Top NHL picks December 30: Bet on the Hurricanes to top Florida

There are four NHL games on Friday's schedule. The Hurricanes are the favourite to beat Florida.

The New Jersey Devils are on the road. The Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Florida Panthers.

New Jersey's offence is playing well and we like its chances of breaking out on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils rank fifth in expected goals per 60 and eighth in high-danger chances per60. They've only topped this total in two of five games during this stretch thanks to a 30th-ranked team shooting percentage.

Devils moneyline is another wager we recommend making. New Jersey is 10th in expected goals percentage (53.28%) over the last couple of weeks, while Pittsburgh is 28th (42.10%). Goalkeeping has been a problem for New York, as it ranks 27th with a team save percentage of (.874) over last 14 days.

The Panthers beat Montreal 7-2 on Thursday night. Florida has only won one of its last six games against East teams currently holding down a playoff spot. The Hurricanes have won their last five games versus the East playoff teams.