The first NHL slate of the season is a small one, with just three games taking place across the board. With that said, we have three exciting matchups on the cards.
We’ve got you covered for your NHL best bets on the opening night of the season. Whether you’re looking for the best odds for moneylines, puck lines, or totals, we’ll break down the best bets for today’s NHL games.
Let’s get stuck into our NHL predictions for tonight’s slate.
Expert NHL Picks for Today
| Matchup | Pick | Odds | Confidence | Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawks vs. Panthers | Panthers -1.5 | -105 | 7.5/10 | Bovada |
| Penguins vs. Rangers | Over 5.5 | -125 | 6/10 | Bovada |
| Avalanche vs. Kings | Kings ML | -106 | 5/10 | BetOnline |
Best NHL Bets for Today
Panthers -1.5 (-105) at Bovada
The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions kick off their campaign on home ice tonight as they aim for another Stanley Cup-winning season to make it three in a row. The Panthers have kept all their key players and should prove to be just as strong this season.
Conversely, the Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t have been worse last year, finishing 25-46-11 making them the 2nd-worst team across the entire NHL in 2024-25. Despite Chicago having one of the best young players in the game in Connor Bedard, they still have a long way to go in terms of improvement overall as a team.
This is a matchup between two teams at opposite sides of the league. With the Panthers being on home ice tonight, we believe they can cover the -1.5 spread for tonight’s matchup, having gone 27-12-2 at home last year compared to Chicago’s 10-26-5 road record.
The Panthers made 14.7 units of profit ATS last season compared to Chicago -13.5 (based on 1u per bet). We are predicting a 4-2 Panthers victory tonight.
Penguins – Rangers Over 5.5 (-125) at Bovada
Despite the over 5.5 line being juiced to -125, we do like this total line being set this low, and we would happily lay as much as -135 for the over 5.5 in this matchup.
Both teams finished last season by allowing a ton of goals, conceding 6+ goals in 11 of their previous 15 matchups. The Penguins don’t have elite goaltenders, relying on Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silvas this season (both allowed over 3.10 goals per game last season).
The Rangers do have an elite goaltender in Igor Shesterkin, but we can’t see that being an issue for this game’s total to go over, especially if Shesterkin picks up where he left off last season, when he allowed 3.2 goals in his last ten games.
The Rangers should be able to put up 4 or 5 goals themselves if all goes to plan, and we are predicting a 5-2 Rangers win in this NHL matchup.
Los Angeles Kings ML (-106) at BetOnline
This is an interesting matchup as both teams seem to be juiced on the moneyline, with the sportsbooks struggling to pick an underdog at plus money for this matchup. The previous five games between LA and Colorado have ended in the home team picking up the win, and we are siding with the home team today at -110 on the moneyline.
This is a 50/50 matchup in our opinion, and with the Kings at -110 on home ice compared to the Avalanche at -120 on the road, we feel the Kings are the best bet here as slight home underdogs despite still laying some juice.
Neither team has any major injury concerns, and both teams went 3-2 during the pre-season. Whoever wins this one, we expect it to be a close game.
Place Your NHL Picks Now
For the opening night of the season, we might not have had many options in terms of games to bet on, but we are high on all three NHL betting picks today, especially the Florida Panthers -1.5 at the spread.
The odds on this line are already heavily juiced to -130 and for good reason, so it’s best advised to bet on this now before the odds drop any lower.
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Tips For Making NHL Picks Today
Here are some of our top NHL betting tips today to help you make informed wagers on the opening night slate.
- Check starting goaltender matchups before NHL games. Unlike most other sports, who is starting in net can be a huge factor, as total lines and moneyline odds can change when there’s a sudden goalie change.
- Monitor line combinations and injuries before each matchup to maximize betting opportunities.
- Momentum plays a big role in the NHL. Sometimes good teams can go cold, while weaker teams can run hot.
- Compare odds across multiple sportsbooks to get the best value.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
