There are now just 3 days remaining in the 2025-26 NHL regular season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost here, but we still have a few more regular-season games to take care of. The final week of the regular season continues with a 9-game slate on Tuesday, which gives us plenty of opportunities to find some betting value. If you will be following along and want to have some action, I have picked out my 3 NHL best bets for Tuesday with odds and lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Furthermore, don’t forget to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the regular season and playoffs, including all 10 matchups today.
NHL best bet: Washington Capitals ML over Columbus Blue Jackets (-105)
Both the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets wrap up their regular seasons at Nationwide Arena in Ohio’s capital city, and it might be the final time we see Alexander Ovechkin on the ice in the NHL. Both teams are eliminated from playoff contention despite 93 points for the Capitals, and 92 points for the Blue Jackets. If these teams were in the Western Conference, particularly in the Pacific Division, they’d be smack dab in the middle of the postseason hunt. But, of course, they’re not.
The Capitals have won all three regular-season meetings, winning by scores of 2-0, 5-1, and 5-1. That follows a common theme in this series, as Washington has won 8 of the last 10 matchups against Columbus in this series. Washington also enters this contest with momentum riding a 3-game win streak and has wins in 4 of its last 5 games. Columbus is stumbling down the stretch, and has just 2 wins in its last 10 games. Ride the hot hand and back the Capitals on the moneyline in this matchup.
Read our full Capitals vs Blue Jackets prediction for tonight’s game on ESPN
NHL best bet: Pittsburgh Penguins vs St. Louis Blues Under 6.5 (-112)
With the Flyers beating the Hurricanes in a dramatic shootout on Monday night, the Penguins and Flyers are set to meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In what will be an entertaining series to watch unfold, but the Penguins still have one more regular-season game left on Tuesday night against the Blues. Given the fact that their postseason matchup is already set, it would be a bit surprising to see the Penguins play with maximum effort in this one. Furthermore, don’t be alarmed if Pittsburgh head coach Dan Muse rests some of his top guys. Pittsburgh’s only objective in this game is to make it through as healthy as possible. With that in mind, don’t expect the Penguins to be super aggressive on either end of the ice.
The Blues are playing on the second half of a back-to-back as they defeated the Wild 6-3 on Monday night. Thus, fatigue may be an issue. Furthermore, the Blues have struggled to score goals on a consistent basis this season, as they enter this matchup ranked 27th in the NHL, scoring just 2.68 goals per game. All things considered, this has the makings of a low-scoring game.
Read our full Penguins vs Blues prediction for the 2nd ESPN matchup today
NHL best bet: Anaheim Ducks ML over Minnesota Wild (-130)
The Ducks currently sit in 3rd place in the Pacific Division, and they still have a chance to win the division as they are just a single point behind the 1st place Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks have now lost 7 of their last 8 games, but they are about to face a severely depleted Minnesota Wild team in this one. Minnesota’s first-round playoff matchup is already known, as they are set to take on the Dallas Stars in what should be a tremendous series to watch unfold. With that in mind, head coach John Hynes has already stated that several top players will be held off the ice for rest in this game.
Most notably, Minnesota will be playing without Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Kirill Kaprizov, and Joel Eriksson Ek, among others. That opens the door for Anaheim to put forth a solid performance on the road. The Ducks still have something to play for, and they should come out firing against a shorthanded Wild team. Back the Ducks on the road.
Read our full Ducks vs Wild prediction
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