Trevor Zegras’ excellence has gone under the radar this season, and he has a great chance to score against the Buffalo Sabres.
The pregame narrative: In the late-night slate, look for Tom Wilson to get on the board when the Washington Capitals visit the San Jose Sharks out west.
Check out my NHL goal picks for Dec. 3.
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NHL goal picks Dec. 3
Best Bet: Zegras to score (+200)
The Philadelphia Flyers are firmly in a playoff position mainly because of their defence. But when they need goals, Zegras has been the top contributor.
He leads or is tied for the lead in most categories.
- Goals (9)
- Points (25)
- Shots (61)
He’s also second to Travis Konceny for average ice time among Flyers forwards.
The other juicy part of this wager is fading the Sabres.
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Buffalo gives up the eighth-most shots (30.1) and goals (3.35) against per game.
Rookie goaltender Colten Ellis is expected to make his seventh career start. He has a .898 SV% and 3.13 GAA.
I expect Philly to score at least a few tonight at home, and Zegras has great value at better than 2-to-1 odds.
Key stat: Zegras has cashed this wager in two of the last three games.
NHL predictions
Wilson to score (+155): It isn’t Alexander Ovechkin leading the Capitals in goals; it’s Wilson, who has 16. That’s tied for sixth in the NHL.
The power forward is impactful in all areas, and he leads Washington’s forwards in ice time.
On top of that, he has a solid matchup against the Sharks.
San Jose gives up a ton of chances. It ranks dead last in the NHL for shots against (31.7/game), leading to 3.19 goals against on average.
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That won’t bode well against the Capitals, who rank near the top of the league in shots and goals.
Yaroslav Aksarov has been great in his first season as a full-time starter for the Sharks. But even the best goalies are vulnerable when the team gives up so many chances.
Washington should have plenty of opportunities tonight, so back Wilson, who’s on fire with five goals in his last five games (4-1 on this wager).
NHL goal picks made at 9:33 a.m. ET on Dec. 3, 2025.
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Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.