With Christmas and New Year now being behind us, sports fans across Canada can shift their focus back to the different sporting events around the world. One of the hottest leagues right now is the NHL, as we’ve just passed the halfway point in the season. While games won’t necessarily become do-or-die for at least a few more weeks, teams will be eager to keep finding points to put themselves in a favorable position in their respective divisions.
Go to our NHL betting page to place a bet, or check out our NHL picks for this week; Pittsburgh Penguins vs Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maples Leafs vs Vancouver Canucks, and Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild!
Edmonton Oilers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
- Date: Thursday 9th of January 2025
- Time: 7:00 pm EDT
- Our Pick: Over 5.5 Goals
This week of NHL matches gets underway with a fan favourite, as the Edmonton Oilers head to Pittsburgh to face off against The Penguins. While both of these teams have strong support, the real entertainment potential in this game lies in the fact that it really could go either way.
When it comes to the form of both teams, things couldn’t be more different. The Edmonton Oilers have found their scoring boots once again, finding the back of the net 4 times against the Seattle Kraken and the Utah Hockey Club last week. As for the Penguins, they’ve suffered defeats to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Florida Panthers, and the Detroit Red Wings already in 2025.
We think the team from Pittsburgh will be eager to turn their year around, meaning that an offensive play style could be likely in this encounter. The Penguins are known for being involved in high-scoring encounters and when looking at the head-to-head record between these two teams, 6 of the last 8 games have resulted in more than 5.5 goals, which is why we’re backing the over in this one.
Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs
- Date: Saturday 11th of January 2025
- Time: 7:00 pm EDT
- Our Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5
The Toronto Maple Leafs are still sitting pretty in first place of the Atlantic Division. However, with the Florida Panthers still hot on their trail, it’s essential that they keep putting points on the board. While the Canucks are fellow Canadians, they won’t be feeling overly generous as they head to Toronto, as the team from Vancouver are still within striking distance of the top two in the Pacific Division.
Naturally, this is one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year for fans throughout Canada, and for good reason. These two teams seem to face off incredibly well against one another, and while the head-to-head is incredibly close (3-2 in favor of the Canucks when looking at the past 5 meetings), we think the Maple Leafs have a significant edge this time around.
The Maple Leafs can really assert themselves as a dominant force in 2025 and a win here could help them to climb to the very top of the Western Conference. In addition to this, their recent form has been superb, with teams finding it very hard to break through their rigid defense. We think the Maple Leafs win in convincing style here and our prediction lies with them to cover the -1.5 puck line.
Minnesota Wild @ Vegas Golden Knights
- Date: Sunday 12th of January 2025
- Time: 8:00 pm EDT
- Our Pick: Golden Knights To Win (Money Line)
Last but not least is the Sunday game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild. Each of these teams have had strong seasons thus far and both have a presence towards the top of the Western Conference. This game comes with big implications for the rest of the season, and on paper, it should be a close one.
The head-to-head favors the Vegas Golden Knights rather heavily, as they’ve been victorious in all three of their previous meetings. In addition to this, the team from Vegas have form, as the Minnesota Wild did struggle towards the mid-way point of December. We think the Golden Knights will win this one. However, we’re only backing the money line bet as this game could very much be decided by one crucial, well-timed goal.
How Many Games Does Each NHL Team Play This Week?
There are a total of 53 games in the NHL this week, with Saturday 11th being by far the busiest day, featuring a total of 15 different matches. Spectators can also enjoy 10 games on both Tuesday the 7th of January and Thursday the 9th of January 2025.
The Nashville Predators and the New York Islanders both have fewer games than everyone else, as they will only be heading out onto the rink twice between the 6th and 12th of January 2025. On the end of the scale, there are 12 teams that play four times this week, which includes the Dallas Stars, the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks.
Here’s a table showing the exact number of games each team in the NHL will play this week:
| Team | Number of Games This Week |
| Anaheim Ducks | 4 |
| Boston Bruins | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 3 |
| Calgary Flames | 3 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 4 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 3 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 4 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 3 |
| Dallas Stars | 4 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 3 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 3 |
| Florida Panthers | 3 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 3 |
| Minnesota Wild | 4 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 3 |
| Nashville Predators | 2 |
| New Jersey Devils | 3 |
| New York Islanders | 2 |
| New York Rangers | 3 |
| Ottawa Senators | 4 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 3 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 |
| San Jose Sharks | 3 |
| Seattle Kraken | 4 |
| St. Louis Blues | 3 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 4 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 3 |
| Utah Hockey Club | 3 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 4 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 4 |
| Washington Capitals | 4 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 3 |
How to Bet on the NHL Online with BetVictor Canada
If you want to bet on the NHL online with us at BetVictor, here’s a comprehensive guide you can use to get started:
1. Sign in to your BetVictor account. For anyone who hasn’t registered with us already, simply click on the green ‘Sign Up’ button in the top right corner and fill in the various fields that appear. From here, you can verify your details and make a deposit to bet on the NHL online with real funds.
2. Next, head to the sports betting page and find ‘Hockey’.
3. Click on ‘Competitions’ and then select ‘NHL’.
4. A list of games will then appear, allowing you to find and select the one you’d like to bet on.
5. Click your desired outcome to add it to the bet slip.
6. All that’s left to do then is type in your desired stake size and confirm the bet.
Here at BetVictor, we have a comprehensive range of ice hockey odds that covers all matches across the NHL. You can also find each game on our in-play betting page as soon as the action gets underway.
Before placing a bet, why not check out our offers page, too? Here you can find a selection of different bonus offers, many of which can be used across all sports betting markets, including on ice hockey odds!
Our NHL betting picks for games between the 6th and 12th of January 2025 are over 5.5 goals in the match between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 against the Vancouver Canucks, and the Vegas Golden Knights to win (Money Line) against the Minnesota Wild.
There are 12 teams that play four times this week, which includes the likes of the Minnesota Wild, the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Vancouver Canucks.
The best place to bet on the NHL online is right here at BetVictor Canada. We have a huge range of markets to choose from alongside a variety of bonus offers, many of which can be used across all ice hockey betting markets.
