It's the first Monday of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season, as we kick off the first full week of the new campaign. It just so happens it is Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day, and we have five matinee games. We're going to focus on a pair of evening games, however, giving you more time to read and get your bets in, perhaps even mixing and matching with the doubleheader of NFL Monday Night Football games or MLB Championship Series games. There is plenty to wager on. Go crazy! Let's get started.
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Expert NHL Betting Picks and Odds for October 13: Best Bets and Parlay Tips
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.
Key NHL Betting Trends and Insights for Today's Games
Florida Panthers 
at Philadelphia Flyers 
The Panthers (3-0-0) and the Flyers (0-1-1) meet at Wells Fargo Center on Monday night, with a puck drop of 7 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have fired out of the chute despite the fact that Aleksander Barkov is sidelined indefinitely, and Matthew Tkachuk is out until December. The roster is still pretty talented, and they've looked the part of a champion yet again.
We'll find out a lot about the Panthers in their first road game, however. The Panthers won a pair of one-goal games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Flyers, while topping the Ottawa Senators 6-2 over the weekend.
The win over the Flyers was a 2-1 win behind Sergei Bobrovsky on Thursday. Bob turned aside 19 of the 20 shots he faced. Anton Lundell potted a power-play goal to open the scoring against Dan Vladar. Noah Cates leveled the scoring late in the second period, with a helper to Tyson Foerster. In the third period, Brad Marchand was credited with the game-winning goal at 2:19 of the third period, with helpers to Luke Kunin and A.J. Greer, as Vladar lost despite 32 saves on 34 shots.
The Panthers have won four of the past five meetings, although three of the past four meetings have been one-goal games. The Over is 3-1 in the past four meetings, too. The Panthers are moderate favorites and reasonably priced. Back Florida, but don't be surprised if overtime or a shootout is needed. And, let's go low, as the Panthers have allowed four goals through three games.
- Panthers ML (-140 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
- Under 6 Goals (-117 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
St. Louis Blues 
at Vancouver Canucks 
The Blues (1-1-0) and Canucks (1-1-0) drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the game is available on ESPN+.
After a disappointing 5-0 loss at home to the Minnesota Wild to kick off the season, the Blues bounced back by doubling up the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Saturday behind Joel Hofer. The Blues are likely to go back to Jordan Binnington, as he tries to get back on track.
The Canucks topped the Flames for their only win, posting a 5-1 victory, before falling 3-1 in Edmonton on Saturday. Thatcher Demko has posted a solid 1.54 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in his first two starts.
The Blues have won four of the past five meetings, while the underdogs are 8-2 in the past 10 in this series. Let's back the Blues to get the job done, and we'll go high on the total, as the Over is 4-0 in the past four meetings. Five of the past eight meetings have ended in overtime, with six of the past eight ending in a one-goal game, so be ready to sweat.
- Blues ML (+117 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 Goals (-112 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Kings 
at Minnesota Wild 
The Kings (1-2-0) and the Wild (1-1-0) meet at Xcel Energy Center at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The Kings won two of the three meetings last season, splitting the two battles in the Twin Cities. The underdog is 3-1 in the past four meetings in this series, while the 'dog is 6-3 in the past nine since Oct. 15, 2022. The Under is 3-0-1 in the past four meetings, too.
The Kings suffered a 4-1 loss in the home opener before bouncing back with a 6-5 SOW in Vegas on Wednesday. On Saturday, the Kings were on the short end of a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg, and now they face another tough opponent, likely with Anton Forsberg in between the pipes.
For the Wild, the results have been mixed, winning 5-0 in St. Louis before getting buried 7-4 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Let's take the Wild to get it done on home ice, while going high on the total.
- Wild ML (-120 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 (-110 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Saturday's Best NHL Parlays
6-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+3118 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Panthers ML (-140) at Flyers
- Under 6 (-125) - Panthers at Flyers
- Over 5.5 (-115) - Blues at Canucks
- Blues ML (+110) at Canucks
- Wild ML (-125) vs. Kings
- Over 5.5 (-110) - Wild vs. Kings
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+209 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Panthers ML (-140) at Flyers
- Wild ML (-125) vs. Kings
2-Leg NHL Same-Game Parlay (+175 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Panthers ML (-140) at Flyers
- Under 6 (-125) - Panthers at Flyers
