NHL Odds, Betting Notes & Picks For Nov. 1

After a couple of more mediocre slates earlier on in the week, the NHL is offering a massive 13-game schedule on Saturday, with start times spanning from 1 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET.

In this article, I’ll outline my favourite two bets based on Friday’s opening prices at online sportsbooks, and touch on some game notes from the matchups involving Canadian teams.

Best NHL bets for Nov. 1

Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks over 6.5 goals: +100 @ bet365 (play to -115)

At the time of writing, the Avalanche have not yet played their Friday matinee versus the Vegas Golden Knights, a matchup between two Stanley Cup contenders which will certainly catch the attention of an Avs side that has looked fantastic early on. 

Without seeing how Friday’s matchup goes, I’m happy to jump on the over nice and early in this matchup considering the even money price tag. 

We have not seen a betting total of seven during the first month of the NHL season, but chances are the first total to reach seven will involve the lowly San Jose Sharks, as their games have featured an average total of 7.72 goals this season, and the over has hit in eight of their 11 matchups. 

While the developing young Sharks have some meaningful offensive upside, they are the NHL’s worst defensive team and have not received effective play in goal from Yaroslav Askarov. That combination has obviously lead to a lot of high-scoring game scripts, particularly as the Sharks are capable of putting up some offence if opponents sit back on cushy leads, but are not well-vested in shutting teams down if the game script calls for it.

Prior to Friday’s matchup, the Avalanche hold the lowest xGA/60 in the NHL, which is an obvious concern towards this play. Still, the Sharks’ quietly respectable top six could generate some offence in what could be a sleepy spot for the Avalanche. 

It’s very hard to believe that the Sharks’ suspect defensive core can shutdown elite offensive stars such as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas though, and the Avs should be able to hang up four or more in this matchup. 

While 6.5 is the highest total oddsmakers have been willing to offer this season, I’m not sold that a seven isn’t warranted in this matchup, and I’m happy to ride with the trend of backing Sharks games to go over the total.

New Jersey Devils vs. Los Angeles Kings – Devils Moneyline: -115 @ bet365 (play to -130)

Prior to the start of their current four-game Western road swing, head coach Sheldon Keefe’s side had been arguably the most impressive team in the NHL. After suffering an 8-4 loss in Colorado Tuesday night, the Devils found out firsthand not to take the Sharks too lightly on Thursday in an ugly 5-2 loss. 

While the Devils’ last two performances have been far from sharp, -115 appears to be a good price to back them getting back on track versus a Los Angeles Kings side that appears to have regressed relative to last season. 

The Devils hold a 51.17% expected goal share this season, and have looked fairly well balanced in all faucets of the game while playing to a +6 goal differential. They feature one of the NHL’s better puck-moving defensive cores, and a one-two punch down the middle in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. 

The Kings, meanwhile, appear to have taken a step backwards from a defensive perspective, as they have allowed 3.08 goals against per game this season. 

Entering the year, it seemed a likely possibility that the Kings would not be quite as strong defensively as they were last season, after losing an elite shutdown defender in Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency, and trading away underrated defender Jordan Spence and replacing him with Cody Ceci.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Winnipeg Jets

Penguins moneyline odds	+175
Jets moneyline odds	-210
Game total	Over 5.5 goals (-130), Under 5.5 (+110)
Time	3 p.m. ET

• Entering Friday’s slate ranked first in the NHL, the Penguins are by a wide margin the greatest overachiever in the NHL relative to preseason expectations. 
• Oddsmakers are clearly reluctant to give much credit to the overachieving Penguins, as they were heavy underdogs once again Thursday night in Minnesota, but ultimately emerged with a 4-1 victory.
• While the Penguins are clearly overachieving expectations, and it’s fair to question their legitimacy relative to their record, the Jets have also greatly outperformed their underlying results this season. 
• The Jets rank dead last in the NHL in even-strength expected goal share, but have been clinical on quality scoring chances and once again received MVP level play from Connor Hellebuyck. 
• Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have combined for 32 points in 12 games this season. Having such a dominant one-two punch at the critical centre-ice position is a major reason for the Penguins’ early success.

Calgary Flames vs. Nashville Predators

Flames moneyline odds	+115
Predators moneyline odds	-135
Game total	Over 5.5 goals (-130), Under 5.5 (+110)
Time	3:30 p.m. ET

• The Flames currently rank 32nd in the NHL, and most of the fan base is already fully committed to cheering for losses in order to finally obtain a high draft pick.
• The Flames have scored just 2.17 goals per game this season, which is the lowest mark in the NHL. They have averaged 3.5 goals per game over the last four matchups, though, playing to a record of 1-2-1. 
• The Predators are also heavily favoured to miss the postseason, as it seems unlikely that members of their aging core such as Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault or Ryan O’Reilly will be able to elevate their games relative to the team’s disappointing 2024-25 campaign. 
• Predators captain Roman Josi is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens

Senators moneyline odds	+110
Canadiens moneyline odds	-130
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+100), Under 6.5 (-120)
Time	7 p.m. ET

• The Canadiens have been off since completing a four-game Pacific Northwest road trip, in which they finished with a record of 3-1-0. At 8-3-0, the Canadiens rank second in the Atlantic Division entering the weekend. 
• Preseason Calder Trophy favourite Ivan Demidov has put up nine points in the first 11 games, and has been elevated onto the Canadiens’ top power-play unit.
• The Canadiens’ greatest progress this season relative to last year has come on the defensive side of the puck. They have allowed only 2.60 xGA/60 (12th best in NHL), after being one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams last season. 
• Drake Batherson has been on fire after missing the first three games of the season due to injury. He leads the Senators with 13 points in nine games.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Maple Leafs moneyline odds	-130
Flyers moneyline odds	+110
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+110), Under 6.5 (-130)
Time	7 p.m. ET

• The Maple Leafs will be desperate to respond after a sloppy performance in their last matchup versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday evening. 
• Toronto’s defensive core has struggled to defend the rush this season, and has also had a hard time driving play up the ice. At 5-5-1, it is underachieving a lofty preseason betting total of 99.5 points quite considerably so far, and has not looked remotely like a contender.
• The Flyers have won three consecutive games entering this matchup, and are up to 6-3-1 in their first nine games under head coach Rick Tocchet.
• Trevor Zegras has been a massive addition so far, as the ultra-talented 24-year-old has bounced back with 12 points in 10 games under Tocchet, and played a more respectable game away from the puck

Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild

Canucks moneyline odds	+135
Wild moneyline odds	-160
Game total	Over 5.5 goals (-135), Under 5.5 goals (+115)
Time	7 p.m. ET

• The opening odds may look a little confusing to some bettors, as the Wild have struggled to a record of 3-6-3, while the Canucks are 6-6-0. 
• The Canucks’ lengthy injury list is a big reason the current betting odds are so wide. The Canucks are currently without top scorer Conor Garland, captain Quinn Hughes, Filip Chytil, Derek Forbort, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Nils Hoglander, while Brock Boeser is also now listed as day-to-day. 
• The Wild also hold superior underlying results than the Canucks, but a big reason for the Canucks’ success has been the dominant play in goal from Thatcher Demko.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Blackhawks moneyline odds	+250
Oilers moneyline odds	-310
Game total	Over 6.5 goals (+110), Under 6.5 (-130)
Time	10 p.m. ET

• The Oilers‘ defensive woes continued on Thursday evening, as they blew a 3-1 lead versus a New York Rangers side that has struggled mightily to score this season. 
• Connor Bedard has recorded six goals and 14 points in his first 11 games this season. 
• Spencer Knight has been excellent so far this season for the Blackhawks, playing to a .914 save percentage and 2.59 GAA. The gap in play between Knight and backup Arvid Soderblom will likely be quite significant this season, so it will be important to keep an eye on the Blackhawks’ goaltending confirmations.