While today is an NFL Sunday, we still have four NHL games on tap tonight, highlighted by The Battle of Alberta. Six of the eight teams in action are on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Winnipeg Jets and the Vegas Golden Knights are the two coming off of full rest. 

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 10/13

We have a smaller slate today but still a few good spots to target. The big mystery is what will we get from the Edmonton Oilers? An 0-2 start is not what I expected from them and now their biggest rivalry game against the Calgary Flames makes things a bit interesting. 

Frankly, I more interest in watching that game rather than betting on it. Could we see a 6-5 game with players hitting all of their props? Yes. But given how the Oilers have started this season defensively – or lack thereof – they may want to tighten things up and play a bit slower. That has me worried so I'll simply stay away and we'll focus on some other NHL Picks.

Seattle Kraken vs. Dallas Stars Prediction: Sunday, October 13th

Both teams are on the second night of a back-to-back, which means we are likely to see two backup goalies in net. The Dallas Stars already have Casey DeSmith confirmed as their starter, while the Seattle Kraken should have Philipp Grubauer in the crease. 

The Stars are one of the best teams in the league and bring consistency at every position, which has them as once again, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Today, we'll turn to Wyatt Johnston, their up-and-coming young center, who posted 32 goals last season, a career-high. 

Johnston is the center on the third forward line, along with seeing time on the first power-play unit, giving him a solid offensive role overall. We saw this role last year, which led to Johnston averaging 2.6 shots on goal per game. 

That is the rate we should see him at this season and after being held to no shots on goal last night, this is a solid bounce-back spot for Johnston, who had four shots on goal in the season opener. 

 

Anaheim Ducks vs. Vegas Golden Knights Prediction: Sunday, October 13th

The beginning of the NHL season is always interesting from a scheduling perspective and it's shown clearly between the Anaheim Ducks and the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks had their first game of the season last night in a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks and are now on a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights are set to play their third straight home game and have their offense firing on all cylinders. 

While a 2-0 victory is nice for the Ducks, that game was against the lowly Sharks, and the Ducks still aren't a good team. This is going to be a very lopsided game in favor of Vegas. In that game last night, the Ducks had a 70.82 Corsi Against per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which would put them as the third-worst team in the league. 

Yes, it's a one-game sample size so we have to take it with a big grain of salt, but the Ducks are going to finish among the worst defensive teams in the league, so directionally, we're in the right spot. 

With all of this said, let's keep things as simple as possible and turn to Jack Eichel to continue his strong start to the season. Time on the top forward line and the top power-play unit has led to Eichel posting a whopping six points through two games. 

He has an elite offensive role, is a primary shot-taker, and is facing a bad defense. This is about as straightforward as you can find in the NHL. 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 10/13