Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen are my predictions to score during Thursday’s 12-game NHL slate.
The pregame narrative: Guentzel, fresh off a hat-trick performance, faces an Edmonton Oilers team in the midst of an ugly road trip. Elsewhere, Rantanen and the Dallas Stars are road favourites against the Vancouver Canucks.
Check out my NHL goal picks for Nov. 20.
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NHL goal picks Nov. 20
Best Bet: Guentzel to score (+155)
We’re approaching “five-alarm fire” territory in Edmonton.
The Oilers lost 7-4 to the Washington Capitals last night, dropping to 9-9-4 on the season.
That came just two days after losing 5-1 to the Buffalo Sabres, of all teams, prompting defenceman Darnell Nurse to say: “It’s tough to win games when you’re letting in five.”
I have to agree.
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Edmonton had an entire summer to fix its goaltending situation but stood pat with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. The latter is in net tonight, and he’s posted a 4.17 GAA and .830 SV% so far.
Both of those marks rank outside the top 50 for all NHL netminders.
Guentzel leads the Tampa Bay Lightning in goals (11), shots (57) and high-danger chances (52), per Natural Stat Trick.
He’s scored six times in his last five games and is playing alongside Tampa’s best playmaker, Brayden Point.
That duo should be foaming at the mouth to face Edmonton.
Key stat: The Oilers have allowed the most goals (82) in the NHL.
NHL predictions
Rantanen to score (+132): Rantanen made headlines for a pretty nasty hit on New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov on Tuesday. But he escaped supplemental discipline and will be in the lineup tonight.
And with the way he’s playing, I think these odds are a steal.
The Finnish forward has five goals and 14 points in nine games in November. He’s found the stat sheet in all but one of those games, and is tied with Jason Robertson with 18 high-danger chances this month.
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Thatcher Demko is once again injured for Vancouver, meaning Kevin Lankinen will start in goal tonight.
Lankinen owns an unsightly 3.44 GAA and .890 SV% in 11 appearances.
Rantanen has scored in four of his last five games agianst Vancouver, including all three meetings since he joined Dallas last season.
NHL goal picks made at 11:41 a.m. ET on Nov. 20, 2025.
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Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.