This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets Tonight: NHL Picks and Player Props for Friday, October 21
Just three games on the Friday night slate tonight, but they offer some juicy matchups. Here's what I'm sinking my teeth into, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Sign up at the DraftKings Sportsbook using RotoWire's DraftKings Promo Code for $200 in free bets.
Lightning vs Panthers
The first installment of the battle for Florida hits the ice tonight as the Lightning visit the Panthers. The Bolts have a 1-3 record out of the gate, which is surprising for a team that is expected to compete for the Eastern Conference crown by the season's end. 2 of those losses were to other formidable foes in the Rangers and Penguins, so I expect Jon Cooper's crew comes out swinging to grab 2 points in this divisional matchup. The Panthers are on the flip side of that record at 3-1 and have looked rock-solid on all ends of the ice. They suffered a major blow with defensive anchor and team leader Aaron Ekblad landing on the long-term IR this week to go along with a few other key injuries. Even so, the offense literally comes out swinging with hard-nosed Matthew Tkachuk leading the way, so they still have a ton of depth to get the job done.
At the time of this writing, both teams are -110 on the Moneyline, and I'm liking the Lightning in this tilt. This should be the closest thing to a playoff caliber of toughness and tenacity this early in the season, and I think the Bolts are due for a big win on the road. If you want to sprinkle some flair into your action, take the +340 bet for a Draw on the 60 Minute Line.
The real reason I love this matchup is for the player props, because boy are they frothy. Here are my favorites for either squad:
NHL Player Props for Lightning-Panthers
Victor Hedman (TB) over 2.5 shots on goal -135
Nikita Kucherov (TB) anytime goalscorer +145
Matthew Tkachuk (FLA) over 3.5 (+140)
Sam Reinhart (FLA) anytime goalscorer +190
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Red Wings vs Blackhawks
No matter what, an Original 6 matchup is always worth some attention. These are two storied franchises with so much culture and passion for the sport, that you gotta give credit where credit is due, even if they're not at the caliber of success they once enjoyed. The Wings have started the season hotter than most might've expected and are sitting at 2-0-1. Stevie Y's rebuild seems to be ahead of schedule, as his band of youngsters is showing glimpses of greatness already. The Blackhawks just notched their first win of the season, and that's about all they have to hang their hats on as their outlook looks too bleak even when they pull off a win here and there.
This game could go either way in my opinion. On one hand, I could see it actually being a fun game to watch, with tons of offense and a competitive battle until the final buzzer. On the other hand, I could see one team running away with it but that'll depend on which version of either team shows up. I'm going to take the Red Wings on the Moneyline at -125 because those are pretty decent odds to not be too sure of the pick here. I also like the Wings in the Race to 2 Goals (excl OT) prop at -115 too.
NHL Player Props for Red Wings-Blackhawks
Moritz Seider (DET) over 2.5 shots on goal +100
Lucas Raymond over 0.5 points -130
Patrick Kane over 0.5 assists -160
Jonathan Toews over 0.5 points -105
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Kraken vs Avalanche
The Avalanche have looked every bit the Stanley Cup champion that they were expected to look. And the Kraken… well they look the polar opposite. It's fun to bet on the Avalanche, whether taking team plays or player props. When you have some of the best players in the game, every night - even against clearly lesser opponents - is worth some action. But despite their lack of success on the scoreboard, the Kraken have actually been pretty fun to bet so far this year, especially in the player prop category.
I like the Avalanche, unsurprisingly, on the puck line at -110. I also like the Avalanche on the 1st-period puck line at +110 too. And if you're feeling a little frisky, toss in a play on the Avalanche Team Total Goals of over 4.5 at +145.
Here are the player props I like in this one, and of all the props listed above, these are the ones I like the most:
NHL Props for Kraken-Avalanche
Nathan MacKinnon over 1.5 points +110
Artturi Lehkonen over 2.5 shots on goal -105
Oliver Bjorkstrand over 2.5 shots on goal -110
Jaden Schwartz over 2.5 shots on goal -125
A quick note about the Kraken player props I'm taking:
While the Kraken haven't looked too competitive for too many of their contests to date, they do somehow get pucks on net, and "pucks on net" is one of my betting mantras! Bjorkstrand and Schwartz are their top two guns in that regard, and they have peppered the biscuit to the tune of 18 shots apiece through 5 games so far. The Avalanche sometimes have the tendency to get into high-scoring games, so if this one goes that way, these two may even get on the scoresheet.
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