Check out our best NHL bets today for Tuesday's 10-game slate, including predictions for Red Wings vs. Rangers, Penguins vs. Ducks and more.
The Action Network's hockey experts have best bets for more than half of tonight's matchups, including the doubleheader on TNT.
Our picks include moneylines, totals, a game prop and more.
So, if you're looking for some action, we've got you covered with our top NHL best bets below.
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NHL 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 |
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  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 10 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. | ||
Sabres vs. Hurricanes
By Tony Sartori
There have been six or fewer total goals scored in seven of Buffalo's first 12 games this season, which is a trend different than years past for a typically offensive-minded team. A big part of this trend is the improved play of the Sabres' blue line, which shouldn't be all that shocking given the continued development of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
Meanwhile, the additions of Connor Clifton and Erik Johnson have helped strengthen the blue line, which is why Buffalo ranks higher in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) than it does in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5. The Sabres have also gotten some solid play from goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who is 3-2 with a .901 SV% and 3.13 GAA through five appearances in the crease.
Carolina has profiled similarly this season in the sense that it has played better defensively than offensively, at least at even-strength. At 5-on-5, the Canes rank third in xGA/60.
The reason they are allowing 3.5 goals per game is two factors. First, the penalty kill has struggled, but that could be nullified against a Sabres team that ranks 27th in power play percentage this season.
Second, the goaltending has been inconsistent. Antti Raanta is slated to take the crease for Carolina, and he owns a .870 SV% and 3.04 GAA through five appearances between the pipes.
However, he's a better goaltender than those numbers suggest, and we should expect positive regression sooner rather than later for a guy who has finished each of his two seasons on Carolina with a SV% north of .909.
There have also been six or fewer total goals scored in five of the Canes' past six games, a trend that is likely to continue in this matchup between two teams that are in the bottom half of the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5.
Pick: Under 6.5 (+120 at DraftKings)
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Lightning vs. Canadiens
The Lightning's excellent reputation has helped hide the fact that their defensive play has been shaky this season.
They have allowed 3.52 xGA/60. Despite surprisingly strong form from top goaltending option Jonas Johansson, they have still allowed 3.50 goals per game.
Johansson is not likely to play the second leg of a back-to-back, though, so we should see Matt Tomkins here. Tomkins owns an .891 save % and 3.61 GAA in two games this season, and he will likely produce below-average results moving forward.
The Lightning's offensive stars have produced as usual, though, and they get a great matchup to do damage tonight against the Canadiens.
The Canadiens' 4.11 xGA/60 is the second-worst mark in the league. Their defensive play looks that bad to the eye, and it will likely be only a matter of time until their GAA rises as Jake Allen comes down to earth.
Betting this game to go over 6.5 at anything better than -130 holds value.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-120 at DraftKings)
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Wild vs. Islanders
By Ryan Dadoun
At first glance, the Over of 5.5 goals seems achievable for the Islanders’ game tonight against Minnesota. Sure, the Islanders are likely to send out goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who has earned a shutout in each of his last two starts, but the Wild games have been living up to the team’s nickname.
Minnesota is a strong squad offensively, ranking ninth with 3.55 goals per game, and horrendous defensively, ranking 30th with an average of 4.18 goals allowed.
However, a lot of the Wild’s defensive struggles are due to goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who has a 4.89 GAA and an .871 save percentage through seven contests. Marc-Andre Fleury, who is expected to start Tuesday, has a 2.83 GAA and an .892 save percentage by contrast. Still not great, but manageable, and likely enough to deal with the Islanders.
New York has averaged just 2.70 goals per game this year. It doesn't get any better if you look at the Islanders' xGF, where they rank 29th in the league at 29.22. To make matters worse, they might be without Bo Horvat (lower body), who has been one of their top forwards with four goals and nine points in 10 outings.
The mixture of the Islanders’ poor offense, their hot goaltender in Varlamov, and the Wild not starting the slumping Gustavsson should be enough to make this the kind of low-scoring game that the Islanders are accustomed to.
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Red Wings vs. Rangers
By Greg Liodice
The New York Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings in the first matchup of the season series. New York is coming off a loss in which it blew a 3-0 lead to the Wild whereas the Red Wings are fresh off a win against the Bruins.
When I look at the metrics here, both teams are fairly even. They’re each positioned around the same at 5-on-5 offense and in their power plays and penalty kills. The two differences are that the Rangers are far more superior at both 5-on-5 defense and goaltending.
You may have heard of Igor Shesterkin, the Vezina winner two years ago. The Russian netminder has kept the Rangers near the elite of the NHL, including first place in the Metropolitan Division.
I’m a little weary of the Red Wings right now. Detroit started off red hot, winning five games in a row, but then went on to lose four out of its next six. Offseason signing Alex Debrincat has also cooled off mightily after going on a tear, and he’s goalless in five straight. It just seems like the Wings have come back down to earth and are trying to figure themselves out.
For the most part, I do think this will be a close game. As I mentioned before, both teams play at a similar pace, but in the end, New York’s even-strength defense will be too much, so I'm playing the Rangers on the three-way line to win in regulation/first 60.
What also stands out to me is that after each loss the Rangers have suffered, they win the next game. Coach Peter Laviolette always gets the best of his teams in the first year of his tenure, so it would be no surprise to see the Blue Shirts come out with the regulation win.
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Jets vs. Blues
St. Louis has gotten off to a decent start behind strong goaltending from Jordan Binnington, but this is still a team that really struggles to score. The Blues rank 29th in the league in scoring, but it’s not just that they are snake-bitten. They also don’t generate chances.
St. Louis is 31st in the league in high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 and has the worst xGoals in the league.
Winnipeg has just one more point than the Blues but has done significantly better at controlling play. The Jets are eighth in high-danger chance percentage and ninth in xGF% on the season. Their biggest issue has been their penalty kill is a mess, but I expect them to clean that up. This team finished seventh in the league on the PK last season.
It should also help that St. Louis has the worst power play in the league. The Blues have converted just one goal all season with the man advantage. Not only do they have the lowest power-play percentage, but they’ve also had the fewest opportunities.
The Jets have more firepower on offense than the Blues. Kyle Connor has six goals through 11 games, and the line of Appleton, Lowry and Niederreiter has found great chemistry while skating to a 66.7% xGoals%. Winnipeg has seven players with at least eight points on the year; St. Louis has one.
If Winnipeg can keep this game at 5-on-5, the Jets should dominate play and get the win. I’ll back the Winnipeg as a short favorite.
Pick: Jets (-135 at Betway)
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Penguins vs. Ducks
By Carol Schram
The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their three-game California swing with a 10-2 beatdown of the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. But don’t let that get you thinking that the Penguins’ early-season woes are suddenly solved.
San Jose is going to be historically bad this season, so that result should be treated as an outlier.
But before they left Pittsburgh, the Penguins dropped a 4-3 decision to the upstart Anaheim Ducks — who went home and beat Arizona in overtime before engineering a four-goal third-period comeback on Sunday to hand the Vegas Golden Knights their first regulation loss of the year.
The Ducks have now won six straight to sit three games above .500. And with a 3-3-0 record when trailing after two periods, they’re developing a reputation as comeback kids.
Anaheim is also solid on the back end, and October Rookie of the Month Lukas Dostal should get the start on Tuesday. He has a 5-1-0 record, .920 save percentage and 5.6 goals saved above expected.
At the other end, Tristan Jarry will likely be between the pipes for Pittsburgh. He’s 3-5-0 with a save percentage of .897 and minus-0.9 goals saved above expected.
The Penguins may not be as bad as their early-season results suggest, but they’re facing a buzzsaw in Anaheim on Tuesday. Look for Greg Cronin’s crew to make it seven in a row against Sidney Crosby and company. I like this bet at anything better than +110, so I see lots of value.
Pick: Ducks (+162)
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