Check out our NHL picks and predictions for the four-game hockey slate on Friday, October 11.
The first week of the regular season rolls on tonight with a quadruple-header of fun. And we're digging in with 3 juicy plus-money plays – including 2 moneyline bets and an anytime-goalscorer prop – for this evening's 4-game slate.
Our NHL experts are targeting a Blackhawks vs. Jets pick (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+), a Blues vs. Golden Knights prediction (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+), and a Flyers vs. Canucks prop bet (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
Let's dive in with our NHL best bets tonight.
NHL Picks & Predictions
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 8 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. | ||
Blackhawks vs. Jets
The Winnipeg Jets couldn't have asked for a better start to their season.
Handed the tough assignment of opening their campaign on the road in Edmonton, the Jets flipped the script as an unfancied underdog and skated away as 6-0 winners.
The first few games of the season always pack some surprises, but this one was pretty stunning given how everyone expected Edmonton – the Stanley Cup favorites – to come out of the gates.
And while that was a terrific showing and was another bit of evidence that we should overlook the Jets at our own peril, the calculus changes quite a bit when Winnipeg is sitting as a -250 favorite.
As consistent as the Jets were last season, they're just not the type of team I'd feel comfortable backing as a massive favorite. They're miles better than the Chicago Blackhawks, but the lack of scoring depth on Winnipeg's roster will make it tough for it to get the type of margin and separation you're looking for out of a favorite at this price.
Chicago didn't start its season on the right foot in Utah, but this lineup should have a lot more bite to it this season compared to last, and I expect them to be able to hang around against a team that could have issues scoring goals, despite what we saw on Wednesday.
Leboff's Pick: Blackhawks (+205)
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Flyers vs. Canucks
By Nick Martin
The Flyers should be an exciting team to watch in the early going of this season as they look to build on a positive 2023-24 campaign. They greatly outperformed expectations at the start of last season with a 17-10-3 start, providing a +16.5% ROI. I wouldn't be surprised to see John Tortorella's side catch some teams off guard early on this year too.
Calder Trophy favorite Matvei Michkov could be a legitimate game-breaker up front – something desperately missing from the team last season. Aside from just the addition of Michkov, the Flyers feature a number of young skaters beyond Michkov who should take steps forward this season.
Jamie Drysdale and Cam York both looked excellent in preseason play, and they have the potential to carry the top two units to solid results. Morgan Frost seems to have worked his way out of coach Tortorella's doghouse, and that should prove to be a good thing because of the offensive upside he provides.
Goaltending is the Flyers' greatest question mark. Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov compile arguably the worst duo in the league. Ersson was respectable early on last year, though, before falling apart down the stretch, when he was used almost nightly after Carter Hart's departure.
The Canucks, meanwhile, are a side that I believe is overvalued in the betting markets this season. Their bottom two defense pairings don't scream "100-point team" to me, and that concern could be particularly notable with Thatcher Demko on the sidelines.
I see value at +130 odds or better in backing the Flyers to steal a victory on the road Friday night in Vancouver.
Martin's Pick: Flyers (+150)
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Blues vs. Golden Knights
By Greg Liodice
Pavel Dorofeyev is one of the more offensively gifted forwards on the Vegas Golden Knights.
Now, with the Knights looking very different from their Stanley Cup-winning team two seasons ago, the door opens for Dorofeyev to get a full-time shot in the NHL. He started off the season on the second line with Tomas Hertl and Alexander Holtz, and that line generated nothing in a game where Vegas scored any chance it got when it beat the Avalanche 8-4.
Only Holtz generated one shot while Hertl and Dorofeyev were rendered shotless. Not exactly the start you were hoping for from a guy who is so gifted. But that’s why we play 81 more games!
The Golden Knights take on the St. Louis Blues at home tonight, and if you take a gander at whom Dorofeyev has owned in his short career so far, the Blues are near the top of the list. In the three games he’s played against St. Louis, Dorofeyev has found the back of the net twice, with Jordan Binnington being one of the goaltenders he’s scored on.
Analytically, Dorofeyev was always among the top of his class. Last season, he ranked sixth in Corsi with a 51.25 CF%, fifth in expected goals with a 54.29 xGF%, and second in PDO at 1.026. It’s why I was so surprised to see that line rendered invisible in a game where everyone chipped in.
This will be the Blues’ third game in four nights, though, as they’ve traveled along the West Coast. You have to think they’ll be a little vulnerable to a young sniper taking advantage.
Liodice's Pick: Pavel Dorofeyev Anytime Goalscorer (+350)
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