NHL Slate Analysis — Friday, November 6, 2026
Friday, November 6, 2026 · NHL
The NHL slate for Friday, November 6, 2026 has 3 games, the first at 6:00 PM CT. AiQ has a moneyline pick on all 3. None of AiQ's picks on this slate has a price on record above fair value. Each price is the one AiQ valued the pick at when it last priced the game.
Every game
Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres
6:00 PM CT at KeyBank Center. Averaged over the outcomes the betting lines imply, the projected score is Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Buffalo Sabres 4. That is an average, not a pick.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have won 7 of their 14 games this season, winning three of the last five. The Buffalo Sabres have won 7 of their 15 games this season, winning three of the last five. When these teams last met, on October 1, 2026, the Columbus Blue Jackets won 6-3 at home. This is their second meeting this season.
Matchups to watch.
- The probable starting goalies are Cam Talbot (not yet confirmed, .899 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (not yet confirmed, .873 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the Buffalo Sabres.
- Moneyline: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives Buffalo Sabres a 61.9% chance to beat Columbus Blue Jackets. AiQ's moneyline pick is the side the consensus favors. The price on record, -170, is priced below the fair price of -163 (−1.7% value).
- Total: The betting market, with the margin removed, puts the over 6.5 goals at 48.4% and the under at 51.6%. That is near a coin flip, and AiQ's read is the market's own, so AiQ has no edge on the total. AiQ's projected total, 6.5 goals, sits on the 6.5 line.
- Puck line: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives Columbus Blue Jackets +1.5 a 60.5% chance to cover and Buffalo Sabres -1.5 39.5%. AiQ's read matches the market price, so AiQ has no edge on the puck line.
Trends in play.
Recent results against the puck line back the Columbus Blue Jackets, the underdog here. The Buffalo Sabres failed to cover the puck line in 5 of 5 home games this season.
Recent totals lean under. The Buffalo Sabres went under the total in 4 of 5 home games this season.
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild
7:00 PM CT at Grand Casino Arena. Averaged over the outcomes the betting lines imply, the projected score is San Jose Sharks 3, Minnesota Wild 4. That is an average, not a pick.
The San Jose Sharks have won 7 of their 17 games this season, losing the last three. The Minnesota Wild have won 11 of their 17 games this season, winning four of the last five. When these teams last met, on December 31, 2025, the San Jose Sharks won 4-3 at home.
Matchups to watch.
- The probable starting goalies are Yaroslav Askarov (not yet confirmed, .887 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the San Jose Sharks and Jesper Wallstedt (not yet confirmed, .919 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the Minnesota Wild.
- An uphill climb in scoring. The San Jose Sharks averaged 2.53 goals per game this season, the 5th fewest in the NHL, and the Minnesota Wild allowed 2.24 goals per game, the fewest.
- Mismatch in shots. The Minnesota Wild averaged 30.2 shots on goal per game this season, the 5th most in the NHL, and the San Jose Sharks allowed 30.2 shots on goal per game, the 4th most.
- Moneyline: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives Minnesota Wild a 70.7% chance to beat San Jose Sharks. AiQ's moneyline pick is the side the consensus favors. The best price, -250 at BetRivers, is priced below the fair price of -242 (−1.0% value).
- Total: The betting market, with the margin removed, puts the over 6.5 goals at 47.4% and the under at 52.6%. That is near a coin flip, and AiQ's read is the market's own, so AiQ has no edge on the total. AiQ's projected total, 6.5 goals, sits on the 6.5 line.
- Puck line: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives San Jose Sharks +1.5 a 52.2% chance to cover and Minnesota Wild -1.5 47.8%. That is near a coin flip, and AiQ's read is the market's own, so AiQ has no edge on the puck line.
Trends in play.
Against the puck line, the records pull in opposite directions. The San Jose Sharks failed to cover the puck line in 6 straight games. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks covered the puck line in each of the last 3 meetings with the Minnesota Wild.
Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames
7:00 PM CT at Scotiabank Saddledome. Averaged over the outcomes the betting lines imply, the projected score is Anaheim Ducks 3, Calgary Flames 3. That is an average, not a pick.
The Anaheim Ducks have won 8 of their 16 games this season, winning the last three. The Calgary Flames have won 7 of their 16 games this season, winning two of the last five. When these teams last met, on October 13, 2026, the Calgary Flames won 4-2 on the road. This is their third meeting this season, with the series level at 1-1.
Matchups to watch.
- The probable starting goalies are Lukas Dostal (not yet confirmed, .871 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the Anaheim Ducks and Dustin Wolf (not yet confirmed, .870 save percentage in the 2026-27 season) for the Calgary Flames.
- Moneyline: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives Calgary Flames a 53.2% chance to beat Anaheim Ducks. AiQ's moneyline pick is the side the consensus favors. The best price, -120 at Caesars, is priced below the fair price of -113 (−2.5% value).
- Total: The betting market, with the margin removed, puts the over 6.5 goals at 48.2% and the under at 51.8%. That is near a coin flip, and AiQ's read is the market's own, so AiQ has no edge on the total. AiQ's projected total, 6.5 goals, sits on the 6.5 line.
- Puck line: The betting market, with the margin removed, gives Anaheim Ducks +1.5 a 68.1% chance to cover and Calgary Flames -1.5 31.9%. AiQ's read matches the market price, so AiQ has no edge on the puck line.
Trends in play.
Recent totals lean over. The last 6 games involving the Anaheim Ducks went over the total.
Against the puck line, the records pull in opposite directions. The Calgary Flames covered the puck line in 4 of the last 5 meetings with the Anaheim Ducks. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks covered the puck line in 8 of 11 games as underdogs this season. The Calgary Flames covered the puck line in 7 of their last 10 games.
These come from the closing lines of this season and last. They are context, not the reason for AiQ's picks, and the books price them in.