Who’s ready to make money betting on the NHL again? Now that the regular season is back in swing you certainly can — especially if you take our advice on 2022 NHL opening night. Keep reading for three expert picks on the season-opening matchups.
Mark October 7 on your calendar because that’s the “soft” opening of the 2022-23 NHL season. We say soft in quotation marks because there’s only one game that day — the Sharks and the Predators — and it’s not even on American or Canadian soil. The two teams are competing in the NHL Global series In Prague, Czech Republic for back-to-back games.
If that’s the soft opening, then what’s the hard opening? That would be Tuesday, October 11 which features a double-header of games on national TV. And yes, these two games are on US soil. Now let’s talk about how to best bet on all three league-opening matchups.
Let’s begin the betting action in Europe. Typically, we’re against betting puck lines but we can’t resist ourselves with the Sharks vs. Predators matchup. Here are the betting options for both sides:
We’re inclined to bet this line because of how wildly different each team is. On one hand, you have Nashville which has high expectations going into the year. The franchise has advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs seven years in a row. However, none ended in a Finals appearance and in fact, four were one-and-done exists. Cause of that, the Preds organization was busy over the off-season and acquired solid pieces like Kevin Gravel, Jordan Gross, and Kevin Lankinen.
There are a lot more question marks with the Sharks, however. They’re fresh off another disappointing season in which they posted a 32-37-13 season and missed the playoffs for a third straight time. The franchise brought in a new head coach, David Quinn, to right the ship. But is he really the right guy? His first coaching tenure with the Rangers was a flop by all measures.
The Preds should win the opener, but the question is, by how much? We’re betting it’s at least by two goals. The Sharks are in full-rebuild mode with a youth movement. Typically, that means short-term pain for long-term gain. That’s why we’re confident that Nashville can cover this spread.
Here’s a matchup that’ll be sure to draw heavy betting action at top-used NHL betting sites. In an Eastern Conference Finals rematch, the oddsmakers have the Tampa Bay-New York moneyline almost at pick ‘em. Here’s where the lines stand right now:
The immediate thing that stands out to us about this matchup is the goaltenders. You have two of the best in the whole league on opposite ends. For the Rangers, they’re led by the reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. On the other end sits Andrei Vasilevskiy, a former winner of the award in his own right. While we were tempted to just bet the under due to each’s presence, we didn’t want to pass up the moneyline.
That’s because we think Tampa wins and at even-money, those are better odds than just wagering the under (-110 line). While the Lightning is prone to “cruising” through the season, that usually comes at a much later date — not at the start when they’re fresh and at max capacity. They’re still the team to beat out East and we wouldn’t put a fourth straight Finals appearance past them. Take the Tampa moneyline with confidence in this spot!
Our third and final bet goes on the point total between LA and Vegas, which is set at six goals. We’re going to be completely blunt with this one and say we believe the Golden Knights are in a clear downward trend. Due to the team’s reputation, bettors and oddsmakers alike are overrating their potential — its championship futures line is still a respectable +2500. But this team is fade material, especially early on.
What will trip up Vegas more than anything else is a lack of offensive production. Proven playmakers such as Max Pacioretty and Evgenii Dadonov were dumped during the offseason in salary-cap-influenced moves. Without either, we expect the Golden Knights to have an identity crisis of sorts up front. That’s why we’re taking the under here. LA might be able to hold their own offensively, but we doubt Vegas will.
With the regular season running from October to April, plus another month of playoffs, you’re about to have endless NHL betting opportunities for the next seven or so months. To cash in on all this, you’ll want to visit one of the bookmakers listed below. Any one of these sites will have you covered for all things betting on NHL through 2023.
To help you find the right sportsbook for you, we’ve jam-packed the underneath table with must-know details. Of course, we’ve outlined bonuses currently available, but there are also unbiased sportsbook reviews too. Weigh both pieces of information closely to make your bookie decision!
About the Author
Eric is uniquely suited to be a writer for SBS. For one, he's a journalist by trade. Eric spent a large part of his career, covering sports — high school, college, and professional — for newspapers and online-based sites. However, Eric is a bettor himself too. He has first-hand experience hanging out in smoky sportsbooks and casinos, dealing with the ebbs and flows of gambling, and an understanding of how bookies operate. Both these unique qualities make him an expert bet picker for SBS. You'll also see Eric report on the sports betting industry as a whole.
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