The heater is still intact, as this article has been profitable every day this week.
Although it's just a two-game slate, there are some great matchups on Sunday, and the NHL picks are in.
The Minnesota power play has been one of the best units in hockey and has a top-tier matchup today, and Bradly Nadeau is playing legit minutes in a top-six role for the Canes following the Taylor Hall injury.
Here are my best NHL predictions for Oct. 18.
Today's top NHL predictions
For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.
Maxim Shabanov Over 0.5 power play points
Bradly Nadeau Over 0.5 pointsPercentages courtesy of Novig, one of the best prediction market apps.
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Pick #1: Maxim Shabanov Over 0.5 power play points
The Minnesota Wild power play has a great matchup looming against the Columbus Blue Jackets' No. 29 penalty kill. The Wild boast the league's No. 2 power play at 33.3% and have scored with the man advantage in seven of their eight games this season.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are coming off a hard-fought 1-0 OT win over the Rangers yesterday and are in a tough schedule spot with backup goalie Cam Talbot between the pipes.
Maxim Shabanov has the longest price to record a PP point among Minnesota's top-unit skaters despite having the second-most PP points of the five. While he might not see a ton of 5-on-5 time, he's logged 8:27 on the power play over the last two games.
- Matchup: Blue Jackets vs. Wild
- Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Grand Casino Arena, Saint Paul, MN
- TV: SN+
Pick #2: Bradly Nadeau Over 0.5 points
Bradly Nadeau has been called up to fill in for Taylor Hall and made an immediate impact yesterday, picking up a power-play assist in the Carolina Hurricanes' 3-2 win over Winnipeg. The rookie logged over 15 minutes of ice time while skating on PP2 and the second line.
Nadeau is listed at 2.4x to record a point today, but against the Calgary Flames, I have his fair price closer to 2.1x. I'm happy to play him as a single or even combo him with linemates Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake at 4.75x.
Calgary has the league's worst GAA at 5.00 goals per game, and its -3.00 goal differential per game is laughable. Carolina could easily score 5+ today, and Nadeau isn't just out there playing 10 minutes a night. He's getting a legitimate top-six role and has the skill set to create offense.
- Matchup: Hurricanes vs. Flames
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
- TV: SNW
- Top picks: 22-18, +9.00 units
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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