Friday’s NHL slate is a small one, with four games set for puck drop between 7 and 8 p.m. ET. This means we’ll be dealing with tighter betting lines due to fewer matchups, however, the entertainment value is high. Three of four games have a moneyline favorite of -137 or longer, while the red-hot New Jersey Devils look to improve to 7-1 at home against the San Jose Sharks.
My NHL Best Bets, Odds, & Picks: Friday (10/17) did not fare well to start the 2025-26 NHL season. It was an 0-3 outing, although we were close to a 2-1 result, with Chicago losing in overtime as a home underdog and the Capitals scoring a late powerplay goal to blow up under 5.5 total goals.
Here are three NHL best bets, each worth one unit, to tail ahead of tonight’s four-game slate. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more NHL free bets and analysis.
NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets – Under 6.5 (-138)
We’ve got a potential top-two goaltender matchup between Logan Thompson and Jet Greaves at Nationwide Arena tonight. Oddsmakers have set this game as a pick’em on the moneyline, so let’s invest in an overinflated total at 6.5.
The Capitals and Blue Jackets are both in the top half of the NHL for goals scored per game in 2025. However, their defense has been stout, especially Washington, sporting a league-best 1.86 goals against per game average.
Thompson has a lot to do with Washington’s success on defense. He’s got a 1.60 GAA and a 4-1 record as a starter. Meanwhile, Greaves is 1-2 but has a strong 2.04 GAA in three starts for Columbus.
I’ll back quality goaltending on a game with 6.5 as the goal total. Let’s lay the juice and bet under 6.5 total goals at -138 odds between the Capitals and Blue Jackets.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres – Over 6.5 (+108)
The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to end a two-game losing skid on the road against Buffalo tonight. The Sabres are coming off a 4-2 win at home against Detroit in their last outing. It was the third time in seven games that Buffalo has scored at least three goals, with all of these outcomes occurring in their last four games played.
The Maple Leafs don’t have an issue with their offense. Toronto ranks 10th in goals per game (3.43) but has allowed 3.57 goals against per game. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz is back in the crease after giving up eight goals in his last two starts against Seattle and New Jersey.
Buffalo goaltender Alex Lyon has also been a bit volatile in between the pipes. Lyon has allowed three or more goals in four of six starts for the Sabres this season.
Goals should be scored in bunches during this game. I like betting over 6.5 goals at plus odds, especially with Buffalo’s offense trending up and playing in a favorable matchup.
Timo Meier 1+ Assists (+150)
Let’s wrap up with a player prop to bet in the San Jose Sharks vs. New Jersey Devils game. Oddsmakers are bullish on the Devils to record their seventh straight win on home ice, laying -150 on their -1.5 puck line against a Sharks team that just secured its first win of the season against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
The rest advantage definitely goes to New Jersey. There’s also a revenge game narrative with Timo Meier. The former Sharks forward has been one of the Devils’ top point scorers this season, racking up seven points, including four assists.
Meier is currently +150 to record an assist against his former team tonight. San Jose is starting Yaroslav Askarov in goal. He’s 0-2-1 as a starter, allowing between four to seven goals against Anaheim, Utah, and the New York Islanders.
In his last four games, Meier has four total points, including three assists. This feels like an easy winner, so let’s bet on Meier to log an assist at +150.
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