The NHL schedule this weekend features some great games – including an early-season showdown between preseason Cup contenders and the Seattle Kraken’s first home game in the franchise’s history. Get ready for a great weekend of hockey with our NHL weekend picks for October 23.
To Win the Game | ![]() | ![]() | To Win the Game |
---|---|---|---|
Colorado | +131 | +192 | Tampa Bay |
Pittsburgh | +192 | +131 | Toronto |
Buffalo | +217 | +116 | New Jersey |
Vancouver | +159 | +159 | Seattle |
NHL odds will be available by Saturday morning
The best match-up this weekend is between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche – the two teams that opened the season with the best odds to win the 2022 Stanley Cup.
Tampa Bay recently lost Nikita Kucherov to the LTIR (long-term injury reserve). For most teams that would be a huge concern. However, we witnessed Tampa Bay end last season with a .67 points percentage without Kucherov suiting up a single game (until the Stanley Cup Playoffs).
Nate’s pumped to play.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 19, 2021
We’re pumped to have him!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/tCBwXaeDeV
The Avalanche have three of a possible six points to start the season – but have Nathan MacKinnon back. MacKinnon picked up a point in his first game back and should continue to improve as he gets more regular season ice-time.
Tampa Bay’s biggest issue through four games is defence. Andrei Vasilevskiy looks a bit worn down – following his Conn Smythe performance last year. In four starts, he has allowed at least three goals three times (75%). During the Lightning’s Stanley Cup run, Vasilevskiy allowed three or more goals only nine times in 23 games (39.1%). We like Colorado in the battle of Cup contenders.
The Toronto Maple Leafs – with Auston Matthews back from surgery – faceoff against the Penguins in Toronto this weekend. The Penguins are playing well early in the season – despite Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby being sidelined to start the season.
The Leafs play against San Jose on Friday night – which could hurt them on Saturday. The Leafs’ backup goaltender – Petr Mrazek – is out for at least two weeks with a groin injury. Campbell’s been great for the Leafs – but does not have much experience in his career playing back-to-back.
The Leafs’ backup situation without Mrazek is iffy. They will likely need some more goalscoring on Saturday if they want to get the win against the Penguins. We do not know yet if Matthews is fully back to the elite level he was playing at last season (when he scored 41 goals in 52 games).
The Penguins are also getting solid early-season returns from Tristian Jarry – with a .935 save percentage and 1.62 GAA in three games. The rest of their team is also picking up the slack with Crosby and Malkin out. We like Pittsburgh to pick up a road win against Toronto on Saturday.
As of Wednesday, nine teams remain undefeated. If you were to bet at the start of the season that two of the last undefeated teams would be the Sabres and the Devils – people would call you crazy. Yet, here we are a week in and New Jersey and the Sabres are undefeated.
Five different Sabres netted goals and 10 different Sabres recorded points in last night's win over Vancouver!#LetsGoBuffalo
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 20, 2021
There is a reasonable chance that one or both teams have a loss by Saturday – but early results (especially from the Sabres) are impressive.
The wildest thing in the NHL right now is not just that the Sabres started the season 3-0-0, it is they have three wins without Jack Eichel. With or without Eichel most people pegged the Sabres as a bottom-two team in the Eastern Conference. However, it seems with their captain sidelined, the team is coming together.
New Jersey is playing well this year thanks to offseason moves to shore up the defence. Ryan Graves and Dougie Hamilton are playing well in front of Jonathan Bernier. The Devils also have their best player – Jack Hughes – playing at an elite level to start the season. The Devils with a better defence and their best player in the game have the advantage over Buffalo’s surprising depth this season.
One of the most anticipated games of the first month of the season is the showdown between Seattle and Vancouver. Not only is this the first home franchise game for the Kraken – the fans and league hope this is the start of the next great NHL rivalry.
Seattle’s got mildly shafted to start the season – playing five straight road games to kick off the 2021-22 campaign. Early results with Seattle show some issues on defence. In four of five games, they allowed opponents to score at least three goals.
However, Vancouver has goaltending and defensive issues of their own to start the season. Vancouver has allowed 15 goals in four games this season and ranks in the bottom seven in penalty kill. It is looking like this game will feature a flurry of goals.
We like Seattle to win this game. Vegas was the last expansion team to join the league. They also opened on the road and won their first home game.
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Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network