The 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season continues Saturday. In last week’s column, we were spinning our wheels, going 2-2 (50.0%, -2), so that’s 5-3 (62.5%, +204) through the first two weekends. We have 14 total games on the slate, including three matinee contests. We’ll focus on the evening games, giving you more time to get those bets in. Below are our top NHL picks & predictions for Saturday, October 17th.
Saturday's Best NHL Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
New York Islanders (+108) at Toronto Maple Leafs (-130) | O/U 6.5 (+104/-128)
The Islanders (3-3-1) and Maple Leafs (3-3-2) meet at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
This is actually the second time these teams have met on the young season, as Toronto won 2-1 as a moderate favorite (-145) at UBS Arena on Long Island on Sept. 30 while the Under (6.5) cashed. Fs Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan scored first-period goals, and that stood up. Maple Leafs G Anthony Stolarz stopped 26-of-27 shots, while Islanders G Ilya Sorokin was the hard-luck loser with 24 saves on 26 shots. Sorokin (3-2-0, 1.81 GAA, .934 SV%, 1 SO) and Stolarz (2-1-0, 3.31 GAA, .875 SV%) are projected as the starting backstops for this game, too.
New York is coming off a 2-1 shootout loss on Thursday as the Under (5.5) connected. The Islanders have alternated losses and wins in each of the first seven outings, while going 0-2-1 in three tries on the road. The Under is 3-1 in the past four games, and 2-1 on the road.
Toronto was dumped 5-4 in overtime on Thursday as the Over (6.5) cashed. The offense has been red-hot lately, going for 22 goals in the past five outings, or 4.4 goals per game (GPG), while allowing 21 goals in the same span, or 4.2 GPG. Some things never change, as Toronto’s offense is banging, but the defense and goaltending is still a problem.
Despite the fact we had a low-scoring game in the first meeting, Toronto was playing on no rest. We’ll go high on the total, and we’ll back the Islanders to get the job done.
Picks: Islanders Moneyline (+108) & Over 6.5 Goals (+104)
Buffalo Sabres (+118) at Montreal Canadiens (-142) | O/U 6.5 (-110/-110)
The Sabres (4-3-1) and Canadiens (3-3-1) meet at Bell Centre in Montreal, PQ on NHL Network with a 7:00 p.m. ET puck drop. It’s a rematch of last season’s outstanding Eastern Conference Semifinal series which saw the Habs ease by in seven games.
The Sabres turn to Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen (3-2-1, 3.52 GAA, .854 SV%) against backup Jacob Fowler (1-0-0, 2.77 GAA, .824 SV%). Montreal will be without forward Florian Xhekaj (lower body) for two weeks, too.
Buffalo posted a 5-4 OTW in Toronto on Thursday, and it has scored 13 goals in the past three games, while coughing up 11 in the same span. It’s been a wild, exciting start for the Sabres, who have cashed the Over in three in a row. That includes the first meeting at Bell Centre on Tuesday, which resulted in a 4-3 SOW for the Canadiens.
Montreal has played three straight one-goal games, and five of seven games to date have resulted in games decided by just one goal. At home, Montreal is 2-2-0, while the Over is 3-1 in those games, and 5-1 in the past six outings overall.
We’ll definitely take the Over, and let’s back the Sabres as the slight underdogs on the road.
