Results
Hockey results Thursday 8 October 2026: AI predictions review
AI hockey predictions hit 6 of 8 on Thursday 8 October 2026. Edmonton's rout of Anaheim and Nashville's upset in Montreal were the models' biggest misses.
Thursday's NHL slate delivered eight games and a familiar pattern: the models were right about most of the favourites, but the two upsets they missed were emphatic. The 10-model consensus finished the night 6 of 8, with four of those six wins coming by unanimous 10-of-10 agreement.
The biggest surprise was Anaheim, where 70% of models backed the Ducks at home. Edmonton won 5-2. The other miss was even starker: every single model picked Montreal to beat Nashville. The Predators won 5-2.
Thursday's eight-game slate produced six correct consensus calls and two emphatic upsets.
Where the AI got it right
Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers prediction: All 10 models backed Ottawa, most commonly at 3-2. The Senators delivered a 2-1 win — the exact margin, if not the exact scoreline, the consensus expected. Average confidence was 58%.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Minnesota Wild prediction: A unanimous Tampa Bay pick at 4-3, with 57% average confidence. The Lightning won 3-2, one goal short of the modal scoreline but comfortably within the models' range.
Boston Bruins vs Utah Mammoth prediction: Every model called Boston at 3-2. The Bruins scored double that, winning 6-1. The pick was correct; the confidence at 58% understated the eventual margin.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Vancouver Canucks prediction: The models were unanimous on Carolina at 4-2, with 59% average confidence. The Hurricanes won 7-2, the largest margin of the night and the clearest validation of any consensus call.
Buffalo Sabres vs Dallas Stars prediction: Eight of 10 models picked Dallas, most commonly at 2-4, with 57% average confidence. The Stars won 4-0 — the scoreline was more one-sided than expected, but the winner was not in doubt.
New York Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction: A unanimous Islanders call at 3-2, 57% average confidence. New York won 4-1, again converting a narrow consensus into a wider winning margin.
Where it got it wrong
Anaheim Ducks vs Edmonton Oilers prediction: Seven of 10 models backed Anaheim at home, with a most common score of 4-3 and 57% average confidence. Edmonton won 5-2. It was the only game on the slate where the consensus was not unanimous and the minority view proved correct — a reminder that 70% agreement still leaves a three-in-ten chance of being wrong.
Montreal Canadiens vs Nashville Predators prediction: This was the night's most confident miss. All 10 models picked Montreal, most commonly 3-2, at 58% average confidence. Nashville won 5-2. Unlike the Anaheim game, there was no dissenting model to point to — the entire panel was simply wrong.
Models of the day
Two models led the field with 7 of 8: Qwen 3.8 Max and Gemini 3.8 Flash. Both avoided one of the two upsets that tripped up the wider panel.
At the other end, Claude Sonnet 5 finished with 5 of 8, the only model below the consensus record. The remaining seven models — GPT-5.6 Luna, Mistral Medium 3.5, DeepSeek V4 Pro, MiMo V2.5 Pro, Grok 4.6, Kimi K3 and GLM 5.3 — all finished at 6 of 8, exactly matching the panel's overall record.
Full results
- NHL: Anaheim Ducks 2–5 Edmonton Oilers — consensus Anaheim Ducks win (70%) WRONG
- NHL: Ottawa Senators 2–1 Philadelphia Flyers — consensus Ottawa Senators win (100%) RIGHT
- NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 Minnesota Wild — consensus Tampa Bay Lightning win (100%) RIGHT
- NHL: Boston Bruins 6–1 Utah Mammoth — consensus Boston Bruins win (100%) RIGHT
- NHL: Montreal Canadiens 2–5 Nashville Predators — consensus Montreal Canadiens win (100%) WRONG
- NHL: Carolina Hurricanes 7–2 Vancouver Canucks — consensus Carolina Hurricanes win (100%) RIGHT
- NHL: Buffalo Sabres 0–4 Dallas Stars — consensus Dallas Stars win (80%) RIGHT
- NHL: New York Islanders 4–1 Chicago Blackhawks — consensus New York Islanders win (100%) RIGHT
Today's slate is already live on the hockey predictions page, with all 10 models' picks, modal scorelines and confidence levels published ahead of puck drop.
Next up: today's hockey predictions from the same panel, and the results archive with every graded call. Forecasts are informational only.
