Check out our NHL odds with our expert picks and predictions for the hockey slate on Tuesday, October 15.
Tonight features nine games in all, including a doubleheader on ESPN that starts at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). For our NHL best bets, we're targeting a trio of the earlier games, including that first ESPN game.
Our hockey pros have studied the NHL odds board, and they've taken moneyline sides with Canucks vs. Lightning (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), Devils vs. Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+), and Wild vs. Blues (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN & ESPN+) for the Tuesday night slate.
Below, check out the latest NHL odds and their best bets with three teams we're targeting to win straight up.
NHL Odds & Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Canucks vs. Lightning
By Greg Liodice
The Tampa Bay Lightning (+110) are among the few teams that have played only one game this season. Part of it was out of their control due to Hurricane Milton, but a lot of rust will need to be shaken off.
The Vancouver Canucks come into Tampa (-130) with a bitter taste in their mouths. An overtime and shootout loss at home is a tough pill to swallow – one that included blowing a 4-1 lead. In each game played, the Canucks dominated play and are fourth in 5-on-5 expected goals with a 62.18 xGF%.
Additionally, their defensive play has been among the elite. They hold the best xGA/60, slightly above the Wild, who led that category all last season.
I understand it’s two games, but I like what I see from Vancouver. Of course, the major question comes in net with Thatcher Demko’s status still uncertain. The Canucks showed that they could do well without Demko last season in the playoffs when Arturs Silovs came in relief. But to start the season, Silovs looked shaky, allowing six goals on 26 shots.
The Lightning have played only one game since Oct. 4’s preseason game. They came out with a win to start the season in Carolina with Nikita Kucherov leading the way with a hat trick, but since then, they've been twiddling their thumbs. Even though they came out with a victory, the numbers don’t seem favorable.
They’re dead last in 5-on-5 expected goals and second to last in xGA/60. We all know Kucherov’s an all-world talent, as well as Brayden Point and Victor Hedman, but this is a much older and different team than the Stanley Cup-winning teams we saw in years past.
I also look at Vancouver’s road numbers, where the team went 23-14-4 last season. There’s a lot of motivation for the Canucks to take this game, and with visitors at +115, I think it’s great value to take.
Greg's Pick: Canucks (+115 at Caesars Sportsbook)
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Devils vs. Hurricanes
So far, so good for the New Jersey Devils.
Saddled with lofty expectations after a splashy offseason, the Devils have come out of the gates in terrific fashion with four wins in their first five games and a +8 goal difference to back it up.
It's early, but it does look like the Devils (+140) are on the straight and narrow. As for the Carolina Hurricanes (-165), it's still impossible to tell what direction this team is headed this season.
The Canes watched plenty of key contributors walk out the door this summer and didn't do that much to replace the production that came out of the lineup. Carolina hopes that improvements from within will be what drives them back into the playoffs.
Because of a weather postponement, Carolina has played just one game in a week, and that contest – a 4-1 loss to the Lightning – wasn't exactly a Picasso.
The Devils did play on Monday afternoon, but I'm not all that concerned with the back-to-back this early in the season, especially since the first leg was a matinee. In fact, I'd give the schedule edge to New Jersey since the Canes have barely played any real hockey yet this season – while the Devils are playing their sixth game of the campaign.
And even if you decide the schedule spot is a wash, I would still argue it's a pretty simple equation right now. The Devils are the better team from a power ratings perspective and you're getting them at a good price on the road because of what Carolina did last season, not what we're expecting out of them going forward.
Michael's Pick: Devils (+130 at ESPN BET)
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Wild vs. Blues
By Nick Martin
Through three games, these Central Division rivals have each collected four points. They're priced evenly against the Wild (-125) at the time of writing for the Blues (+105 home opener tonight. The Wild's roster looks more well-rounded on paper, though, and I'd argue their overall game has been sharper thus far.
The Blues allowed the league's fifth-worst xGA/60 last season, and their defense core is arguably worse now than it was a year ago. They hold an xGF% of 48.32 through three games at even strength, and they look like they will be a below-average side defensively all season.
Through three games, the Wild hold an expected goal share of 51.26%, and they have displayed a fairly strong process at even strength. Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon and Brock Faber are all better defenders than anyone on the Blues roster. The gap in talent on the back end is the reason I don't think these teams will finish that close in the standings this season.
Led by their far more mobile defensive core, the Wild should own much more of the play at even strength in this game. The Blues feature some potent goalscorers and should continue to be an irritating team to fade this season, but considering the current prices, I can live with that.
We'll play Minnesota down to -120.
Nick's Pick: Wild (-105 at DraftKings)
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