NHL Best Bets Today: October 20 Picks & Predictions, including Wild vs Oilers

If you’re bummed that the NFL Week 6 slate is wrapped up after MNF last night, there is no need - we have an awesome NHL slate on the menu. It pairs perfectly with NBA Opening Night, especially when you have our NHL best bets today! We’ve got 11 games on the menu, featuring an ESPN doubleheader of Bruins vs Stars at 8:00 PM ET before a huge matchup of Lightning vs Golden Knights to round out the slate. We’ve broken down everything in between for our favorite plays of the day! Along with our NHL best bets today, be sure to check out our NHL picks for all 11 games tonight.

NHL Best Bet Today: Avalanche vs Devils Over 6.5 (+114)

We noted today’s huge 11-game slate, and that means multiple teams on back-to-backs. That includes the Colorado Avalanche, who were just huge road favorites over the Philadelphia Flyers. They take the short trip to take on the New Jersey Devils, and this game is leading off our NHL best bets today.

How could we not root for goals here? Having Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Hughes on the ice already has us wanting to root for goals, and the numbers support it. In fact, it’s the Devils that rank #1 overall in terms of expected goal percentage, and when that’s a team that doesn’t have elite goaltending, they are a perfect recipe for overs alone. Adding Colorado to the mix and it’s a clear target for our NHL best bets today.

We trust the Avs to do their fair share of scoring against any opponent, and on the second leg of a back-to-back should help the Devils hold up their end of the bargain. So, we’re rooting for goals in Avs vs Devils tonight.

Get the full analysis for tonight's Avalanche vs Devils pick

NHL Best Bet: Wild vs Oilers Over 6 (-125)

Well, if we’re going to root for goals in a Nathan MacKinnon vs Jack Hughes matchup, why not do so here? We’ve got Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, so it’s another great combination for goals, and therefore, an addition to our NHL best bets today.

The story remains largely the same in Edmonton - an elite offensive duo in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl alongside sub-par goaltending. After starting the season with 6-5 and 9-7 games against the Vancouver Canucks, the Oilers have scored fewer than three goals just once and are coming off a six-goal performance. If the Canucks can score at will against Edmonton, then Minnesota certainly can, hence adding this to our NHL best bets today.

That’s why we aren’t going to overreact to some low-scoring games for the Wild in two of their past three; they’re still looking like true Central Division contenders alongside the aforementioned Avs. To add to an already exciting slate, let’s root for even more fireworks in Edmonton!

Read our expert's Wild vs Oilers prediction for today

NHL Best Bet: Kraken ML over Red Wings (-112)

After rooting for some goals, it’s time to have a pick on a side. In fact, when it comes to the Seattle Kraken, they’ve been a team where the opposition has been able to put pressure on for goals, as they’ve allowed far too much pressure on net. Even still, we’re backing them with our NHL best bets today.

While the Detroit Red Wings may be set up to get plenty of shots on goal, can we really trust them to convert? After all the Dylan Larkin drama this offseason, the Red Wings are the least likely to make the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, and it’s not even close. They’re at around a whopping +600, and other than the Philadelphia Flyers at around +450, no one is even really that close. Even with the Kraken not exactly being juggernauts, they can beat the Wings and cash our NHL best bets today just like they did less than two weeks ago. 

That matchup was on the road in Detroit, and Seattle still came away with a 6-3 victory. After a rough time in Florida, we’re backing the Kraken back in the Pacific Northwest.

See our full Red Wings vs Kraken prediction, featuring NHL stats, trends and more