Friday NHL Best Bets Dec. 12: Will Blues rebound from latest loss?

Last Updated on December 12, 2025 7:51 am by Anthony Rome

The NHL slate only carries two games on Friday night, one of which is in St. Louis where the Blues will host the Blackhawks. Will the struggling Note rebound from an embarrassing loss to Nashville on Thursday night? Or is Chicago the better bet as a road dog? Read on for our Friday NHL Best Bets Dec. 12 edition for our selection in that game.

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NHL Best Bet: Chicago Blackhawks +108

St. Louis is flaky in net and just took a heavy loss. The Blues were shelled 7-2 in Nashville in their most recent game — Jordan Binnington was replaced after allowing six goals on 25 shots in that outing and the team looked off defensively. A hot offense can punish this Blues defense and an inconsistent goalie. That makes backing the underdog on the moneyline a real contrarian edge when the road club (Chicago) is competent offensively.
Chicago’s underlying form and roster balance. The Blackhawks have been competitive this season (hovering around a .500 profile as of the latest stat windows) and are led offensively by younger playmakers who can exploit a Blues group giving up higher-danger chances. Chicago’s record and recent results show a team capable of stealing a road game when the opponent’s net is shaky.
Matchup and puck-flow advantage. The Blues have been scoring below league average and are dealing with lineup turnover and injury noise; when you combine shaky goalie play with a team that doesn’t generate consistent high-danger entries, let the market underprice the visiting club’s moneyline. Chicago is not a “run-and-hide” underdog — they can create chances off the rush and on the power play. The ML price (+108) overstates St. Louis’s ability to close a bounce-filled game.
Injury and roster notes favor a Chicago approach. St. Louis has supplementary injuries and call-ups affecting depth and continuity; Chicago’s injury list around this date is manageable and the club has activated some depth pieces recently. That stability matters in one-off road tilts where the home team’s netminding is uncertain.

Final read / pick

Play: Chicago Blackhawks +108
Why: Blues’ recent defensive melt and goaltending wobble (7-2 loss, Binnington yanked) + Chicago’s steady-ish form and ability to cash the underdog ML make +108 a bettable price.

NHL Best Bet: Kraken/Mammoth over 5.5

Both teams have recent scoring events and vulnerabilities. Seattle snapped a skid with a 3-2 overtime win where their power play produced and Joey Daccord made 24 saves; that shows Seattle can score in waves and give up goals in transition. Utah has produced multiple multi-goal outcomes in recent weeks (4–3 losses, 5–1 wins) and has several forwards heating up. Recent recaps show high-scoring affairs for both sides.
Key Mammoth injury actually increases scoring variance. Utah’s top center Logan Cooley was ruled out indefinitely (lower-body injury sustained crashing into the post). Cooley’s absence changes matchups — it reduces Utah’s top-end play-driving minutes but tends to push more offense to secondary scorers (Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, JJ Peterka, etc.). Teams without their primary 5-on-5 driver often get more reliance on higher-variance scoring lines and more defensive breakdowns against top opponents (leading to more goals both ways). With Cooley out (multi-week timeline), expect different line juggling and possibly more scoring concessions.
Kraken’s power play and transition attack can exploit Utah’s shaken defensive rotations. Seattle just converted on multiple power-play chances in their last win; if Utah is rotating lines and short-handed in center-ice structure, Seattle’s zone entries and man-advantage chances will generate opportunities. That increases expected goals on both sides.
Historical / recent totals support the play. These two clubs have been involved in games that clear 5.5 recently: Kraken games have had varied totals, Mammoth games have been high-event (4–3, 5–1, etc.), and the combination of an upset-prone Utah defense + Seattle’s opportunistic scoring creates the path to 6+ combined goals.

Final read / pick

Play: Kraken vs Mammoth — OVER 5.5 (confidence: moderate–strong).
Why: Both clubs are prone to high-event games lately; Utah’s Cooley injury adds volatility to their defense and scoring distribution, while Seattle’s special-teams and transition ability create scoring chances. Expect 6+ total goals.