NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Stanley Cup Preview in Colorado?

Check out today's NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday's full schedule.

Ryan Gilbert

Last updated: October 21, 2023 10:41 AM EDT • 5 min read

The NHL features its busiest day of the season thus far with 15 games on Saturday, and we provide our top NHL prop picks and best bets based on the top NHL odds from our best sports betting apps.

We’re back in full swing with a 15-game NHL slate on Saturday. The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET in Ottawa, with the latest start time at 10:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles

Saturday’s slate is highlighted by a battle in Buffalo, a playoff rematch in Tampa Bay, and a few other highly anticipated matchups throughout the day.

Here are our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday (odds via our best NHL betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saturday’s NHL schedule and odds

(Odds via DraftKings)

Saturday’s NHL best bets

Josh Norris to score (+220 via FanDuel) vs. Ottawa Senators ⭐⭐⭐
Buffalo Sabres (-120 via FanDuel) vs. New York Islanders ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Philadelphia Flyers-Dallas Stars Under 6 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Colorado Avalanche (-135 via BetMGM) vs. Carolina Hurricanes ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Saturday’s NHL prop picks

Josh Norris to score vs. Red Wings (+220 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Josh Norris missed the first few games of the season due to an injury but returned with a bang on Wednesday night.

The Senators center had six shot attempts (three on goal) and two scoring chances (one high-danger) while netting two goals in his season debut.

Norris missed nearly all of last season but had 35 goals in 66 games the previous year. If he’s back on his game, he won’t be over +200 to score for too long. Take advantage of this line against a Red Wings team that's allowed three or more goals in three of its first four games.

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Saturday’s NHL game picks

Sabres ML vs. Islanders (-120 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sabres have gotten off to a slow start so far this season but have a chance to get on track against the Islanders.

Buffalo is 1-3-0 through its first four games with an overtime win against Tampa Bay and losses against the Rangers, Islanders, and Flames. The Sabres have played four pretty tough opponents thus far.

The Islanders are a tough opponent, as well, but they’ll be playing the second night of a back-to-back after a spirited rivalry game against the Devils. On top of that, Ilya Sorokin started on Friday night, so it should be backup Semyon Varlamov making his first start in this one.

Buffalo is looking to establish some home-ice advantage this season, and the Sabres should be able to do it against a tired Isles team.

Flyers vs. Stars Under 6 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Flyers have been one of the NHL’s most surprising teams so far this season. John Tortorella's bunch is 3-1-0 through four games with impressive wins against the Oilers and Canucks. They held Connor McDavid and the Oilers to just one goal after shutting out the Canucks earlier in the week.

The Stars are also off to a strong 2-0-1 start with a total of 11 regulation goals in those three games. They've yet to score or allow more than three goals in a game.

Philadelphia may also be worth a look in this game at +200 or better underdogs, but the Under 6 at -110 should hit with relative ease.

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Avalanche ML vs. Hurricanes (-135 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s still very early in the season, but a lot of people wouldn’t be surprised if this was a Stanley Cup Final preview. The Avalanche are off to a fantastic 4-0-0 start while the Hurricanes have held their own at 3-2-0 through some early season woes.

Colorado has looked mighty impressive in its four wins. The Avs have outscored their opposition 15-4, capped off by a 4-0 shutout win in their home opener on Thursday night.

On the other hand, the Hurricanes have struggled a bit on the road after a solid start in their first two games. They lost in Anaheim, had to overcome a 3-2 deficit in San Jose, and then lost 7-4 in Seattle on Thursday night.

The Avalanche are playing better right now and the mile-high home-ice advantage makes them a great bet at -135 on Saturday.

NHL best bets made 10/20/2023 at 9:50 p.m. ET

NHL betting odds pages

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Conn Smythe Trophy Odds	Norris Trophy Odds
Hart Trophy Odds	Jack Adams Award Odds
Vezina Trophy Odds	Rocket Richard Odds

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Written By:
Ryan Gilbert

Ryan Gilbert is a contributing writer at SportsbookReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.