HOCKEYORA
USAUSA2026 season

NHL picks today & predictions

Games played
165/1344
Teams
32
Home wins
59%
Avg goals
6
Sep 202617% of the season playedApr 2027
Top pick · NHLNHL · Edmonton Oilers – Toronto Maple Leafs60%Edmonton Oilers to winincl. overtime · projected 4–3EDM in 60'50%Tie21%TOR in 60'30%Full analysis

Today, Friday, October 23 — NHL: 2 games

The strongest pick is Montreal Canadiens against Chicago Blackhawks: 55% to win, with a projected 2–3. The closest call is Colorado Avalanche vs Tampa Bay Lightning, 55% for Colorado Avalanche and a projected 3–2.

Every game below has a win probability (overtime and shootout included), a projected score and lines for the puck line and total goals; where bookmakers price a game, the pick leans toward their consensus. Over the 2023–24 season the model called 59% of NHL winners (1,400 games), against 54% for always backing the home team.

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Recent results

How the NHL season works

Thirty-two teams play 82 regular-season games each, from October to mid-April, in an Eastern and a Western Conference of two divisions each. A win is worth two points, and a loss after overtime or a shootout still earns one.

The top three in each division and two wild cards per conference make the playoffs: sixteen teams, four rounds of best-of-seven series, and the Stanley Cup Final in June. In the regular season a tie after 60 minutes goes to five minutes of three-on-three overtime and then a shootout; in the playoffs teams play full 20-minute periods until someone scores.

What decides NHL games and our NHL predictions

The NHL is famously even: a good team wins perhaps six games in ten, and about one game in five is still tied after regulation. Goaltending moves the line more than anything else, and the starting goalie is often confirmed only on the morning of the game. Back-to-backs matter too: teams often start their back-up on the second night.

Our model rates every team's attack and defence from this season's regulation scores, weights recent form, adds the home-ice edge measured for the NHL and blends the result with the betting market once the line is out. That is why a pick can move on the day: when the starting goalie is announced, the market moves, and the prediction follows it.

Using the picks: moneyline, puck line and total

Each game shows a win probability (the moneyline, overtime included), the regulation result, a puck line and a total. Most NHL totals sit at 5.5 or 6.5 goals. The puck line is −1.5 for the favourite, which needs a two-goal win in regulation; empty-net goals late in the third period decide many of those bets. For a parlay, combine only picks you would take on their own: every leg you add lowers the chance of the whole ticket.

NHL predictions: questions

How often do NHL games go to overtime?
In the 2023–24 regular season about one game in five was tied after 60 minutes. The regulation result on each game page shows the model's chance of a tie for that game.
How many NHL games are there tonight?
The line above the game list shows today's date and the number of games in US Eastern time, and the list is updated through the day. Most nights have between four and fifteen games.
Which NHL games have the best picks today?
Look for the 'Strong pick' lines under the games: they mark the predictions with the highest win probability. The strongest pick of the night is also named in the paragraph at the top of the page.
How accurate are the NHL predictions?
The model was tested on the whole 2023–24 season, predicting each game only from the games before it: it called 59% of NHL winners in 1,400 games, against 54% for always backing the home team. Every new pick is settled in public on the accuracy page.
How many goals are scored in NHL games?
Finished NHL games this season have averaged 6 goals in total, and the home team has won 59% of them. Each game's own projected total is on its prediction page.
When are NHL predictions published?
Up to 3 days before the face-off. Each prediction is updated as the betting market moves, until the game starts.
What do the puck line and the total mean?
The puck line is hockey's handicap: −1.5 means the favourite has to win by two goals or more, +1.5 that the underdog covers if it wins or loses by one. A win after overtime or a shootout is always by one goal. The total is the number of goals both teams score together, overtime included and a shootout counted as one goal; the over/under pick says whether the game should finish above or below the line.
Are the NHL predictions free?
Yes. The win probability, projected score, puck line and total goals of every NHL game are free to read, with no sign-up.
How are the predictions made?
Each team gets attack and defence ratings from this season's games in regulation, weighted toward recent form and adjusted for the opponents faced, plus a home-ice edge measured for each league. A Poisson model turns them into the chance of every score, ties go to overtime and the shootout, and where bookmakers price a game the model is blended with their consensus.