NHL Predictions: Top Picks & Player Props (Dec. 12)

Friday, December 12, 2025, brings a tight two-game NHL slate with clear edges in special teams mismatches and goaltending gaps.

Friday’s NHL action features two games where the value is hiding in plain sight. The Blackhawks travel to St. Louis as road dogs despite bringing superior goaltending, rest advantage, and better special teams against a Blues team on a back-to-back that’s been a money burner all season. Out West, the Kraken visit Utah in what should be a high-scoring affair, with Seattle’s league-worst penalty kill facing a Utah power play that’s heating up at exactly the right time.

Here’s how we’re playing the December 12th NHL slate.

Pick #1) Blackhawks Moneyline +125

Bet Rationale: St. Louis is on the second night of a back-to-back and coming off another ugly loss. Chicago, meanwhile, just shut out the Rangers 3-0 behind Spencer Knight and rolls into St. Louis with rest and confidence after surviving a tough West Coast trip.

The goaltending gap is real. Spencer Knight is sitting around a .916 save percentage with strong numbers in most of his starts, while Joel Hofer is under .900 and far more volatile. Tired legs plus a shaky goalie is a bad cocktail, especially against a Chicago team that’s been profitable all season as an underdog.

Connor Bedard and a hot Tyler Bertuzzi are driving the offense, while St. Louis is patching their forward group with new signings still trying to get up to speed. The Blues are tired, inconsistent, and unreliable as favorites. This is a spot where the so-called ‘dog’ shouldn’t be priced as one — this is a true pick’em.

Player Props | Blackhawks vs Blues

Connor Bedard – Over Shots on Goal

Bedard has 101 shots in 30 games — over 3 shots per night — and plays 21 minutes a game. He is Chicago’s offense. St. Louis tends to control more of the puck at 5-on-5, which means when Chicago does get their pushes, the puck goes straight to Bedard. Tired Blues equals more penalties and more time defending, which means more power-play time to feed Bedard all night.

Tyler Bertuzzi – Over Points (or Anytime Goal)

Bertuzzi has 16 goals and 26 points in 27 games — he’s not just riding shotgun, he’s finishing plays. He’s playing 18 minutes a night and is often tied to Bedard on the scoresheet. If Chicago gets to three goals — and that feels likely — it’s hard to see it happening without Bertuzzi hitting the scoresheet.

Betting Notes | Blackhawks vs Blues

• Role Reversal: Chicago has been profitable as an underdog all year; St. Louis has been unreliable as a favorite
• Special Teams: Blackhawks own the better power play (22%+) and penalty kill (84%); Blues sit under 20% PP and under 80% PK
• Scoring Setup: Chicago averages more goals on the road than St. Louis does at home
• Star Power vs. Patchwork Depth: Chicago brings Bedard and a hot Bertuzzi; St. Louis is plugging holes with new additions

Pick #2) Over 5.5 Goals (-120) | Kraken vs Utah

Bet Rationale: On the surface, Seattle has been an “under” team all season. But recent form and this specific matchup tell a different story. Utah at home scores 3.23 goals per game and fires nearly 30 shots a night. Seattle’s last five games have averaged almost 7 total goals thanks to a leaky defensive stretch and special-teams chaos. Utah has gone over in 6 of its last 9.

The real edge here is special teams. Utah’s power play has quietly heated up, scoring 3 goals on 13 chances over their last five games. Seattle’s rocking the worst penalty kill in the league — just 67% on the season, and an abysmal 50% over the last five games (8 goals on 16 kills). That’s tire-fire territory. 

Seattle’s power play has also been clicking, with 5 goals on 21 chances in that same span. It looks like a snoozer on paper, but the game flow points to goals.

Player Props | Kraken vs Utah

Dylan Guenther – Anytime Goal 

Guenther is Utah’s pure shooter in the top six with 13 goals already and more than 100 shots on the year. He just dropped two goals against Florida and is one of the main weapons on a Utah power play that now gets to attack Seattle’s broken penalty kill. With Utah expected to tilt the ice and get their chances, Guenther fits the game script perfectly: high volume, prime usage, and a great matchup for both anytime goal and shots over.

Clayton Keller – Over Points

Keller is the playmaker who ties Utah’s top line and power play together. He has 28 points in 32 games, plays heavy minutes, sees top power-play time, and is always around the puck when Utah scores. If we expect Utah to get to 3+ goals, Keller is a good bet to be on the scoresheet one way or another. If books hang a reasonable price on a power-play point, that’s worth a look too, given how soft Seattle’s penalty kill has been.

Betting Notes | Kraken vs Utah

• Side/Spread: Utah has lost 7 of last 9 but plays better at home (3.23 goals per game); Seattle is 1-6 in last 7 but holds 7-3 edge in last 10 meetings
• Home/Road Split: Utah is 4-2 in last 6 home games vs Seattle
• Total Environment: Utah games have gone Over in 6 of the last 9; Seattle’s last 5 have averaged close to 7 total goals
• Head-to-Head Scoring: These teams average around 6.2 goals per game when they meet
• Shot Generation: Utah controls 53%+ of shot attempts at 5-on-5 and averages nearly 30 shots per game at home