NHL Predictions Today: 4 Picks and Player Props for Thursday, Oct. 29

Today’s Top NHL Picks at a Glance

• Hurricanes -1.5 (-104)
• Bruins Moneyline (-110)
• Sabres-Ducks Over 6.5 (-128)
• Rasmus Dahlin Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-110)

Thursday brings a busy NHL betting slate with 11 games on the schedule, giving us plenty of options across the moneyline, puck line, totals, and player prop markets.

For today's NHL best bets, we're targeting a pair of strong favorites, a plus-money puck line, and one shots-on-goal prop.

Here are four NHL bets to consider for Thursday, October 29.

For additional NHL insights, check out FanDuel Research's daily NHL projections, which are powered by numberFire.

NHL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NHL Predictions Today: Player Props, Best Bets

Hurricanes -1.5 (-104)

Blue Jackets at Hurricanes — 7:00 p.m. ET

Carolina has established itself as one of the NHL's best teams in the opening month, entering Thursday at 10-2-2. The Hurricanes are scoring 3.8 goals per game while allowing just 2.4, and their underlying shot profile has been even more impressive.

Carolina is generating 33.6 shots on goal per game while permitting only 21.9. Columbus, meanwhile, is averaging just 2.6 goals and 25.5 shots per game. That creates a significant territorial advantage for a Hurricanes team that should spend a lot of this game on the front foot.

At -245 on the moneyline, Carolina is difficult to play straight up. Moving to -1.5 gets us a much more attractive number against a Blue Jackets team that has already suffered five regulation losses.

Bruins Moneyline (-110)

Bruins at Blues — 8:00 p.m. ET

Boston's early-season performance makes essentially a pick'em price against St. Louis appealing.

The Bruins are 9-3-1 and have been particularly strong defensively, allowing only 2.2 goals per game. They've also gone 4-1-1 away from home while outscoring opponents by roughly half a goal per game on the road.

St. Louis enters at 5-6-1 and is averaging only 2.9 goals per contest. Boston has the better offensive profile, too, producing 3.8 goals per game, and the Bruins have gone 7-2-1 across their last 10 while allowing only 2.1 goals per game in that span.

Given the gap between these teams' early-season performance, Boston at -110 is one of my favorite moneyline values on the slate.

Sabres-Ducks Over 6.5 (-128)

Sabres at Ducks — 10:00 p.m. ET

This is a matchup between two teams that have been significantly better offensively than defensively, especially in their own zones.

Buffalo is allowing 3.33 goals per game, while Anaheim is giving up 3.58. The Ducks' goaltending hasn't offered much resistance, either, with Lukas Dostal carrying a 3.56 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage entering Thursday.

Buffalo has similar questions in net. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen owns a 3.56 goals-against average and an .866 save percentage through his early-season appearances.

Anaheim also enters after a wild 6-5 overtime loss to Vancouver. With both teams sitting in the bottom third of the league in goals allowed per game, seven combined goals is a reasonable target.

Rasmus Dahlin Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-110)

Sabres at Ducks — 10:00 p.m. ET

Rasmus Dahlin's shot volume makes this an appealing player prop at a manageable number.

Dahlin is averaging 3.0 shots on goal per game this season and has cleared 2.5 shots in eight of his last 10 games. He continues to log heavy minutes on Buffalo's top defensive pairing and first power-play unit, giving him plenty of opportunities to attack offensively.

Anaheim is also allowing 27.7 shots on goal per game. Dahlin doesn't need an outlier performance here — three shots is right in line with his normal workload.

With an 80% hit rate over his last 10 outings and FanDuel asking for only three shots, the over is my favorite player prop from Thursday's NHL slate.

NHL Betting -- Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Puck Line in NHL Betting?

The puck line is hockey's version of a point spread. The standard puck line is usually set at 1.5 goals, meaning a team listed at -1.5 must win by at least two goals for the bet to cash. A team at +1.5 can either win outright or lose by one goal.

What Does the Moneyline Mean in NHL Betting?

A moneyline bet is a wager on which team will win the game. Favorites have negative odds, while underdogs have positive odds. Unlike the puck line, the margin of victory does not matter.

What Are NHL Player Props?

NHL player props allow bettors to wager on an individual player's performance rather than the final result of the game. Common markets include goals, assists, points, shots on goal, and goalie saves.

What Should You Consider When Betting on NHL Games?

Several factors can influence NHL betting decisions, including starting goaltenders, injuries, recent team performance, special-teams play, expected line combinations, and whether a team is playing on consecutive nights. Because goalie confirmations can significantly impact a matchup, it can be useful to check the latest lineup news before placing a bet.

Which NHL bets stand out to you today? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's NHL odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.