NHL Picks Today: Thursday Predictions & Best Bets for the 11-Game Slate (Oct. 29)

Thursday packs 11 games onto the schedule, and I’m not chasing all of them. I’ve narrowed the night to three spots where the price lines up with what these teams have done on the ice, with puck drops at 7:00, 7:30 and 8:00 pm ET.

Columbus visits Carolina after back-to-back overtime wins. Chicago heads to Detroit after beating LA, and Boston visits St. Louis two nights after a one-goal loss to the Hurricanes.

You can compare sportsbook prices in the latest NHL odds, but I’m trading Kalshi contracts for these plays. Here’s where I’m putting my money on today’s NHL picks.

Each YES contract pays $1 if it hits, so the price doubles as a quick read on implied probability before fees. A 63¢ contract means the market prices that outcome at about 63%.

Prices checked at 12:48 PM on October 28th at Kalshi and subject to change. New users can find the latest Kalshi promo code before placing a trade.

Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 (49¢ / (+104) YES at Kalshi)

My first NHL pick today asks Carolina to win by two or more goals. The Canes are 10-2-2 and have outscored opponents 53-34 through 14 games, good for a +19 goal differential.

That works out to about 3.79 goals scored and 2.43 allowed per game. They backed it up Tuesday with a 2-1 win over a Boston team that’s off to a 9-3-1 start.

Columbus is 5-5-0, with 26 goals scored and 33 allowed through 10 games. The Blue Jackets have won two straight, but both went to overtime, including a 4-3 OT win in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Those one-goal wins are the risk with any puck line. Still, Columbus is giving up 3.3 goals per game, and I’ll back Carolina’s attack against that defense at roughly a 47% implied chance.

Pick: Red Wings to win (59¢ / (-144) YES at Kalshi)

Detroit sits at 5-4-3, so the Red Wings have picked up points in eight of their 12 games. Their latest came Monday in Edmonton, a 4-3 shootout win they had to fight for.

Dylan Larkin scored late to tie it, and Lucas Raymond won it in the shootout. Pulling out a road game like that gives Detroit some juice heading into Thursday’s matchup with Chicago.

The Blackhawks won’t roll over. They beat LA 2-1 on Tuesday, so they aren’t showing up on a skid.

This is the priciest contract on my card, with 63¢ implying about a 63% chance. I’m paying it for a team that keeps finding points and found a way to steal one in Edmonton, so my Blackhawks vs Red Wings prediction is Detroit to win.

Pick: Bruins to win (50¢ / (+100) YES at Kalshi)

I’m wrapping up my NHL picks today with Boston, even after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Carolina. The Bruins are 9-3-1 and have scored 49 goals, about 3.8 per game.

David Pastrnak is leading the way with 7 goals and 11 assists. Boston is 7-2-1 over its last 10, averaging 4.1 goals for and 2.1 against in that stretch.

St. Louis is 5-6-1 overall and 4-5-1 over its last 10. The Blues have averaged 3 goals for and 2.9 against in that span, which is a team treading water.

The market isn’t treating Boston like a big road favorite. Kalshi has the Bruins at 49¢, essentially a coin flip, and my Bruins vs Blues prediction takes that price on the team with the better record and the hotter offense.