NHL Tuesday parlay at mega (+988) odds today 10/18: Canucks collapse in Columbus

Mark Lammey

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I've been a capper since my love for sports met my proficiency with numbers and math. The NFL and NCAAF have always been my first loves, followed by the NHL. Although I prefer sports that involve hitting people, I still love capping MLB, soccer, tennis, and even some esports. Living in Florida has its perks like year-round sports of any kind. For Mark Lammey media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+100) over Philadelphia Flyers

There are some lopsided matchups on the board tonight and this is one of them. The Lightning have been to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last 3 seasons, and hoisted the Cup twice. Meanwhile, the Flyers finished in last place in the Metro Division and had the 2nd-worst record in the Eastern Conference last season.

Philly traded away their captain, Claude Giroux, last season and did not make any significant additions to make up for that loss. Meanwhile, the core of the Lightning has been intact for several years now, including all-world goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. This will also be the Flyers’ first road game of the season, and Tampa is not an easy place to play. The Lightning are also out with a vengeance to bounce back from a 1-2 start to the year. They’ve had to face the Rangers and Penguins on the road, so the Flyers at home is the perfect chance for them to do so. They handled Philly by a combined score of 15-4 in 3 meetings last season, and should continue that success tonight.

Be sure to check out our Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning predictions

Columbus Blue Jackets -1.5 (+185) over Vancouver Canucks

This is likely the most surprising play of our mega parlay, but that’s also why it provides such lucrative odds. These teams are not as high-profile as the Lightning or Avalanche, and that can make them hard to handicap at times. However, this is a great spot for the Blue Jackets to show what they’re capable of this season.

Columbus made arguably the biggest offseason addition when they signed former Flame Johnny Gaudreau. He ended last season tied for the 2nd-most points in the NHL and was first in terms of plus-minus. In other words, when he’s on the ice, good things happen. Now he has a healthy Patrik Laine to skate with, and they’ll be facing a Canucks team on the second night of a road back-to-back. Vancouver can certainly be a formidable opponent, but they rely on low-scoring wins more often than not. They decided to use starting goaltender Thatcher Demko last night against the Capitals, which severely decreases their chances in this game. The Jackets sunk the Canucks 4-2 in their first meeting last year, and can do the same with Gaudreau now on the team.

Be sure to check out our Vancouver Canucks vs Columbus Blue Jackets predictions.

Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (-110) over Buffalo Sabres

Just as the Lightning seem to have quite a lopsided matchup, the Oilers have as well. They’ll be at home for this game and there is quite a buzz among their fan base to take the next step this season. Edmonton made it to the Western Conference Finals last year, but lost to the eventual champions the Avalanche.

However, they’re still one of the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and that should come as no surprise. Connor McDavid once again led the NHL in points and Leon Draisaitl was not far behind with the 3rd-most. With Evander Kane staying with the team this offseason, their trio is an embarrassment of riches. For perspective, McDavid and Draisaitl each had at least 110 points, whereas the top Sabres skater didn’t even have 70 points last season. Buffalo is another team that made virtually no significant additions in the offseason, which doesn’t bode well against such a star-studded team. Edmonton ran a stampede through Buffalo in a 6-1 rout at home last season, so expect more of the same tonight.

Be sure to check out our Buffalo Sabres vs Edmonton Oilers predictions.