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NBA and NHL and College football odds recap for Tuesday, October 27, 2026: what the lines got right and wrong
Home teams went 2-9 against the puck line in the NHL on Tuesday, and that was the day's biggest betting story. The puck line is hockey's version of the point spread, usually set at a goal and a half. A team "covers" when it beats that number. Road teams won eight of the 11 games outright. Four of the winners were underdogs on the moneyline, which is a straight bet on who wins. Across the NBA, the NHL and two college football games, the market missed a lot of results by a wide margin.
NHL
The biggest upset was Vancouver's 6-5 win at Anaheim. The Canucks closed at +180, which the market priced as a 34.3% chance. The game also missed "the total" by the most of any game on the slate. The total is the book's line on combined goals. It was set at 6.5, and the teams scored 11, going over by 4.5.
The other three underdogs were close to coin flips. The Islanders won 4-3 at Nashville at +102 (47.4%). New Jersey won 5-1 at Dallas at -102 (48.3%). Minnesota won 3-1 at Utah at -102 (48.3%). The Devils had the biggest cover of the night: the Stars were laid at -1.5 goals, so New Jersey covered by 5.5. Minnesota covered by 3.5 against Utah's -1.5.
Two totals were missed by as much as Anaheim's, but in the other direction. Montreal beat St. Louis 2-0 and Buffalo beat San Jose 2-0. Both games had a total of 6.5, and each finished 4.5 under. Boston at Carolina, a 2-1 Hurricanes win, came in 3.5 under a 6.5 total. Overs and unders finished 4-7 for the night.
The night's line moves pointed opposite ways. A line move is the change in a number between when it opens and when the game starts. In Chicago, the favorite changed between open and close. The Blackhawks went from getting 1.5 goals to giving 1.5. Chicago won 2-1, at 50.4%, but didn't cover the new number, so the move was wrong. In St. Louis, the Blues went from -1.5 to +1.5 as the market moved toward Montreal. The Canadiens won 2-0, so that move was right. The only total that moved was Florida at Winnipeg, from 5.5 to 6.5. The Panthers won 5-1, and the six goals landed half a goal under the new number.
NBA
Portland beat the Lakers 136-129, and both teams scored far more than expected. The Lakers opened as 2.5-point favorites, and the line moved a point toward Portland to close at -1.5. That move was right, since the Blazers covered by 8.5. On the moneyline, Portland closed at -102, a 48.3% chance, so the win counts as the NBA's only upset. The total moved down from 236.5 to 234.5, and the game finished at 265. That's 30.5 over, the biggest total miss of the day in any sport, and the move went the wrong way.
Boston nearly lost to Brooklyn. The spread moved from Celtics -11.5 to -13.5, but Boston won only 125-124. The Nets covered by 12.5, the biggest spread miss on the NBA side. Brooklyn's +525 moneyline was a point short of paying. That game also went 25.5 over its 223.5 total.
The other two favorites covered. The Knicks moved from -3.5 to -4.5 and beat Detroit 111-97, covering by 9.5. That game finished 12.5 under even though its total had moved up two points. San Antonio was the biggest favorite of the night at -1800, a 91.2% chance. The Spurs moved from -18.5 to -19.5 and beat Sacramento by 27, covering by 7.5. When the spread moved, the side it moved toward went 3-1. Total moves split 2-2, and overs went 3-1.
College football
The favorite changed between open and close in the Delaware game. Western Kentucky opened as a 1.5-point underdog and closed as a 2.5-point favorite, a four-point move. Delaware won 35-21 anyway, at +114 (44.9%), and covered by 16.5. The total dropped from 58.5 to 55.5, and the game finished at 56, over by half a point.
Missouri State beat Sam Houston 24-3. The Bears covered by 15.5 even though the line had moved half a point toward Sam Houston. The combined 27 points fell 24.5 under a 51.5 total. Both spread moves in college football were wrong.
The long shots
The least likely single result was Vancouver at 34.3%. The four NHL underdog wins were more unlikely together than any of them alone. The closing lines gave all four about a 1 in 26 chance of happening. For scale, a hypothetical parlay on just those four teams would have paid +2,118. Calling the winner of all 11 NHL games was about a 1 in 1,624 chance.
The NBA was much easier to call. Picking every winner of the four games was about a 1 in 4 chance, worth +272 as a hypothetical parlay. The two biggest NBA underdogs, Brooklyn at +525 and Sacramento at +1000, both lost. Brooklyn's loss came by a single point.
By the numbers
Portland and the Lakers combined for 265 points, 30.5 over the closing total.
NHL home teams went 2-9 against the puck line.
NHL favorites went 4-7 against the puck line.
Brooklyn covered by 12.5 points in a one-point loss.
Sam Houston and Missouri State finished 24.5 points under their total.
NBA: every game against the line
Favorites 3-1 straight up, 2-2 against the spread. Overs-unders 3-1. DraftKings open → close.
| Final | Spread | Total | Moneyline winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| BKN 124 @ BOS 125 | BOS -11.5 → -13.5 BKN covered | 222.5 → 223.5 Over (249) | BOS -750 84.7% chance |
| DET 97 @ NY 111 | NY -3.5 → -4.5 NY covered | 218.5 → 220.5 Under (208) | NY -175 60.9% chance |
| SAC 103 @ SA 130 | SA -18.5 → -19.5 SA covered | 230.5 → 232.5 Over (233) | SA -1800 91.2% chance |
| POR 136 @ LAL 129 | LAL -2.5 → -1.5 POR covered | 236.5 → 234.5 Over (265) | POR -102 48.3% chance, upset |
NHL: every game against the line
Favorites 7-4 straight up, 4-7 against the puck line. Overs-unders 4-7. DraftKings open → close.
| Final | Puck line | Total | Moneyline winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBJ 4 @ PHI 3 | PHI +1.5 PHI covered | 5.5 Over (7) | CBJ -120 52.2% chance |
| BOS 1 @ CAR 2 | CAR -1.5 BOS covered | 6.5 Under (3) | CAR -192 63.1% chance |
| LA 1 @ CHI 2 | CHI +1.5 → -1.5 LA covered | 5.5 Under (3) | CHI -112 50.4% chance |
| MTL 2 @ STL 0 | STL -1.5 → +1.5 MTL covered | 6.5 Under (2) | MTL -120 52.2% chance |
| NYI 4 @ NSH 3 | NSH -1.5 NYI covered | 5.5 Over (7) | NYI +102 47.4% chance, upset |
| NJ 5 @ DAL 1 | DAL -1.5 NJ covered | 5.5 Over (6) | NJ -102 48.3% chance, upset |
| FLA 5 @ WPG 1 | WPG +1.5 FLA covered | 5.5 → 6.5 Under (6) | FLA -125 53.2% chance |
| MIN 3 @ UTA 1 | UTA -1.5 MIN covered | 6.5 Under (4) | MIN -102 48.3% chance, upset |
| OTT 1 @ VGK 4 | VGK -1.5 VGK covered | 6.5 Under (5) | VGK -170 60.4% chance |
| VAN 6 @ ANA 5 | ANA -1.5 VAN covered | 6.5 Over (11) | VAN +180 34.3% chance, upset |
| BUF 2 @ SJ 0 | SJ +1.5 BUF covered | 6.5 Under (2) | BUF -155 58.3% chance |
College football: every game against the line
Favorites 1-1 straight up, 1-1 against the spread. Overs-unders 1-1. DraftKings open → close.
| Final | Spread | Total | Moneyline winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEL 35 @ WKU 21 | WKU +1.5 → -2.5 DEL covered | 58.5 → 55.5 Over (56) | DEL +114 44.9% chance, upset |
| SHSU 3 @ MOST 24 | MOST -6 → -5.5 MOST covered | 51.5 Under (27) | MOST -218 65.7% chance |
Lines are DraftKings' opening and closing numbers. Chance is the closing moneyline with the sportsbook's cut removed. Past results don't predict future ones.
Our picks for this day and how they did