NHL Picks Today: Thursday Best Bets & Predictions (Nov. 12)

• Thursday’s NHL slate runs 11 games deep, starting with a noon ET matinee in Helsinki
• My best bets mix a moneyline, a multi-goal margin and a game total
• See below for my NHL picks today, score predictions and Kalshi prices for every game

Thursday brings a full 11-game NHL slate, and it gets going early. The Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken face off at 12:00 p.m. ET in Helsinki as part of the Global Series, with the other 10 games filling the evening.

The Minnesota Wild (13-3-4) visit a Toronto Maple Leafs team that’s 4-6-0 over its last 10 games. The Boston Bruins (13-4-1) host a Montreal Canadiens squad that hasn’t lost in regulation over its last 10 games (7-0-3), and Tampa Bay visits a Columbus team that’s 4-6-0 in that span.

Below are my NHL picks today for every game, followed by three best bets and a look at where the public money is going.

NHL Picks Today: Thursday Score Predictions

Prices from Kalshi as of 12:32 a.m. ET on Nov. 12.

I’m backing nine favorites and two underdogs on today. Washington is my biggest upset call, with its YES contract at 42¢ against a Devils team that’s 8-2-0 over its last 10, while the Islanders sit at 47¢ in Los Angeles.

NHL Best Bets Today

Wild vs Maple Leafs Pick

Minnesota’s road run gives me confidence laying the extra goal. The Wild have won six straight on the road, all as favorites, and they’ve allowed just 44 goals in 20 games (2.2 per game).

Toronto is heading the other way. The Maple Leafs are 1-6 over their last seven games, having dropped four straight at home, while surrendering 70 goals in 20 games.

The YES contract at 39¢ implies about a 39% chance of a multi-goal Wild win. With Kirill Kaprizov sitting on 17 goals and 32 points, I’ll take that price on my 4-2 projection.

Sabres vs Blackhawks Pick

Buffalo has won seven straight meetings with Chicago and is 8-1 over its last nine games as a road favorite. The Blackhawks are 1-8-1 over their last 10 games and have lost nine straight when priced as underdogs.

Chicago has scored only 39 goals in 18 games while allowing 76, and its -112 shot differential trails Buffalo’s +49 by a wide margin. Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 11 goals on 73 shots.

The 59¢ price puts Buffalo’s implied win probability at about 59%. I rate the Sabres higher than that given Chicago’s slide, which is why this is one of my favorite NHL best bets today.

Hurricanes vs Kraken Total Pick

Carolina dictates pace with its forecheck, and the defensive numbers back it up. The Hurricanes have allowed 45 goals in 19 games, hold opponents to 22.37 shots per game and own an 85.0% penalty kill.

The over has hit in none of Carolina’s last five games and none of its last five meetings with Seattle. My 4-2 projection lands under the number, and the NO contract on over 6.5 goals at 50¢ is essentially a coin-flip price for a trend that keeps holding.

NHL Public Betting Splits for Thursday

Bettors are piling onto favorites. The Panthers (98.24%) and Avalanche (98.03%) are drawing nearly all of the moneyline handle in their games, followed by the Stars (95.36%), Hurricanes (94.36%) and Devils (92.16%).

The Lightning (91.96%), Wild (86.08%) and Mammoth (82.16%) round out the most popular sides. I’m going against the crowd on the Devils, and lopsided handle isn’t value on its own, so use these numbers alongside on-ice data rather than in place of it.