Friday’s hockey starts late, which gives us a little breathing room. Pittsburgh visits Colorado at 9 p.m. ET, then Boston heads to Anaheim at 10. Two games, two very different prices—and no reason to turn them into a parlay just because they fit on the same screen.
Boston is the first team we would revisit once the goalie news lands. Colorado has the flashier offense, but the price asks a lot. Before either puck drops, Rays–Guardians gives the night an 8 p.m. baseball start.
Odds and team news checked at noon EDT, October 16, 2026. Prices are attributed public quotes and can move. Today’s card is a watchlist while the starting goalies remain projected.
Bruins–Ducks: Boston gets the first look
Boston arrives at 10 p.m. ET with a 5–2–0 record and an encouraging start from Jeremy Swayman. He has a 1.99 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage through six appearances. That is a good reason to pay attention to the Bruins. It is also a small enough sample that we should leave room for an ordinary night in net.
Anaheim is 4–2–0, so this is hardly a struggling opponent waiting to be picked off. Lukas Dostal has a .892 save percentage through five appearances. Boston’s early goaltending advantage is interesting, but it only helps this matchup if the expected starters actually play.
RotoWire projects Swayman and Dostal to start. It also lists Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier as day-to-day, with Troy Terry on long-term injured reserve. Those Anaheim availability questions are another reason to wait for the lineup rather than rush a noon bet.
| Market | Boston | Anaheim / other side |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | -115 | -105 |
| Puck line | -1.5 (+200) | +1.5 (-250) |
| Total 6.5 | Over +100 | Under -120 |
Of those BetMGM prices, the straight Boston moneyline is the one we would revisit. Our ceiling is -115, with Swayman starting and Anaheim’s lineup settled. That is a limit on what we would consider paying, not a calculated fair price or a bet to place before the news.
Why keep it simple? Boston -1.5 pays more, but now a one-goal win loses the bet. That is a different ask. The full-game moneyline allows a win in overtime or a shootout.
The risk is easy to see: Dostal plays better than his early numbers, Anaheim gets its offense going at home, or Swayman has a rough night. We like Boston as the first game to revisit, not as a team that cannot lose.
Penguins–Avalanche: good offense, expensive ticket
Colorado’s attack is the attraction here. The Avalanche have scored 31 goals through seven games, with Nathan MacKinnon contributing five goals and seven assists. A late game with that kind of offense is an easy sell for the couch. The betting price is a tougher sell.
BetMGM’s October 16 preview quotes Colorado at -210 and Pittsburgh at +170. The puck lines are Colorado -1.5 at +110 and Pittsburgh +1.5 at -135. The total is 6.5 goals.
At -210, you need Colorado to win about 67.7% of the time just to break even on a cash bet. Seven games of scoring do not establish that chance. We are passing on Colorado at that price. Taking -1.5 to turn the payout positive does not solve the problem; it adds a two-goal winning-margin requirement.
The NHL’s matchup statistics add another wrinkle: projected Colorado starter Mackenzie Blackwood has an .879 save percentage in five appearances. Pittsburgh’s projected starter, Arturs Silovs, is at .885 through four. RotoWire still lists both as expected, so neither is a confirmed starter in this preview.
That can make an over tempting, but a 6.5-goal total still needs seven goals. A hot goalie, poor finishing or fewer power plays can spoil a lively-looking matchup. We are leaving the total and player props alone today.
There is no back-to-back shortcut in either hockey game. None of tonight’s four teams played Thursday. Pittsburgh, Boston and Anaheim last played Tuesday; Colorado played Wednesday. A tired-team story would be doing too much work here.
Rays–Guardians: baseball before the hockey
The Rays and Guardians meet at 8 p.m. ET, with Nick Martinez and Shawn Armstrong listed as probable pitchers. It is a nice lead-in to the late hockey, but we are not adding a baseball selection.
BetMGM’s October 16 preview has Tampa Bay -115, Cleveland -105 and a 6.5-run total, with over and under both -110. A total that low leaves little room for a bad inning. Without a clear read on tonight’s pitching workload and final batting orders, we would rather watch than guess.
Tonight’s card: keep room for the news
Boston is a wait. Colorado is a pass at -210. Baseball stays off the card. A short slate does not require a long betting slip.
The hockey prices discussed here are full-game markets, which differ from regulation-only bets. BetMGM’s Springfield rules, for example, include overtime and add one goal for a shootout in standard pregame moneyline, puck-line and total markets. Those rules apply to that venue; the terms where you bet govern your ticket.
If you do place a supported bet elsewhere, BetSlip Live can help you import the slip, review the legs and follow supported live progress. Coverage varies by event and market. Keep the waiting for the goalie news, not for a box score to refresh.