It’s finally back! It’s been weeks since we’ve had NHL action on the ice, but the 2026 Winter Olympics certainly didn’t disappoint, either. Regardless, we’re back in full swing with an eight-game slate that features a TNT doubleheader. We’re here to help you make the most of it with our NHL best bets today AND NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions!

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🏒 NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 2/25

As for the aforementioned TNT doubleheader, those games are both divisional rivalries with Maple Leafs vs. Lightning and Golden Knights vs. Kings. With the former featuring absolute superstars in Auston Matthews and Nikita Kucherov, it’s sure to be part of some NHL best bets today and NHL expert picks.

With Tampa having vastly superior goaltending with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes and on home ice, we expect them to come away with the victory. Speaking of home teams, if you just want some basic NHL picks before we dive into more specific markets, we like the Mammoth on the +1.5 puck line.

Betting against the most likely Stanley Cup champions - the Colorado Avalanche - is tough to swallow, but Utah has proven to be competitive. They’ve already played the Avs three times, and all three games were decided by one goal. It’s a great trend, but it still didn’t quite make the cut for our NHL best bets today, so let’s break those down!
 

 

 

🔥 Sabres vs. Devils Best Bet: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Over 26.5 Saves (-118 at Novig)

We’re not making you wait at all - we’re targeting the very first game back! Well, one of the first two, and it’s the one that involves one of the brothers for Team USA at the Olympics in Milan. Both Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes had their moments, but we’re focused on the team Jack is going against with our NHL best bets today.

Actually, his volume shooting is a large part of why we’re rolling with a saves prop for the Sabres netminder. We have the expected line above, given what we’ve seen this season, but we’ll need goalie confirmations before we can lock it in. Even if it ends up being Alex Lyon, we like this spot for our NHL best bets today all the same.

After all, Luukkonen had 26 saves against New Jersey earlier this year, and it adds up. Buffalo allows the fourth-most shots per game, while the Devils take the sixth-most. At the same time, New Jersey is the second-LOWEST scoring team. So, they’re taking a ton of shots but not finding the back of the net often.

That’s a perfect recipe to start our NHL best bets today with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen over 26.5 saves (-118 at Novig).

🔥 Oilers vs. Ducks Best Bet: Leon Draisaitl Over 1.5 Points (+104 at Novig)

We’re going from one of the earliest games to the nightcap. It’s a Pacific Division clash that has been as lopsided as it gets, even with Anaheim improving from recent seasons. Edmonton may be all about Connor McDavid, but on any other team, Draisaitl would be their McDavid, hence why he’s part of our NHL best bets today.

He’s good for multiple points on any given night, and his 80 (in 55 games) are the fifth-most in the NHL this season. FOUR of those came against the Ducks shortly before the Olympic break, and we’re only asking for half of that. It’s also not just that game that has us targeting this for our NHL best bets today.

Draisaitl has loved facing the Ducks, which is why you could also take a goal-scoring prop. In three meetings last year, he lit the lamp in each one, with four in total. Consider that approach, but we’re adding to our NHL best bets today with Leon Draisaitl over 1.5 points (+104 at Novig).
 

 

 

🏒 Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 2/25

If you’d like a bonus play for your NHL picks tonight, we also love Kyle Connor as an anytime goal scorer against a struggling Vancouver Canucks squad. With that in mind, here are some of the top NHL player props for tonight at Novig Sportsbook:

Anytime Goal Scorer:

Shots on Goal (Over/Under):

Assists(Over/Under):

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🏒 Today's NHL DFS Cheat Sheet & Stacks

Now that you’ve got our NHL best bets today, it’s time to dive into something else that we promised. That would be our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions:

🏅 Skater of the Day (Along w/ Leon Draisaitl): Nikita Kucherov

We’re going to spin things back to one of the featured divisional rivalries on TNT. You can see why this isn’t the value pick of the day, as we aren’t holding back with our first NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions back from the break. It’s not often that we’ll focus on such an expensive skater, but the matchup is too ideal.

That’s because Toronto is not only struggling goaltending-wise, but also defensively overall. Along with allowing the sixth-most goals per game, they also allow the absolute most shots per game. That's a perfect recipe for Kucherov, whose 91 points are the third-most in the entire NHL and who averages over three shots on goal per game.

Kuch also had nine points across the last three games before the break, so he kicks off our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions for today.

🏅 Goalie of the Day (Along w/ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen): Anton Forsberg

Truthfully, outside of the Sabres vs. Devils situation, it’s not feeling like an awesome goalie slate. Of course, we’re here to find the best spots available, and we’re adding to our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions with the other divisional rivalry on TNT - the Pacific Division Golden Knights vs. Kings clash.

We saw Vegas’ Jack Eichel fire early and often in the Olympics, so we already know he’s in form. Overall, the Golden Knights and Kings sit around the middle of the pack in terms of shots taken per game and shots allowed per game, respectively, so we won’t sit here and expect a 32+ save type of night.

However, with the Kings having been a defensive-focused team for several seasons now and currently allowing the sixth-fewest goals per game, we’ll add Anton Forsberg to our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions.

🏅 Value Pick of the Day: Devon Toews

When it comes to value, who says no to a guy that gets to skate alongside Nathan MacKinnon? Toews just did so in the Olympics with him for Team Canada as well, and motivation is part of why he’s included in our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions. He’s the one on the wrong end of one of the iconic Team USA photos from winning Gold.

We also get to enjoy a great salary for Toews, thanks to the Avalanche also having Cale Makar on the ice. However, Toews is still on the ice more than 22 minutes per game, which is more than even MacKinnon. AT nearly HALF the price of Makar tonight, Toews is the value play from our NHL DFS cheat sheet predictions.

Player Pool

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