The NHL season starts Wednesday night with five exciting matchups, including three that will feature all-Canadian matchups. The Winnipeg Jets will take on the reigning Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers, while the Canucks look to build on last year’s strong performance against the Flames.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs aim to reignite their rivalry with the Canadiens in their 769th all-time meeting. South of the border, fans can look forward to thrilling matchups as the Penguins host the Rangers and the Avalanche face off against their new rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights.
We started off the season on the right note with a perfect 3-0 record highlighted by a goal from Boston’s Pavel Zacha, who extended his site record to a perfect 5-0 when picking him for our Best Bets. We hope to replicate the success and continue our strong start to the new season.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Canadiens Under 2.5 goals (+120)
The Canadiens have a young team and will surely look to come out of the gates red hot with a win over their longtime rival. Toronto has recorded five straight wins over Montreal and the biggest contributing factor is their team defence. Montreal has scored more than two goals in just three of their last eight matchups versus Toronto.
The Maple Leafs’ goaltending issues look to be seemingly resolved for now as they signed the best backup goalie available with Stanley Cup Champion Anthony Stolarz, who will backup the hopeful franchise goaltender in Joseph Woll. Toronto’s starting netminder has just one career start against the Habs in which he dominated for 29 saves on 30 shots for a resounding 5-1 win.
The 26-year-old Missouri native has struggled to stay healthy during his short NHL career but has shown to be a difference maker when playing. Woll has a 2.69 goal against average over his last 14 appearances with his only blowup games being against prolific offences like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins. He should have a standout performance in the season opener.
Bet: Evgeni Malkin Under 0.5 points (+120)
The legendary Russian centre finished last season on a strong note with 11 points through his final nine games but is entering this season at 38 years old. Malkin wrapped up last season with only 67 points, marking his lowest points-per-game average (0.82) of his…