Welp, opening night of the NHL regular season did not go according to plan as I took a pair of losses. The silver lining is that its day 1 of a long long season and to be honest there isn't a ton of relevant data to go off of at this point as every season is a brand new entity especially in the NHL with all the roster moves, coaching changes and line shuffles. The process through the model and general knowledge will prevail but on occasion there will be some bumps in the road. With that said its a new day and there are 6 more NHL games on the slate to dive into and once again there are a pair of bets I am ready to turn into winning tickets! In today's edition of the NHL Best Bets we have a Puck Line on a home favorite and a game total to fade to the under, good luck to everyone out there today let's get back on track. 

  • Season Record: 0-2-0
  • Bankroll: -2.0 units

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**all bets are one unit unless specifically mentioned.

NHL Best Bets for October 11

Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins

The NHL scheduling department has a weird way of doing things most seasons and on day 2 of this brand new year they have the Blackhawks traveling for a back to back game. Chicago did win yesterday over the Penguins in a come from behind thriller but if they go do again tonight against a team like Boston they are going to have issues. The Bruins may not be the team they were last season but they are still loaded with talent and on the blue line as well. The defense is so respected that the Blackhawks are only projected to score 2.2 goals tonight according to the model. This probably has a lot to do with Linus Ullmark starting in net tonight for the Bruins after winning the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL. The Bruins are going to be thin down the middle this season but so are the Blackhawks and they are young which plays to the advantage of Boston and their consistent level of play. Still not a ton of relevant data to work off of in day 2 of the season but the Bruins are always the Bruins and have a model score outcome of 70.3% to cover the spread tonight, so let's take them at home on the Puck Line to get the season started right. 

Pick: Boston Bruins Puck Line -1.5 (-125 on FanDuel)

 

Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames

You have to love big rivalry game to start the NHL season and this one should have no love lost! Though they are in different divisions these days the two teams play often in the schedule as they met 3 times last season. I highlight that because in all 3 of those games last season the under hit in every game and I see more of the same even in a new campaign for each side. The backbone of the wager is the goaltending of Connor Hellebuyck who strapped the team to his back last season with 37 wins a GAA of 2.49 and a SV% of .920. I don't see his play declining just yet and I expect a bounce back season from Jacob Markstrom who had the worst statistical year of his career last season. On top of the goalies the offenses just aren't as scary as they used to be as the Jets let Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler walk in the offseason and now lack proper depth in the lineup. Not much changed for the Flames and that's not really a good thing as they scored just 3.13 goals per game last season, which was in the bottom third of the league averages. I expect a close game here but 6.5 goals just seems like too much for these teams so let's ride with an under. 

Pick: Jets & Flames Game Total Under 6.5 Goals (-118 on DraftKings)