NHL Betting Picks: Friday 10/20/23

It seems like we are on a feast-or-famine schedule for the NHL to start the season. Unfortunately, we are leaning towards being hungry for action tonight, but we can still find two bets we can make.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Calgary Flames at Columbus Blue Jackets

Under 6.5 goals (+102)

The Calgary Flames continue their road trip across the Eastern Conference, and tonight, they'll face the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Calgary beat the Buffalo Sabres last night 4-3 and thoroughly outplayed them. The expected goals (xG) favored Calgary 4.22 to 2.13, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Columbus has been off since Monday after they were shut out by the Detroit Red Wings at home. The Jackets have scored seven goals in three games so far and haven't recorded more than 2.95 xG in any game.

I'm still expecting Calgary to be one of the better defensive teams in the NHL this season -- like they were the last few seasons -- despite the coaching change. They've allowed the ninth-fewest shot attempts against per 60 minutes and have killed off 93.3% of the power plays they've faced.

The Flames will have Jacob Markstrom back in net, who has been excellent so far. He's saved 4.36 goals above expected in three games. If he could return to his 2021-2022 form that saw him nominated for the Vezina Trophy, Calgary is definitely a team we want to play on unders more often than not.

It's hard for me to see the Blue Jackets scoring more than two goals in this game, which would mean Calgary would need five to get this over the total. That's a big ask on the second night of a back-to-back, so I'd take the under on this one.

New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders

Devils ML (-115)

The New Jersey Devils were the darlings of the league in the preseason. They won all seven of their games, and since they were already a trendy pick to win the Stanley Cup, people naturally had high hopes for them.

A few games into the season can change people's perceptions. New Jersey is 1-1-1 after a 4-3 loss on Monday. That's only half the story, though, as the headlines discuss how Timo Meier was benched in the third period on Monday and how head coach Lindy Ruff decided to bag skate the team the next day.

It's tempting to draw conclusions from small sample sizes, but it's not the best practice to do that. The Devils were still one of the best teams in the league last season and arguably got better in the offseason.

They are playing against a New York Islanders team is basically exactly what we expect in this era of the club. They've played just two games so far, scoring just four goals and allowing two. They like to play low-event hockey games and rely on goaltending. That's easier to do when you face the Arizona Coyotes on the second night of a back-to-back than when you face a team as good as the Devils.

The Devils should come in with more focus after the way the coach handled their poor performance on Monday. His tactics to bench Meier and some other players almost worked, as New Jersey was losing 4-0 at one point.

New Jersey's power play has clicked at a 31.3% clip so far this season. If they can get some opportunities, this is where they can do damage. They are a better team than the Islanders on paper, and being this short of a favorite here may be an early-season overreaction.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.