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This is Daily Dangles, a column featuring our top expert's NHL picks, predictions, and best bets.
Every day, one of our experts will provide you with some of the sharpest, high-value betting analysis on what the NHL schedule offers us. Tonight, it's the NHL Frozen Frenzy special, where all 32 teams are in action, starting from 6:00 p.m. ET, all the way to an 11:00 p.m. puck drop.
For Tuesday, October 13, our Action Network Staff has us covered for every NHL Frozen Frenzygame tonight.
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Devils Moneyline (-105, DraftKings)
Blue Jackets Moneyline (-122, FanDuel)
Canadiens Moneyline (-155, DraftKings)
Andrei Svechnikov Anytime Goal Scorer (+180, FanDuel)
Jared McCann Anytime Goal Scorer (+210, FanDuel)
Lightning Moneyline (-162, FanDuel)
Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud 1+ Point Each (+155, Bet365)
VAN/NYI — Under 6 (-102, BetMGM)
PIT/CHI — Over 6.5 (50 Cents, Kalshi )
Kyle Connor Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-115, FanDuel)
Mikko Rantanen Anytime Goalscorer (+210, FanDuel)
Nashville Predators Moneyline (+107, bet365)
CGY/ANA — Under 6.5 (-124, FanDuel)
EDM/LAK — +494 Parlay (FanDuel)
Sharks Moneyline (-111, bet365)
By: Frank Ammirante
The New Jersey Devils are on the second game of a back-to-back and take on the Detroit Red Wings , who are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators .
Expect Jake Allen to go between the pipes for the Devils, after Nico Daws started against the Senators.
The Devils came into Monday's action ranking first in Shot Attempts% in 5-on-5 situations, while the Red Wings are eighth. Both teams have struggled on the penalty kill, with the Devils 29th and the Red Wings 26th.
With that said, I like riding with Devils ML due to the reasonable price.
The key for me here is the advantage in goal, as Allen is 32nd in Goals Saved Above Expected, while John Gibson is 51st. I'll take the better team to bounce back following a disappointing loss to the Sens.
Pick: Devils Moneyline (-105, DraftKings)
0
By: Frank Ammirante
The Florida Panthers are also on the second game of a back-to-back and are coming off a 5-3 loss against the Buffalo Sabres . It's also their third game in the last four nights. Starting goalie Jacob Markstrom left Monday's game early, but he's expected to suit up in this matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets .
It's been a strange start to the year for Columbus, as this is only its third game in the last 10 days. This team is completely fresh right now, while the Panthers have to be a bit fatigued. This will be Florida's sixth road game out of seven, having also played on the West Coast during this stretch.
With the Panthers allowing 4+ goals in back-to-back games, they're definitely showing the effects of a challenging schedule. With that in mind, we'll ride with Blue Jackets ML (-125) in this one.
Pick: Blue Jackets Moneyline (-122, FanDuel)
By: Frank Ammirante
Like the Panthers, the Sabres are also on the back end of a back-to-back after handling Florida 5-3. This will also be the third game in the last four nights for them. It's unclear who the Sabres will start in this game, as Colten Ellis was pulled after allowing two goals on nine shots on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens have struggled lately, going 1-2-1 in their last four games, with the one win being in a shootout against the Red Wings. However, they're on two days' rest and have home-ice advantage here, so it's not surprising to see them as heavy favorites.
I'm willing to drink the juice on the better team here. The fact that they're more well-rested is the key. With that in mind, we'll go with Canadiens ML (-155).
Pick: Canadiens Moneyline (-155, DraftKings)
By: Greg Liodice
This will be a rematch from earlier in the month, when the Washington Capitals overtook the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes 5-2.
Carolina hasn't lost a step, going 5-1-1 in its first seven games, though it's missing sniper Seth Jarvis, and captain Jordan Staal was inactive on Sunday because of a lower-body injury.
Washington has been teetering in the middle ever since it won the Cup in 2019, and Sunday lost to the Seattle Kraken by the score of 5-3. A bit of a disappointing showing from star goaltender Logan Thompson, but everyone has a bad game every once in a while and I expect Thompson to bounce back, since he's already seen these Hurricanes this season and stopped 31 out of 33 shots.
For Carolina, Stanley Cup hero Brandon Bussi also started in that game in which the Caps won, but it's been a carousel in net between him and Pyotr Kochetkov.
Tonight, though, I'll be targeting the Hurricanes star forward Andrei Svechnikov, who has easily been one of the NHL's most efficient scorers. He's ranked second with a 4.5 expected goals share, while also ranking first in high-danger shot attempts.
While the Capitals do a solid job at limiting high-danger opportunities, Svechnikov typically finds himself in front of the net, waiting to pounce on an opportunity. That works perfectly in his favor, because so far, Thompson has been one of the worst goaltenders against high-danger opportunities.
Pick: Andrei Svechnikov Anytime Goal Scorer (+180, FanDuel)
By: Greg Liodice
For this battle, I'm targeting Kraken star Jared McCann.
The former 40-goal scorer has had as good a start to the season as he has ever had, posting seven points in six games, including two goals.
But what's also worth noting is that it hasn't been just pure puck luck. McCann has been getting himself in ideal positions to create scoring opportunities. Typically, we see McCann parked at the bumper position, mostly on the power play, which could work against the Flyers .
Philadelphia has found itself in the penalty box quite a bit through the first few games, ranking fifth in penalty minutes and has a mediocre 80.8% penalty kill.
Seattle, on the other hand, is good on the power play. Color me stunned. But the season's early.
I would expect Joseph Woll to get the nod for the Flyers, and while he's been Philadelphia's best goaltender, his expected save percentage against high danger shots is ranking near the bottom.
So let's ride with McCann to score a goal, who's playing to a 2.9 xGF thus far.
Pick: Jared McCann Anytime Goal Scorer (+210, FanDuel)
By: Nick Griffith
A lot has changed for the Rangers since beating the Lightning 5-1 on opening night. I'd love to say we're getting another Igor Shesterkin vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy duel, but that won't happen tonight, or in the teams' final meeting in March for that matter, with Shesterkin out for the year.
New York survived its first full game without Igor, though it came in a favorable matchup against Vancouver.
Mike Sullivan also used that game to shake things up, moving Pavel Dorofeyev up alongside Mika Zibanejad and Gabriel Perreault. It's been a slow start for New York's big offseason addition, who has just a goal and two assists in seven games, and the new trio didn't quite click either.
The other side of that change worked much better. Alexis Lafrenière picked up an assist just 27 seconds in while skating alongside J.T. Miller and Tye Kartye, then scored a minute into the third period.
The Rangers went just 9-20-3 without Shesterkin last season, so expect Sullivan to keep tinkering in search of combinations that can pick up the slack.
That search gets a lot tougher tonight. New York is 4-0 at home, but this is its first true test without its best player in net.
Tampa Bay has won four straight since the opener, including solid wins over Washington and Minnesota. Saturday's win over the Islanders wasn't pretty after the Lightning blew a two-goal lead, but Tampa controlled most of the third period, and Brandon Hagel's hat trick and assist were a great sign for the top of the lineup.
Tampa's 11-forward, seven-defensemen setup is working early too, with veterans Ryan McDonagh, Victor Hedman and John Carlson holding up well on the back end, and the Lightning rank fifth in expected goal share per MoneyPuck.
Vasilevskiy should get the start here, a big edge on paper over rookie Dylan Garand, who will carry the load until Joonas Korpisalo returns in about four weeks. To his credit, Garand hasn't had a bad game yet in his young career. He's allowed two goals or fewer in all five career starts with a .947 save percentage, including a 29-save win over Tampa last season.
Still, I expect last season's story to repeat. I didn't have high hopes for the Rangers coming into the year, and without Shesterkin, I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying New York will slide down the standings in the coming months.
This is a classic back-the-better-team spot, and I'll pay the extra juice.
Pick: Lightning Moneyline (-162, FanDuel)
By: Nick Martin
The Senators seemed to be widely undervalued by the mainstream media (and to a lesser extent, oddsmakers) entering the season, as the loss of former Captain Brady Tkachuk seemed to be highly overvalued. It was Tim Stutzle and not Tkachuk who was, by far, their best forward last year, and the overall depth behind Stutzle still looks quite solid.
While I was high on the Sens entering the year and their start has been impressive, backup goaltender Samuel Ersson's level of play could prove to be a huge concern, and Ersson is expected to get the start Tuesday in a back-to-back spot.
Over the previous two seasons, Ersson played to a -36.9 GSAx rating across 80 appearances with the Philadelphia Flyers , and he allowed four goals in his Senators debut versus Detroit on October 6th. Goaltending is tough to project, but the Blues should have a good chance of managing some offense Tuesday versus one of the league's best defensive sides due to Ersson getting the start.
Backing the Thomas/Snuggerud stack was my only losing pick from last Thursday's Daily Dangles guide , but they had their chances (both hit the post) and bounced back by combining for three points in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.
The Blues' top line of Thomas, Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway was one of the better units in the NHL last season, as across 253.9 minutes of play, they generated 3.55 xGF/60 and scored 5.67 goals per 60 where it counts, which was the highest mark of any line to spend 200 minutes together.
Thomas is one of the better playmakers in the NHL and is a natural fit to play alongside Snuggerud, who has an excellent shot and is well adept at finding open pockets of space in the offensive zone. Snuggerud is a fairly likely candidate to take steps forward this season, and has gotten off to a solid start with four points in five games thus far.
Thomas and Snuggerud also play together on the Blues' top power-play unit, which makes this stack fully correlated, and +155 looks to be a good price to back the duo each recording a point.
Pick: Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud 1+ Point Each +155 (Bet365, Play to +145)
By: Greg Liodice
The Vancouver Canucks have been through it.
After starting the season 2-1, they fell to the Vegas Golden Knights and are now in the midst of a brutal East Coast road trip. Since then, the Canucks have lost four straight and have allowed, on average, five goals per game.
If Vancouver wants to win, the goaltender that it'll get the most out of right now is Leevi Merilainen, as Kevin Lankinen has been a total sieve. Merilainen, after a brutal season last year, is having a resurgence, with a .929 SV% and a 1.8 GSAx in four starts.
On the other side, the New York Islanders are the definition of mediocrity right now. There's a bevy of young talent here, but they're still filled with aging veterans who are on the back end of their careers.
Luckily, they have Ilya Sorokin in net, who has been one of the NHL's best goaltenders for the past five seasons.
I'm truly unimpressed with both teams, but if Merilainen starts, I would be inclined to take the under, especially at 6.5 goals. Here, you have two goaltenders who are playing lights-out hockey, with non-existent offenses.
Sure, you may see that Canucks' game totals are averaging 8.4 goals per game. That's how low I am on both of these offenses.
Pick: Under 6 (-102, BetMGM)
By: Tony Sartori
This total is favorable given that the Chicago Blackhawks ' offense has been horrible. That said, the return of Connor Bedard is exactly what this group needs to ignite its scoring.
Bedard is one of the most gifted young offensive talents in hockey, and his presence immediately elevates Chicago's scoring opportunities through both his shot and his playmaking ability. He will likely center the first line alongside Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov, a combination that may not play stout defense but can certainly generate scoring chances.
That combination helps the over. Another factor favoring the over is poor goaltending, which the Pittsburgh Penguins have received from Arturs Silovs.
Through his first four starts, Silovs owns a mere .885 save percentage. There were seven or more total goals scored in three of those four outings.
Meanwhile, Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight has struggled with the poor defensive play in front of him. It's not entirely his fault, but he also carries an identical .885 save percentage through his first four starts.
There were also seven or more total goals scored in three of those four outings.
Pick: Over 6.5 (50 Cents, Kalshi )
By: Tony Sartori
On the opposite end of the spectrum, good goaltending has gotten the Minnesota Wild off to a solid start this year. That said, the team is surrendering shots at a high rate.
Entering this matchup, Minnesota ranks 20th in shots on goal allowed per game. The Wild have also struggled to stay out of the penalty box, ranking in the bottom half of the league in penalty minutes taken per game.
Given those two factors, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor is a good candidate to back in the shots on goal market. Connor has gotten off to a hot start this year, as he is tied for the league lead with six goals through his first five games.
Serving as a primary trigger man on both the first line and the first power play unit, Connor has recorded four or more shots on goal in all but one of his first five games. Given his recent form, there is no reason to believe that his willingness to shoot the puck will decrease anytime soon.
Pick: Kyle Connor Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-115 at FanDuel | Play to -120)
By: Tony Sartori
Another player who should be willing to fire early and often on Tuesday night is the Dallas Stars' Mikko Rantanen, who is slated to face his former club. He has thrived in this setting, scoring five goals over his past five games against the Colorado Avalanche .
It's also worth noting that Rantanen has scored twice in his past three games.
Furthermore, Colorado is a much bigger threat offensively than it is defensively. This season, the Avs rank 21st in goals allowed per game.
Part of that equation is goaltending, specifically Mackenzie Blackwood's play. Through his first four starts, Blackwood owns an .867 save percentage and a 3.31 goals-against average.
Pick: Mikko Rantanen Anytime Goalscorer (+210 at FanDuel | Play to +195)
By: Nick Martin
After grinding out 22 playoff games last spring, the Golden Knights have not struggled to get their game back in gear, as they have authored a solid 5-2-0 start this season. Jack Eichel looks to be a potential Hart candidate, while the majority of the team's proven stars have played as expected, and 2024 ninth overall pick Trevor Connelly has been a nice surprise.
We won't reach to knock the Knights for the sake of this pick, but +107 looks to be an appealing price to back a Preds side that has shown some promise early. The Knights will be playing the second leg of a travelling back-to-back and will likely have Adin Hill starting in goal, after Carter Hart started Monday in Minnesota.
Hill played to a -14.2 GSAX across 27 starts in 2025-26 and holds an .886 save percentage through his first two games.
Though the Predators ' underlying metrics are not very impressive, they have played a notably tough schedule and spent a ton of time playing with the lead, which generally means playing in a defensive stature. Their overall team game has looked respectable, and they will have both rest and goaltending advantages in this matchup.
The Knights are certainly the better team, but the Predators are catching them in a highly favorable spot here and should have a good chance of exposing a weak starter in Hill on Tuesday evening.
Pick: Nashville Predators Moneyline +107 (Bet365, Play to +100)
By: Nick Martin
The Utah Mammoth appear poised to build on a strong 2025-26 campaign, as they have played to a record of 4-2-0 and hold the best 5-on-5 expected goal share in the NHL. They have allowed just 2.36 xGA/60 and only 21.24 shots against per 60 this season.
Considering their schedule, the Toronto Maple Leafs have gotten off to a solid 3-2-1 start, including a regulation win in Colorado Saturday night. Their defensive game has still looked concerning, but William Nylander and Auston Matthews have both been highly productive, which has helped mask those flaws.
Nylander loves to play big minutes, and there's a good chance Tuesday's game script dictates Jim Hiller offering the red-hot winger another hefty workload. We speculated on opening night that Nylander's shot volume was due to a bounceback this season, and though Utah is strong defensively, at +120 there appears to be value in tapping back into that idea Tuesday.
Nylander has averaged 7.8 shot attempts per game, and just over twenty minutes of time on ice per night. Given the +120 price tag, this sets up as a good time to keep buying on Nylander's shot volume despite the tough matchup,
Pick: William Nylander Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+120, FanDuel)
By: Nick Griffith
The Flames
are bad, no two ways about it. Calgary has been a +1.5 underdog on the puckline in all five games this season and has yet to cover once. Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Ducks at home was actually the Flames' closest result. Its previous four losses came by four, three, five and four goals, and Calgary was outscored 23-6 in those games.
Offense has been hard to come by, as Calgary ranks 28th in expected goals for per 60 minutes.
Things don't look any better in net. Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley have combined for -11.3 goals saved above expected, and the Flames own a team save percentage of just .811.
Anaheim got the win Saturday but lost some key pieces in the process, with both Cutter Gauthier and Ryan Poehling leaving early with injuries. Gauthier practiced in a limited capacity Monday, but it's unclear whether either will play tonight. Losing both would be a tough blow for a team that's off to a nice 4-1 start.
However, injuries could open the door for Nikita Klepov, Anaheim's first-round pick this year, who led the OHL with 97 points in 67 games last season. He made his NHL debut last week before two straight healthy scratches, but tonight could be his best chance yet at an expanded role, and there aren't many better opponents to get on the scoresheet against than a bad Calgary team.
If he's in, I'll sprinkle on his first NHL goal, and I also like him to record a point as the safer route.
Since Klepov may not dress, I'll go a different direction for my official pick. Unders on a Frozen Frenzy night won't be popular, but I'm mixing in a no-fun pick. With Anaheim potentially shorthanded and Calgary scoring just eight goals in five games, I'll take the under.
Pick: Under 6.5 (-124, FanDuel)
By: Nick Griffith
Edmonton's top line is on a tear to start the season, generating 4.01 expected goals per 60 minutes with an 80% expected goal share, according to MoneyPuck.
There was some wait-and-see on Mike Babcock's decision to slot Vasily Podkolzin alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, given how well Zach Hyman had played in that role. So far, the move has worked remarkably well, with Podkolzin scoring five goals and finding the net in every game but one.
With Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sidelined, Babcock seems more inclined to keep McDavid and Draisaitl together, and Podkolzin is the biggest beneficiary. He also has a spot on the top power-play unit and spends much of his time parked in front of the net, cashing in on the chances McDavid and Draisaitl create. As long as he stays in that role, I'll keep finding ways to bet him.
On top of that, the Oilers have quieted much of the chatter after a letdown loss to the Canucks in the opener and a 9-7 escape against Vancouver in its second game.
Edmonton is coming off probably its most complete performance of the season, a 3-1 win over San Jose that it dominated from start to finish. The Oilers have allowed just four goals over the last three games, which defense is always going to be a talking point with this team, and both Devon Levi and Tristan Jarry have handled their starts well.
Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard have been one of the league's best defensive pairings, allowing 0.83 expected goals against per 60 minutes, and the Ryan Shea–Connor Murphy pair has played well since being placed together.
The Kings are still searching for their first win, and I don't see it coming here. Los Angeles has played two close games against solid teams, losing 2-1 to both Vegas and Florida, but ranks 27th in both expected goals for and expected goals against. Edmonton is still banged up but keeps finding ways to win, and fairly convincingly at that.
I'll take the nice road discount at -125.
Picks:
Oilers Moneyline
Vasily Podkolzin Anytime Goal Scorer
By: Nick Griffith
Charlie McAvoy's six-game suspension is over, and going 4-2 without its No. 1 defenseman is a decent result for Boston.
The Bruins beat up on a struggling Flyers team and picked up a nice 6-1 win over Utah in its last two games, but put up two duds against Minnesota and Ottawa before that.
Jeremy Swayman has done his part to bridge the gap, posting a .932 save percentage, and he's expected to get the start again tonight.
That's bad news for a Sharks team that has been underwhelming given the hype coming into the season. San Jose ranks dead last in expected goals for at 5-on-5 and has cashed in just seven times at even strength. With that said, I expect the Sharks to wake up here to cap off the Frozen Frenzy in the Shark Tank.
I think It's only a matter of time before San Jose's offense comes around, and an 11 p.m. ET puck drop is a tough spot for an East Coast team.
Give me the Sharks to close out the night.
Sixteen games and one long day of hockey that runs well past midnight. It doesn't get much better than this, so enjoy it all.
Pick: Sharks Moneyline (-111, bet365)
