NHL Best Bets: Top Player Props & Novig Market Picks (Tuesday, 10/20/26)

October 20, 2026

Get Sean Goodwin's top NHL bets and player props for Tuesday, 10/20/26. Expert picks powered by the Novig betting exchange -- see today's highest-value plays. Win more with RotoBaller's expert betting advice.

Fresh off our Thursday victory, we dive into tonight's action-packed 11-game slate. Some matchups are tempting to chase, while others are best enjoyed from the sidelines. Let's spot the standouts and aim for back-to-back wins.

Today's picks will all use the odds on the most unique and fastest-growing sports prediction site—Novig. If you're not familiar with the site or how prediction markets work, I'll explain how it works and provide some of my favorite wagers to place on Novig.

As always, make sure you're following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app. Now, here are some of the top NHL bets and player props for Tuesday's games.

What is Novig?

Novig is one of the fastest-growing peer-to-peer sports prediction markets. On Novig, users trade directly with each other without the "vig" that is associated with a typical sportsbook.

The vig represents the money that sportsbooks charge you to use their service. It's a hidden cost that can be found in the odds that are being offered on each side of a specific bet. When a book offers -110 odds on both sides of a bet, they're keeping close to 10% of every bettor's wager, regardless of whether you win or lose.

On Novig, users trade with each other on the outcomes of sporting events, similarly to the way that investors trade on the stock market. But instead of having to beat the books, you just have to win against other users - there's no commission kept by the site.

Users can bet on most traditional sports markets, including moneyline bets, spreads, totals, player props, parlays, and futures! No politics, no betting on wars...just sports!

NHL Game Bets

All odds are from Novig and were accurate as of 10:00 AM ET. Note that Novig odds are now displayed as percentages instead of American odds.

Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 at Vancouver Canucks  (53%)

This matchup looks like the most lopsided of the night as the reigning Cup champions roll into Vancouver for another stop on their West Coast journey.

Carolina had been riding a five-game winning streak before a surprising 3-2 loss to Calgary on Sunday.

Over six road games, the Canes have been lighting the lamp at 3.42 goals per 60 minutes, an impressive feat. Even more striking, their expected goals per 60 minutes sits at 4.04, which would rank them second in the NHL for road games. Vancouver has shown flashes of competitiveness but has dropped seven straight, including a 7-2 defeat to these same Canes in Carolina.

With a long season and a rebuild ahead, it is hard to imagine Vancouver keeping pace with Carolina tonight.

San Jose Sharks at Montreal Canadiens Over 6.5 goals (53%) 

The Sharks roll into Montreal after a tough 3-1 loss to Toronto, a game where they created more high-danger chances than the Leafs but Bobrovsky stymied them.

This Sharks squad is quick and relentless, always crashing the net and overdue for some puck luck, especially since their expected goals per 60 minutes outpace their actual scoring by 0.66.

Meanwhile, Montreal has stumbled out of the gate after last season's conference finals run. Their defence and goaltending have been shaky, but their offence has come alive with at least four goals in each of their last three games.

Tonight could turn into a high-scoring shootout, maybe 5-3 or 5-4, which would easily clear the 6.5 goal mark and bring us home.

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NHL Prop Bets

All odds are from Novig and were accurate as of 10:00 AM ET. Note that Novig odds are now displayed as percentages instead of American odds.

Jack Hughes (NJD) Anytime Goal (37%) vs Colorado Avalanche

Hughes and the Devils catch the Avalanche on the second night of a back-to-back after Colorado’s loss to Philadelphia.

The spotlight is on Hughes, who has been relentlessly firing pucks to start the season but hasn’t had much luck finding the net.

Over the Devils’ first eight games, he’s launched 32 shots but has just two goals to show for it. For context, his career shooting percentage is 11.2%, yet he’s currently at just 7.69%. When I’m searching for a goal scorer, I always check high-danger chances per 60 minutes, and Jack is shining with an elite 15.57. Colorado’s road defence is only average in the slot, allowing 11.07 high-danger chances per 60.

Data courtesy  @NatStatTrick

Hughes is also likely to face Wedgewood tonight, who will be making his third start of the season and has looked shaky in his first two outings.

 

That is just a beautiful thing to watch. To further add to this play, Vancouver allows the 5th-most shots to defensemen in the league.

Novig Tools Exclusively at RotoBaller

Check out our "No-Vig" Calculator, and you can de-vig any line you want to see what the fair odds should be!

You can also shop for the best odds on bets and props at Novig using our new Prediction Finder Tool!

Win more on every winning market position with Novig, where you will consistently get a better return on your investment than traditional sportsbooks.

NHL Prop Parlay

Here’s tonight’s parlay with the plays I like for tonight’s slate; as always, mix and match to see what works for you. Novig does not have an ATG market for Gostisbehere, but it's worth a sprinkle if you can find it available.

If every leg hits, we are going to 13.33x our investment. Don't go overboard, but tossing a little change on the full parlay is a nice way to give our betting card a ceiling.

If you have any questions, please hit me up on X or join RotoBaller today and come talk some shop in our premium Discord channel!

Best of luck tonight, and let's have a winning season!

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