The NHL closes the calendar year with a loaded New Year’s Eve slate, offering no shortage of intrigue as teams take the ice looking to close out 2025 strong.
The NHL closes the calendar year with a loaded New Year’s Eve slate, offering no shortage of intrigue as teams take the ice looking to close out 2025 strong. Urgency is elevated across the league as the clock ticks toward midnight. As the ball drops in New York City, the puck drops across the nation, giving bettors a final opportunity to close out the year on a winning note. Here are tonight’s best bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: Under 6.5 Goals
Rundown: The Vegas Golden Knights (17-9-11) host the Nashville Predators (17-17-4) in a clash at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
Vegas enters tonight’s matchup looking to regain momentum heading into 2026 after dropping five of its last six contests with four by a one-goal margin. Nashville is trending in the right direction, winning four of its five and bringing confidence into the new year.
Despite Nashville’s recent surge, Vegas still holds the edge in major statistical categories such as goals per game, goals allowed per game, shots per game and power-play conversion rate. Vegas’ 3.14 goals per game ranks 13th in the NHL while Nashville comes in scoring 2.82 per game, good for 23rd in the league.
Nashville’s 27-ranked defense has shown signs of improvement in the last five games, surrendering just 2.4 goals per game in that span. Vegas ranks near the middle of the pack on the defensive end, allowing 2.97 goals per contest. Recent defensive trends on both sides point toward value on the under.
Expect a controlled, slower-paced contest where chances are limited and the final score falls short of the projected goal total.
Second Pick: Over 6.5 Goals
Rundown: The Anaheim Ducks (21-16-2) welcome the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning (22-13-3) for an afternoon showdown at the Honda Center.
Anaheim will look to conclude 2025 with a victory after dropping three straight games, including a 6-1 beatdown by the crosstown rival Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Anaheim's offensive attack that ranks fourth in the NHL has cooled off, averaging just 2.0 goals per contest during the losing skid. Leading goal scorer Cutter Gauthier will be tasked with jump-starting the attack as Anaheim searches for answers against a surging Tampa Bay squad.
That task won’t come easy against a Lightning team riding a four-game winning streak and ranking inside the league’s top five in both scoring offense and defense. Tampa Bay has been especially lethal offensively during the run, pouring in 4.75 goals per game and climbing to within two points of the division-leading Detroit Red Wings. The Lightning should continue to generate quality looks against an Anaheim defense that has struggled mightily, allowing an NHL-worst 3.51 goals per game through 39 contests.
With two top-five offenses on the ice and Anaheim’s continued inability to keep the puck out of the net, this matchup sets up for a high-scoring affair that clears the posted goal total.
Category: General Sports
