4 Best NHL Bets and Player Props for Monday 10/20/25

Whether it's moneylines, goal props, or who lights the lamp, there are plenty of ways to bet on NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

For additional NHL insights, check out FanDuel Research's daily NHL player prop projections, which are powered by numberFire.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com. Lineup notes come from Daily Faceoff.

Today's Best NHL Bets and Player Props

Minnesota Wild at New York Rangers

Wild Under 2.5 Goals (-108)

Rest assured, the Minnesota Wild's brand of hockey hasn't changed in 2025.

Minnesota's systematic emphasis on puck control rather than scoring chances is still very much present, ranking 29th in expected goals per 60 minutes (2.65 xG) so far.

Tonight, they'll face a New York Rangers squad that looks much more like the one that won the Presidents Trophy in 2023-24. They're allowing the eighth-fewest xG per 60 minutes (2.74) while Igor Shesterkin ranks sixth in the league in goals saved above expectation per 60 minutes (1.62 GSA/x). The end result? New York is allowing just 1.71 actual goals per 60.

The problem for betting this under is that Minnesota's defense (3.66 xG allowed per 60) has been shaky early. The visitors' team total is a safer angle than the low game total (5.5) at MSG.

Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames

Jets Over 3.5 Goals (+128)
Gabriel Vilardi to Record a Point (-132)

Perhaps in part due to a massive offseason contract, it doesn't seem the Calgary Flames are pulling the plug on Dustin Wolf yet.

Wolf's 2025-26 campaign has gotten off to a disastrous start. He's fifth from the bottom in GSAx/60 (-1.68) and got pulled early from Saturday's effort after allowing five markers in two periods. It's not been particularly helpful that Calgary is allowing the 12th-most xG per 60 (3.18) as a team-level defense.

Enter the Winnipeg Jets. At just 49.0 Corsi per 60, Winnipeg is a quality over quantity scoring offense, but they've been scorching to begin the year at 4.20 goals per 60 minutes. Despite not rating out well in peripherals scoring metrics, their top line has nine goals already.

All six of the Flames' opponents this year have met or topped three goals. Winnipeg has reached that mark in all five games. At +128, I'll back the Jets to find the right side of the hook when Wolf is struggling so mightily.

A member of that top line who hasn't found the gravy train quite yet is Gabriel Vilardi.

Vilardi does have four helpers in five games, but he's yet to score a goal after posting 0.38 goals per game a year ago. He's put forth 10 shots on goal but not potted one, which is odd after scoring once every 4.81 registered attempts a season ago.

The winger's role hasn't changed a bit from then, either. He's still on Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele's left wing, and those two have at least nine points this year. At four, Vilardi has been left off the scoresheet as his line has been dominating.

When Vilardi recorded a point in 40 of 71 games last year (56.3%), this 56.9% implied probability seems very doable in a soft matchup.

Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights

Nikolaj Ehlers Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+116)

Pucks should fly at the net in Sin City tonight.

The Carolina Hurricanes (75.0) and Vegas Golden Knights (65.2) are top-seven clubs in Corsi per 60 minutes. Of course, the Canes lead the NHL in that department after doing so in three straight seasons before this. Unlike Winnipeg, Carolina is quantity over quality.

Vegas has been unusually porous to rank just 17th in Corsi per 60 allowed (61.0). That's despite the entirety of their season's sample coming against the Flames, Seattle Kraken, Boston Bruins, and San Jose Sharks thus far. Only Boston is a top-25 team in xG per 60 minutes, and most believe they're overperforming.

Nikolaj Ehlers has made himself at home in this up-tempo system. He's posted 3.6 shots on goal per game and met or eclipsed five in half of Carolina's contests so far.

With this no longer being an outlier matchup on paper, FanDuel Research's NHL player prop projections expect 3.06 median shots on goal from the winger on Monday. That would normally imply closer to -144 odds on this prop, and the alternate markets are plausible sprinkles. Ehlers to Record 5+ Shots on Goal (+630) is a ceiling we've seen him reach often enough already.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.