Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Thursday, Oct. 1

Expert NHL betting picks today for Panthers vs Sharks and Oilers vs Canucks, with best bets, odds, totals and parlay strategy.

October 1, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Thursday, Oct. 1

By:

Daniel Dobish

October 1, 2026

NHL Picks

Every start/sit, every waiver, every streamer. We make the call.

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Panthers vs Sharks & Oilers vs Canucks – Expert Game Previews

The 2026-27 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season rolls on Thursday, the first day of October. We've seen three of these teams in action already, while the San Jose Sharks get their season underway.

The Florida Panthers meet the San Jose Sharks at 10:00 p.m. ET at SAP Center, while the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks battle at 10:00 p.m. ET in the second end of a home-and-home to open the season. Both of those games are available on ESPN+.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Tuesday's MLB postseason or WNBA playoff action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.

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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.

Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks

The Panthers (1-0-0) opened their season in Raleigh against the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, winning 1-0 in overtime, as Gustav Forsling deposited the game-winning tally in the extra session, while Jacob Markstrom posted the win in his first start back with the organization.

These teams met twice last season, and it was San Jose pulling off a 3-1 victory in the Bay Area on Nov. 8, 2025 as a heavy underdog (+205) as the Under (6.5) cashed, while the Sharks (+152) also sprung the road upset 4-1 in Sunrise in the rematch on Jan. 19, 2026, also as the Under (6.5) connected. The Under is 5-2 in the past seven meetings in this series since Feb. 9, 2023.

The Panthers added Brady Tkachuk to the mix during the offseason, joining his brother Matthew Tkachuk. The offense got off to a slow start, but it should be much better in this battle in San Jose.

Macklin Celebrini was awarded with the captain's patch heading into this season. The budding superstar will look to get off to a big start to begin the new season. He had a goal and a plus-1 rating with three shots on goal in November of 2025 during the most recent home matchup against the Panthers, so keep that in mind if you're a same-game parlay (SGP) player.

Akira Schmid is projected as the starting goaltender for Thursday's start, while Yaroslav Askarov is expected to get the nod for the home side. Askarov posted a 21-20-4 mark with a 3.63 GAA and .884 SV% in 47 starts last season, including 38 saves in the 3-1 win over the Panthers in November.

Let's back the Sharks as short underdogs at home, while we'll go Under based on the trends, as well as Florida's 1-0 overtime win to start the season.

Sharks Moneyline (+126 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-118 at BetMGM)

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks

The Oilers (0-0-1) suffered a stunning 6-5 loss in overtime against the Canucks (1-0-0) in the regular-season opener Tuesday as heavy underdogs (+245) as the Over (6.5) cashed.

Vancouver has been a bit of a thorn in the side of Edmonton, winning three of the past seven meetings since Jan. 18, 2025, cashing three times as an underdog of +138 or greater. The Over is also 3-1 in the past four meetings, with two of those matchups going to overtime.

In Tuesday's meeting, Vancouver managed just 23 shots, while Edmonton had a bit more of an element of desperation, posting 37 shots. Kevin Lankinen turned aside 32 of 37 shots, while Tristan Jarry came up with just 17 saves on 23 shots.

Vancouver's Paul Cotter generated two goals and a plus-2 rating, including the game-winning tally with a helper to Max Sasson. Filip Hronek chipped in with two assists and a plus-2 rating, while Sasson had a two-point night, also adding a goal.

Edmonton's Evan Bouchard did his best to will the team to victory, going for three goals and five points with a plus-2 rating and six shots on goal, while Vasily Podkolzin lit the lamp twice, with Connor McDavid going for two assists and a plus-1 rating. Leon Draisaitl had an assist and a minus-1 rating, and he'll attempt to generate more production during Thursday's rematch.

The Oilers are expected to turn to Devon Levi for the start, likely hoping that he can right the ship following Jarry's lackluster regular-season debut. Lankinen is expected to start for the Canucks on Thursday.

We'll side with the Canucks catching a goal and a half as home underdogs, and let's go Over based on the wild results of the opener.