Saturday's 13-game NHL slate has something for every type of bettor.
There are some big underdogs, some coin flips, and some interesting opportunities to buy cheap teams that stumble out of the gate.
Here are three bets that caught my eye on a very crowded betting board on October 12th.
Islanders (+150) vs. Stars (-182), 8 p.m. ET
The Islanders had a mixed game in the season opener against Utah, but will now play a daunting trifecta over the next few days, visiting Dallas, Colorado and St. Louis.
Meanwhile, the Stars put the pedal to the metal in the opener against the Predators, giving them maximum value in a 4-3 win in Nashville.
In theory, the Isles should profile as a team you'd want to bet on as an underdog.
Their defensive structure should be a strength under coach Patrick Roy. They have great goaltending coordination and enough offensive spark to make them dangerous, but the Islanders made an alarming amount of mistakes against Utah and their sloppiness continued against the Stars. He will be severely punished. .
Instead of helping the team here, supporting Maxim Tsyplakov in the goalscorer market at any time is the most valuable thing on the board.
The Russian import was perhaps the Isles' best player in his NHL debut Thursday, but he did nothing to make Patrick Roy reconsider Brock Nelson's position on the wing or on the first power-play unit. There wasn't.
He sits at +375 at BetRivers.
The Bet: Maxim Tsyplakov to score (+375, Bet Rivers)
Nashville Predators (-111) vs. Detroit Red Wings (-108), 7:00 PM ET
I would argue that both teams were a little overvalued in the betting market and in the hockey world heading into 2024-25, but there is no doubt in my mind that Nashville is the better team in this matchup. There is no room for this.
The logic behind this game being essentially treated as a pick is that Juice Saros is questionable for Nashville, but Detroit's goaltending situation is so mediocre that it's not a huge concern.
The Pres had a great run last season and added some serious scoring talent to their roster in the offseason, so I wouldn't mind dropping back to -120 against a flawed Red Wings team. .
Bet: Nashville Predators -120 or higher
Anaheim Ducks (-115) vs. San Jose Sharks (-105), 10 p.m. ET
The Sharks could be the trending underdog in this contest for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut on Thursday. he was great.
Second, the Sharks are playing at home and the Ducks are making their season debut.
And finally, the betting market sees these two clubs as relative equals at the bottom of the Pacific Division.
Would you bet on the NHL?
While you can certainly make good arguments about the first two points, I disagree quite strongly with the last one.
The Ducks are a deeper team with more scoring opportunities and are expected to have the better goalie in this contest.
Anaheim can be a sneaky underdog all season long, but I like them as a slight favorite against the Sharks.
Bet: Anaheim Ducks -120 or higher
