The 2024-25 NHL season begins in earnest with a tripleheader starting Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET, with the St. Louis Blues taking on the Seattle Kraken, Connor Bedard's Chicago Blackhawks, and the debut team. culminating in a late puck drop between. From Utah Hockey Club.
Somewhere in between, the Florida Panthers will hoist the Stanley Cup banner before facing the Boston Bruins.
Here are your best bets to celebrate the return of the NHL (odds from DraftKings):
NHL Opening Night Best Bets
Blues (+120) Kraken (-142), 4:30 p.m. ET
The betting market views both these teams in a similar light. The Blues enter the new season with an over/under score of 86.5, while the Kraken are just north of that at 87.5.
The odds for their contest in Seattle reflect that expectation, as the Kraken are -142 favorites to win on home ice. So if you adjust it to suit the venue, this match could be pretty close to a win.
Given the price, I lean toward St. Louis because it could be a goalie mismatch, but it's not something I'd rush to the window to play.
But one notable bet here is that Alexandre Texier will score. An offensively talented winger, Texier's career never got out of first gear in Columbus for a variety of reasons.
That being said, the wiry Frenchman found a way to score 12 goals and 30 points on a poor Blue Jackets team. There is more potential and the Blues are hoping to unlock that potential by giving Texier a prime opportunity next to Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou. It's a comfortable place.
Best bet: Alexandre Texier scores a goal (+425, DraftKings)
Bruins (+130) vs. Panthers (-155), 7 p.m. ET
There should be a lot of excitement in banner-hanging at Sunrise, but it looks like this number is a little lacking for the Panthers.
The Panthers are probably in for another big season, but there are so many changes on this roster, especially on the blue line, that you have to wonder if the Cats will have some growing pains before they hit their stride. .
The Bruins will also be reshuffling their roster and will be without their starting goaltender, but on the first night of the new season, these two teams are closer than the odds would suggest. B's value is +125 or more.
The Bruins' Mason Lowrey (+1000) and the Cats' Adam Boqvist (+1100).
Best bet: Bruins money line (+130, DraftKings)
Blackhawks (+136) vs. Utah HC (-164), 10 p.m. ET
There are many who are expecting big things from the Utah HC's first season. Utah is a young, talented, shiny toy in a new market.
I agree that Utah should aim to make the playoffs, but today is the opening game and offseason projections are off the table, not season data. So it's a little risky to bet this kind of juice on “possibilities,” especially since the Blackhawks need to grow and have Connor Bedard, the best player on the ice in this contest.
Do you want to bet on the NHL?
Adding all this up means Chicago is on the value side at this price, but with money coming in based on the narrative that this is Utah's debut, they could stand up to the Hawks and get a bigger number. There is a gender.
Another bet that jumped off the page is playing Ilya Mikheyev as a goalscorer any day (+425, BetMGM). Mikheyev isn't a prolific scorer, but he'll play first-line alongside Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen, and should get more than enough looks to justify his high price tag.
Best bet: Blackhawks (+158, Caesars) | Ilya Mikheyev scores (+425, BetMGM)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Michael Levov told the New York Post that he handicaps the EPL, NHL, golf, and anything other than the NFL and NBA. He bet on EPL and gained 49.73 units, giving him an ROI of 7.17%.
