’s schedule for this article, which is written late Friday afternoon. While some game notes may be murky, I love the prices we are getting on our two best bets and am happy to get this piece out early because of that critical aspect.

NHL Best bets for Nov. 29

Winnipeg Jets vs Nashville Predators: Jets moneyline -125

I’ve been quite hard on the Jets this season, as their overall process has looked quite unconvincing. They’ve typically not controlled much of the overall play and have leaned pretty heavily into a combination of elite goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck and potent finishing in order to achieve what is still a fairly modest record.

Saturday’s matchup versus the Nashville Predators offers the team an excellent chance to earn two desperately needed points and get things moving in the right direction.

While the Jets won’t have the goaltending edge they typically have with Hellebuyck healthy, they actually could have an under-the-radar edge in goal in Saturday’s matchup with AHL sensation Thomas Milic likely to make his NHL debut versus Justus Annunen.

While it’s scary backing a goaltender in his NHL debut, Milic holds a .921 save percentage and 2.14 GAA in nine AHL appearances. There’s no guarantee that qualifies him to succeed at the NHL level, but we know that Annunen is a well below average NHL option, as he’s played to -4.8 GSAx and .845 save percentage in seven appearances this season and played to a -9.1 GSAx and a .883 save percentage in 34 appearances in 2024-25.

From an analytical perspective, the Predators haven’t been as horrid as their actual results suggest over the last two seasons. However, it seems that their lack of offensive talent is a meaningful reason why they have finished off fewer scoring chances than expected, and it seems sustainable that they will continue to underperform their expected goal share as a result.

While the Jets have lost all three games so far without Hellebuyck, they have played a schedule of red-hot opponents, being the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals. They hung around in two of those matchups, losing by just one goal, and I’m not sold that this stretch has proven that they are entirely incapable of succeeding without their Hart Trophy-winning netminder.

Edmonton Oilers vs Seattle Kraken: Oilers regulation moneyline -105

Betting the Oilers at -165 (-105 to win in regulation) might make some readers want to vomit, and I’ll be downright embarrassed if this game looks remotely like the Oilers’ 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening did. The Kraken look to be one of the NHL’s more overrated teams, though, and on four days’ rest, this looks like a great spot to bet on an Oilers side that has started slowly in each of the last three seasons before gradually solving their issues.

The Kraken have played to an expected goal share of just 41.49% over the last 10 games, which is the worst mark in the league by a wide margin. While they have looked to be much more organized defensively than the Oilers, no team has generated less scoring chances at the other end of the ice than the Kraken have throughout their last 10 matchups.

There’s not a lot of high-end offensive talent in the Kraken’s lineup, and they do not appear to be a suitable candidate to expose Edmonton’s defensive shortcomings.

And while there’s been plenty of talk about Stuart Skinner’s poor start to the year, he’s still played more respectably than has generally been credited on the nights when the Oilers have offered an acceptable level of defensive play, which is part of the reason his goals saved above expected rating still comes in at +1.0.

Following their brutal 8-3 loss to a clinical Dallas Stars side, I think we will see head coach Kris Knoblauch’s side offer a sharper defensive performance in this matchup following a pair of practices.

While the absence of Jack Roslovic from Edmonton’s lineup is noteworthy, the return of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could be significant. Edmonton’s third line had been getting absolutely crushed with Adam Henrique at centre, and getting Nugent-Hopkins back makes the unit look much more acceptable.

Given the Kraken’s lack of offensive upside, the Oilers should be able to hang in more respectably from a defensive perspective in this matchup, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should be able to do some damage versus a Kraken side that has allowed the eighth-highest xGA/60 over the last 10 games.

Montreal Canadiens vs Colorado Avalanche

Canadiens moneyline odds	+165
Avalanche moneyline odds	–200
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+100), Under 6.5 goals (-120)
Time	3:07 p.m. ET

All odds courtesy of bet365.

• Prior to Friday’s matchup versus the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche are currently on pace to break the Boston Bruins’ 2022-23 NHL record point total. They rank first in the NHL in goals scored per game average and first in goals against per game average.
• The Canadiens have confirmed that Samuel Montembeault will start Friday’s matchup, which means that Jakub Dobes will likely start this game. Dobes has been the sharper of the two, with a +2.6 GSAx and a .897 save percentage in 12 games this season.
• Colorado is 9-0-2 on home ice this season, while Montreal has been very strong on the road with a record of 6-2-2.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Leafs moneyline odds	-130
Penguins moneyline odds	+110
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+110), Under 6.5 goals (-130)
Time	7:07 p.m. ET

All odds courtesy of bet365.

• The second meeting of the season between these sides, which always carries a little extra weight given that GM Kyle Dubas’s Penguins take on his former side. The Penguins won the previous meeting 4-3 in Toronto.
• The Maple Leafs are getting healthier, with Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy back in the lineup. Anthony Stolarz’s absence is more significant on paper in these back-to-back spots, as it means that third-stringer Dennis Hildeby will start. However, Hildeby has been solid so far this year, playing to a +2.2 GSAx and a .906 save percentage in five appearances.

Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings

Canucks moneyline odds	+145
Kings moneyline odds	–170
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+100), Under 6.5 goals (-120)
Time	10:07 p.m. ET

All odds courtesy of bet365.

• I wouldn’t have expected a total of 6.5 between these two sides 24 games into the season, but the goaltending matchup will likely feature Anton Forsberg versus Nikita Tolopilo. While the Canucks have been horrid defensively of late, it still wouldn’t be shocking if the total did fall to 6 by game time.
• The Canucks have allowed 4.58 xGA/60 over the last 10 games, which is the highest mark in the NHL. Though their offensive upside looks limited, the Kings are at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, having played to a 2.71 xGA/60 over the last 10 games.
• Kings number-one defender Drew Doughty remains sidelined with a lower-body injury.
• Kings head coach Jim Hiller finally gave Brandt Clarke an opportunity on the top power-play unit in Monday’s matchup versus the Senators, and Clarke tallied a power play goal.