The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of three games Friday, which is also Halloween. The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights meet at 4:00 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena on ESPN+, while the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals square off at 7:00 p.m. ET on NHL Network. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks look to hash out their differences on ESPN+.
We'll take a look at two of three games, including some parlay opportunities. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
Top up your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos like this BetMGM bonus code offering $1,500 in bonus bets.
NHL Friday Picks & Parlay Tips: Expert Odds, Predictions & Best Bets Tonight
For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
NHL Friday Night: Top Betting Picks and Parlay Insights
Colorado Avalanche 
at Vegas Golden Knights 
The Avalanche (6-1-4) and Golden Knights (6-1-3) clash in an afternoon game in Vegas on Friday, with a puck drop of 1:00 p.m. PT local time.
Is the early puck drop due to Halloween, allowing the kiddos to attend the game while also getting home in time to get free candy? Well, no. It's Nevada Day, a legal holiday in the Silver State, and it is celebrated on the final Friday in October. It celebrates Oct. 31, 1864, when Nevada was officially admitted to the union.
Colorado recorded an 8-4 victory over the Devils on Tuesday as moderate favorites (-170) as the Over (6) cashed. It's hard to believe, but while the Avs haven't scored fewer than two goals in any of its 11 games, Colorado also had four or fewer goals in each of its first 10 outings.
In Tuesday's rout of the Devils, Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced, but he received all the offensive support he needed. Victor Olofsson had the unlikely hat trick, while Nathan MacKinnon lit the lamp twice, while adding an assist. Cale Makar didn't score a goal, but he picked up four assists in 25:13 of TOI.
The home team was victorious in all three meetings last season, with Colorado winning both of its home matchups against VGK in shootouts. In fact, the home team has won seven in a row in this series dating back to Feb. 27, 2023. The Over is 3-1 in the past four meetings as well.
The Golden Knights ended a mild skid in Raleigh on Tuesday against theHurricanes, winning 6-3 as moderate underdogs (+140) as the Over (6) connected. Vegas had just one total goal in the first two stops in the state of Florida, going 0-1-1 in those two games against the Panthers and Lightning.
The Over is 3-1 in four home games for Vegas, while going 3-1 in the past four road games for Colorado. Let's go high on the total, and you have to roll with VGK on Nevada Day, right?
Vegas is 4-2-1 on Nevada Day all-time. The last time the team faced Colorado on the state holiday, it lost 6-1 on Oct. 25, 2019. It is 1-1 in two meetings with the Avs on Nevada Day, and the Over is 4-1 in the past five matchups on the day, and 5-2 in seven all-time games on the state celebration day.
- Golden Knights ML (-110 at Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPNBet, Fanatics, FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 Goals (-125 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPNBet Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
New York Islanders 
at Washington Capitals 
The Islanders (4-5-1) and Capitals (6-4-0) meet at Capital One Arena at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be caught on NHL Network.
The Capitals won on Long Island in the first meeting this season on Oct. 11, with the Caps doubling up the Isles 4-2 as small favorites (-115) as the Over (5.5) just came through. Washington opened up a 4-0 lead, as Martin Fehervary got the party started at 1:50 of the first period, and Aliaksei Protas made it 2-0 in the opening period. Ryan Leonard made it 3-0, and he was credited with the winner, as Jakob Chychrun notched his second assist of the game, and Protas chipped in with an apple. Protas added an unassisted goal to make it 4-0.
Anthony Duclair and Matthew Schaefer notched power-play goals to make things interesting, but that's as close as the Isles would come. Logan Thomas made 34 saves on 36 shots, besting Ilya Sorokin, who stopped 25 of 29.
The Islanders were defeated by the Hurricanes 6-2 in Raleigh on Thursday. I had two teammates miss our Thursday night game for the Rusty Blades in Hillsborough, N.C., so they could see their beloved Isles. I guess they should have saved the money and played in our game instead. On a side note, I scored my second goal in two games since buying a new Warrior Alpha LX2 Pro Composite stick. If you're looking for a new twig, I highly recommended.
Anyway, this is the first back-to-back for the Islanders this season. The Isles were 5-7-0 in 12 games when playing on no rest last season, while the Under was 7-4-1.
The Capitals are coming off a difficult 1-0 loss in Dallas on Tuesday. The Under is 4-2-2 in the past eight games for Washington. It is looking to rebound after a 7-1 whipping from Ottawa in its most recent home game Oct. 25. The Caps are 3-3 in six home games, with the Under holding a slight 3-2-1 advantage.
Washington has won five of the past seven meetings in this series, and the Under has a 4-3 edge in those games. Let's back the Caps on the puck line, since the Isles could have heavy legs after a big loss and travel night, and we'll lean low on the total.
- Capitals -1.5 Goals (+118 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 Goals (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Value NHL Parlays for Friday Night Games
3-Leg NHL Big Parlay (+6398 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Golden Knights vs. Avalanche SGP (+282) - VGK ML and Over 6.5
- Capitals vs. Islanders - Under 6.5 (-135)
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+256 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Golden Knights vs. Avalanche - Over 6.5 (+105)
- Capitals vs. Islanders - Under 6.5 (-135)
2-Leg NHL Same-Game Parlay (+282 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Golden Knights vs. Avalanche SGP (+282) - VGK ML and Over 6.5
