The first official big slate of the NHL season is upon us as we have six games to pick and choose out best bets from.
A lot of strong teams are in action tonight from the Maple Leafs to the Oilers so let’s dive into Wednesday’s best NHL bets.
Picks Summary
- Maple Leafs -1.5 (-115) at Bet365
- Leon Draisaitl Over 1.5 Pts (+115) at Bet365
- Senators-Hurricanes Under 6.5 (-120) at Caesars Sportsbook
Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 07:00 PM EDT at Scotiabank Arena
Betting Trends
- Montreal is 1-6 in their last 7 games on the road.
- The total has gone Under in 7 of Toronto’s last 10 games against Montreal.
- Toronto Covered the -1.5 Spread in 3 of their previous 4 home games against Montreal.
Leafs Can’t Lose Opener
Opening night for these two Canadian rivals, Toronto might be weary of the underdogs causing an upset, and who knows maybe they do but we just can’t see it happening. The Canadiens are likely going to be the worst team in the division whilst Toronto has aspirations to top the division and possibly even the Eastern Conference.
When Auston Matthews and co-step out onto the ice tonight they will be hoping to put on a show for their fans, the worst possible scenario would be a home loss on the opening night to the Montreal Canadiens, the Leafs won’t want to let that happen.
Most teams can lose the first game of the season and it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but Toronto is a different beast and nothing but a resounding victory will do for the fans tonight.
The Pick
The real question here is why are the Maple Leafs only -115 to cover the spread on home ice. It seems almost too good to be true as Montreal is far from a match for this Maple Leafs team.
Don’t be surprised to see Toronto go all out tonight and win this game by 3 or more goals as they have done in their previous three competitive home games against Montreal.
NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-115) at Bet365Â (Check our Bet365 Review)
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vancouver Canucks
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 10:00 PM EDT at Rogers Arena
Betting Trends
- Leon Draisaitl has scored 14 points in his previous 10 games against Vancouver, averaging 1.4 points per game.
- Draisaitl averages 1.16 points per game throughout his NHL career (9 seasons).
- Edmonton are 5-0 in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver.
Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
The Edmonton Oilers start their campaign on the road as they visit Vancouver in an all-Canadian NHL clash. The Oilers have two of the best players in the NHL right now in the form of Connor McDavid and his partner in crime Leon Draisaitl.
The Vancouver Canucks won’t make things easy for Edmonton tonight but goals are to be expected, especially when the Oilers are involved.
Taking a look at McDavid to see 2+ points tonight, we were left a little disappointed with the -140 odds on offer from the online sportsbooks. Despite McDavid avenging 1.49 points throughout his career, it’s still too low for our liking even if he does cash.
The Pick
Taking a look at his partner in crime, Draisaitl’s odds are much better at +115, although he doesn’t average as much as McDavid, he is more than capable of scoring 2+ points on any given night and done so on 42 occasions last season including the playoffs.
Last year, Edmonton opened their season against tonight’s opponent and Draisaitl bagged himself three points that night, more of the same please.
NHL Pick: Leon Draisaitl Over 1.5 Points (+115) at Bet365
Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – 07:00 PM EDT at PNC Arena
Betting Trends
- The total has gone Under in 7 of Carolina’s last 8 games when playing at home against Ottawa.
- Ottawa are 0-6 in their last 6 games on the road.
- The total has gone under in 9 of Carolina’s last 12 games at home.
Low Scoring Affair Expected
It’s an Eastern Conference clash between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes and we expect a tight game to unfold. Carolina is known for their strong defense and solid goaltending, whilst having a solid attack they don’t score a lot of goals compared to some top-tier teams.
Ottawa and Carolina averaged 6.36 goals combined last season and allowed only a combined total of 5.8 goals. We were very surprised to be only looking at laying -120 on this 6.5 line as we estimate the odds should have been more in the -140 range for under 6.5 goals in this NHL matchup.
The Pick
Our computer is predicting just 4.1 goals to be scored in this game, our initial thought was a 4-2 Hurricanes victory so both are leaning towards the under 6.5 goals at -120 NHL betting odds.
As the trends suggest, these are two under teams, especially the Carolina Hurricanes. With this being the opening game of the season and on home ice, Carolina won’t just be desperate to win, but a solid defensive performance will also be on their agenda.
Just 2 of the previous 10 meetings between these teams produced more than six goals.
NHL Pick: Under 6.5 Goals (-120) at Caesars Sportsbook (Check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
