Bruins vs. Ducks Prediction, NHL Odds & Best Bets (10/16)

Fact checked at 9:25 AM ET, Oct 16, 2026

Odds as of Oct 16, 9:16 AM ET

Boston has won three straight and outscored San Jose, Philadelphia and Utah 17-5 along the way. The Bruins (5-2-0) also have Charlie McAvoy back. He scored in his season debut Tuesday in San Jose after serving a six-game suspension, and he's back on the first power-play unit with David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm.

Anaheim (4-2-0) is short at center. Ryan Poehling is on injured reserve with a knee injury, and captain Mikael Granlund, who has eight points in six games, is day-to-day after missing Thursday's practice and is considered doubtful. Winger Troy Terry is also on injured reserve after hip surgery. Cutter Gauthier is expected back, possibly at center, after a full practice Thursday; he played just over two minutes of the home-and-home with Calgary. The Ducks lost the second game of that set 4-2 at home to a Flames team that hadn't won all season, and they gave up 3.51 goals a game last season.

Boston is about a -118 favorite with the total at 6.5. Jeremy Swayman (5-1-0, .930) has started four in a row, and Michael DiPietro gets one of the two weekend games, Friday in Anaheim or Saturday in Los Angeles. Neither bet below cares which one plays. Puck drop is 10:00 PM ET at Honda Center, on NESN and Prime Video.

Boston's top players should do the scoring against a Ducks lineup that will likely be missing two centers, and both picks are set-up bets on that group, so they tend to win together.

Bruins vs. Ducks Predictions

• Pick #1: David Pastrnak Over 0.5 Assists (-125)
• Pick #2: Charlie McAvoy Over 0.5 Assists (+100)

PICK #1: David Pastrnak Over 0.5 Assists (-125)

Pastrnak picked up at least one assist in 48 of his 77 games last season, 62.3% of the time, on his way to 71 helpers. The -125 price implies 55.6%, so the full-season rate clears it.

Nothing about his role has changed. He has six assists in seven games, with at least one in four of them, including two in the 6-1 win over Utah. He skates with Zacha and Geekie on the top line and on the first power-play unit, and Marco Sturm left the lines alone at Thursday's practice in Irvine. He also set up a goal in both meetings with Anaheim last season.

The main risk is Anaheim's penalty kill, fourth in the league at 90.5% against a Boston power play at 16.7%. Most of Pastrnak's playmaking comes at even strength, though: only 23 of his 71 assists last season came on the power play.

PICK #2: Charlie McAvoy Over 0.5 Assists (+100)

Even money undersells a defenseman who had an assist in 40 of 69 games last season. That's 58.0%, against the 50% this price implies, and he finished with 50 assists.

He went right back to a big role Tuesday: 24:41 on the top pair with Hampus Lindholm, three shots and a goal. He runs the first power-play unit too, where 21 of last season's 50 assists came.

One game back is all there is this season, so this leans on last year's rate and an unchanged role. The risks are the ones Pastrnak shares: Anaheim's penalty kill, and a Boston team that has allowed 28.7 shots a game while taking 25.6.

21+ (18+ where permitted). Odds subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.