With the conclusion of the Global Series, the NHL starts its season in North America on Tuesday, October 11. The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the New York Rangers in the first game of an opening night doubleheader, before the Los Angeles Kings host the Vegas Golden Knights.
From a betting perspective early in the season, I tend to ease into risking my bankroll. With teams playing their first few games that count in the standings, sportsbooks and bettors are both guessing a little bit on what to expect since all data is from last season and prior.
I don’t consider myself a handicapper - I place bets based on line discrepancies and reading line movement. However, early in the season, in order to bet, I have to use a more of a handicapping approach. Bookmakers’ lines are softer to start a season and will sharpen up as data is collected while the season elapses. Because of this, I will not have much action early on in the season.
For the Tuesday games, both are a pass. I believe both lines are sharp. The Kings and Rangers both opened around -115 to -120 at home, with the line shifting back and forth over the last couple of days. When the line zig-zags back and forth, it is a good indication that the line is sharp enough to stay away.
The Wednesday slate is more appealing. The Washington Capitals opened -120 at home to the Boston Bruins – a good value price on the Caps. Boston is dealing with some injury issues to start the year, and with a new coach and some of their top players absent, the Bruins are a team I will look to bet against early on in the season. They do have strong veteran leadership, so they might handle this early season adversity very well though. Regardless, the Capitals quickly moved to -140, which is out of range for a bet at the current price.
A bet I grabbed early is the Seattle Kraken at +115, on the road against the Anaheim Ducks. I like the depth of this Kraken team. They have added some scoring talent, which they desperately needed last year, and their goaltending couldn’t have been worse last year. If Philipp Grubauer can just play to his career averages, they will win more games. At +115, and the possibility of Trevor Zegras being out, I think the Kraken are slightly undervalued.
In Wednesday’s other night cap, the Vancouver Canucks take on the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton. Vancouver is currently priced at about +165. Edmonton is one of the best teams in the league, and will have a dominant regular season if it can stay healthy. The Canucks are slightly undervalued here, though. They have elite goaltending and solid depth and scoring up front. I have concerns with their defense, which will be a tough matchup with Edmonton’s elite forwards. With a full year of coach Bruce Boudreau’s system, expect the Canucks to compete for a playoff spot this year. I am going to see how this line develops, but Canucks +165 is on the radar. The total is set at 6.5 juiced to the under. If I can get a good price for under 6.5, I may look in that direction as well.
The lines for Thursday through the weekend have not been posted yet, and I will have bet recommendations once the market has been set.
Best bets:
- Seattle Kraken +110 or better
- Vancouver Canucks +165 or better
- Vancouver/Edmonton under 6.5 -110 or better