The hot team in the NHL at the moment? We could give a worse answer than Minnesota! It's six wins on the trot for the Wild, who are gathering even more momentum since stealing Quinn Hughes from the Canucks last week. One of the best puck-moving defenders in the league, Hughes adds just what John Hynes needed for Minnesota to better challenge heavyweights like Colorado and Dallas in the Central Division. Meanwhile, though Edmonton has won four of five, it is scrambling in goal again and back to Cal Pickard (3.91 GAA) this afternoon after Tristan Jarry, recently added from the Pens in exchange for Stuart Skinner, was just put on the IR with a lower-body injury. Play Wild on Money Line

Many teams are kicking themselves after the Red Wings beat them to the punch to acquire GK John Gibson during the offseason. After getting little help the past couple of years in Anaheim, Gibson is now flourishing in Detroit, pushing Cam Talbot to second fiddle as Gibson enjoys a big December. How big? Gibson is 6-0-0 this month, with two shutouts in his last four starts, stopping 115 of the 120 shots (.958 saves) he's faced during that span. Meanwhile, the Caps did snap a three-game skid when Logan Thompson (slated in the nets today) blanked the Leafs on Thursday, but Washington has lost three straight prior, scoring just three times that span. Play Red Wings on Money Line

We'll always be interested in a plus price with the defending champs, considering they hit Sunrise tonight having won three straight and six of seven. Since winning a wild 7-6 verdict over the Blue Jackets on December 6, Florida has tightened its defense considerably; in five of the wins in the six games since, the Panthers have allowed just 8 total goals. Sergei Bobrovsky, back in the nets tonight, has won in his last four starts, and stopped 68 of 73 shots (.932 saves) across the past three of those wins. True, Carolina does come in hot, with five straight wins, but prior to Wednesday's 4-1 win at Nashville, the Canes' previous three wins were all decided via shootout. Play Panthers on Money Line

Though Dallas has lost in his last two starts, Jake Oettinger has been performing well in goal for the Stars. To wit: in five starts this month, Oettinger has posted a 1.81 GAA and .930 saves, though he has been betrayed by his offense in his last two starts as Dallas scored a combined two goals in losses to the Wild and Panthers. The Stars continued to look sluggish for most of Tuesday vs. the Kings, too, before scoring twice in the last four minutes to finally put the game away. Meanwhile, prior to a pair of high-scoring wins, the Sharks had played five straight unders, and Thursday starter Alex Nedeljkovic faring decently in goal this month (2.42 GAA in four appearances). Play Stars-Sharks Under

The marketplace remains a bit slow to buy on San Jose even as the Sharks continue to surprise. The win streak is three; six goals in each of the past two wins. Against Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Sharks scored four times in the 3rd period to rally from a 5-1 deficit to force OT before winning; on Tuesday, it was a 6-3 romp past Calgary when Macklin Celebrini's now-expected magic (great "spin-o-rama goal vs. Calgary!) scored twice and matched by vet Barclay Goodrow's brace. Meanwhile, Dallas has looked a bit flat lately, scoring just two goals across losses to the Wild and Panthers before scoring twice in the last four minutes to finally pull away from the Kings on Tuesday. Play Sharks on Money Line

Blanked for the sixth time at MSG this season by the Canucks last night, now it's time for the Rangers to go on the road, which has proven a sanctuary of sorts for New York, and where they are 12-5-1 this term. The Rangers have won three of their last four away, and while the offense has been hit-or-miss, defense and goaltending haven't been bad; Igor Shesterkin (2.55 GAA, .908 saves) is expected in the nets tonight. Note the Blues haven't scored more than three goals in any of their last five games, and Jordan Binnington has had a rough December in goal (we'll say...5.63 GAA, .807 saves in four starts). Play Rangers on Puck Line

There's a lot to like about the Wild these days. Five straight wins are indicative, by a combined score of 23-7, and the recent addition of Quinn Hughes from Vancouver gives John Hynes a top-shelf, puck-moving defenseman that comes in handy in all situations. Goalie Jesper Wallstedt, in the nets tonight, has also been a win machine (9-1-2), and his season-long numbers remain impressive (1.95 GAA, .937 saves). The Blue Jackets might look vulnerable, even after Tuesday's OT win over the Ducks; Columbus had dropped six straight prior, with the offense scoring just six times in the preceding four losses. Play Wild on Money Line

There's no doubt it's a different Preds team lately, with more goals flying into the net and the over suddenly in focus. Clearing a number like 5.5 goals tonight looks well within Nashville's boundaries these days considering Pred scorelines have exceeded 5.5 in ten of the last eleven games. It's also overs in five straight, with Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg both having erupted within the past week, suggesting the higher-scoring might be here to stay for awhile. The most-recent meeting between these two ended 6-3 in Carolina's favor on December 6, and can envision a similar goal haul tonight in Music City. The Canes have scored at least three goals (with three shootouts, it must be added) their last four games. Play Canes-Preds Over

The past few weeks, only the powerhouse Avs have really slowed down the Preds, and even so, Nashville won last Tuesday over Colorado in OT at Bridgestone Arena before Nathan MacKinnon & Co reversed the result on Saturday in Denver. For the Preds, it's wins in seven of ten, a turnaround of significant proportions after languishing the first month-and-a-half of the season. The offense has come alive, scoring 18 times in the recent four-game span, with Filip Forsberg back in rhythm after his hat-trick in Monday's win over the Blues. The Canes enter Bridgestone Arena having won four straight but they are flying awfully close to the flame, with the last three of those requiring shootouts. Play Preds on Money Line

We're thinking that was a bit of an outlier (and that might be a big understatement) for a Sharks scoreline on Saturday in Pittsburgh, when San Jose made that whirlwind rally from 5-1 down in the third period to win 6-5 in OT. The previous four games had all landed exactly on five goals, and the Sharks could only mange 1 or 2 goals in four of the previous six games as they continue to look for consistent scoring from someone other than Macklin Celebrini. Meanwhile Calgary continued its low-scoring tendencies in Saturday's 2-1 win at LA, and GK Dustin Wolf has a 1.61 GAA in five December starts. Play Flames-Sharks Under

The Sharks probably didn't need a plane to fly home from Pittsburgh after that rousing 6-5 OT win on Saturday over the Penguins, rallying from 5-1 down in the third period. John Klingberg ended up scoring twice (including the winner) as San Jose got some offense from someone other than Macklin Celebrini. They're back at the Tank tonight facing a hot Flames bunch that's won three of four, but hard to trust Calgary's offense that's only scored more than Seattle in the West. Let's see if Sharks GK Yaroslav Askarov rediscovers his November form when posting a 1.88 GAA (December 4.55), and he's 10-4 his last fourteen starts. Play Sharks on Money Line

By a rather healthy margin, the Kraken remain the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, wallowing at just 74 goals into tonight. Having played just 30 games. Seattle has a couple of games in hand against most of the rest of the league, which might account for some of the disparity, but this sluggish offense is still scoring less than 2.5 goals pg. Joey Daccord (2.89 GAA) is doing his best in goal to keep scorelines respectable, but tonight he might have to blank the powerhouse Avs, as his Kraken teammates can't be expected to put many shots past Colorado counterpart Mackenzie Blackwood, considering his 2.19 GAA and .920 saves in 10 starts into tonight at Climate Pledge. Play Avs-Kraken Under

Goals-goals-goals, lots of them lately for Nashville. The Blues know first-hand after the Preds put seven past them last Thursday at Bridgestone Arena when Steven Stamkos scored four times for just the second time in his career. Though several have chipped in lately for Andrew Brunette, whose team seems to have solved its earlier offensive issues, scoring 35 times across the past nine games. Joel Hofer, in the net for St Louis tonight, came on late last Thursday, and gets another chance tonight after posting some very so-so numbers this season (including 3.10 GAA and .893 saves). Play Preds-Blues Over

It took the powerhouse Avs to cool down the rejuvenated Preds on Saturday night but Nashville still emits go-with vibes. The Blues could attest after getting run off of the ice at Bridgestone Arena by the Preds last Thursday in a 7-2 romp featuring four goals by Steven Stamkos (for just the second time in his career). Nashville had won six of eight, including against the Avs last Tuesday, before losing Saturday in Denver, but importantly for the Preds, the offense looks alive again. Meanwhile, St Louis continues to have issues on offense, held to three goals or fewer in eight straight games. Play Preds on Money Line

Colorado needed Cale Makar to score in the last eight seconds to force OT on Tuesday at Nashville (a game the Avs would lose in a shootout), but it allowed yet another Colorado game to land over in the eventual 4-3 loss. Returning home on Thursday to bounce the Panthers 6-2 means the Avs have pumped in 22 goals across their last four home games in Denver. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with the Colorado offense, with six different scorers in Thursday's win over Florida. There's more to tonight, however, as the visiting Preds are on a heater with wins in six of eight, and streaky Steven Stamkos just off of the second four-goal game of his career on Thursday vs. the Blues. Play Preds-Avs Over