Hockey-starved fans had their appetites satisfied with the 2022-23 NHL season’s kickoff last week. Each of the league’s 32 teams began their quest for the Stanley Cup, with some exceeding expectations and others struggling out of the gate.
The week of Oct. 17-23 brings even more hockey action, and with that comes betting opportunities. With so much to keep track of, we have gathered some of the most important matchups for the week, along with notable changes to NHL futures markets.
Note: Odds and lines are current at the time of writing and subject to change.
NHL Games of the Week: Oct. 17-23
Florida Panthers vs. Boston Bruins (Monday, Oct. 17)
The upcoming slate of NHL games starts in a big way on Monday with a battle between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins. Both Atlantic Division rivals are 2-0-0 to start the campaign and will want to put the rest of the division on notice with a victory here.
The Bruins have been successful thanks to their offense, which has scored 11 goals over their first two games. The reunited David Krejci and David Pastrnak pace their teammates with four points each, while newcomer A.J. Greer owns a team-leading two goals.
Meanwhile, the Panthers look to have a more well-rounded performance after barely getting by the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3, in their last outing. Expect to see Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes here after stopping 32-of-33 shots in Florida’s season-opening win.
The Bruins won two of their three games against the Panthers last season, but it’s the latter who’s projected to win here. Oddsmakers favor Florida at -142 on the moneyline over Boston (+118) in a game where the under on the 6.5-goal total is favored at -114 odds.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Calgary Flames (Tuesday, Oct. 18)
The 2021-22 season was disappointing for the Vegas Golden Knights, who missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That shortcoming is a forgotten memory now, though, as the Golden Knights enter Monday with an NHL-best 3-0-0 record.
Vegas’ perfect start will be in jeopardy on Tuesday when they face the Calgary Flames. Flawless through two games, the Flames owe a bit of their success to their powerplay, which has converted at 33.3% (3-of-9) on the man advantage.
Though both teams are more than talented, recent history has favored one side more. The Golden Knights have won seven of their last nine games against the Flames and haven’t lost in Calgary since March 2019.
While odds aren’t available at the time of writing, fans and bettors can expect a lot of offense here. The total has hit the over in seven of the last eight Las Vegas-Calgary games played at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
As far as the Pacific Division race goes, at least one oddsmaker favors the Flames to win it all at +190, whereas the Golden Knights sit third at +320 odds.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Edmonton Oilers (Thursday, Oct. 20)
Offense meets defense later this week when the Edmonton Oilers host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Hurricanes were the best defensive team in hockey last season, allowing a league-low 200 goals against. Meanwhile, the Oilers’ 285 goals in 2021-22 ranked seventh-best in the NHL.
It’s a small sample size, but Carolina looks to repeat last year’s success after only allowing two goals through their first two games. Both Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen have given up one goal apiece thus far, leaving time to tell if their stellar goaltending continues throughout the year.
Nevertheless, it won’t be easy against a team like Edmonton. They might be 1-1-0 to begin the year, but you can never underestimate the Connor McDavid-led squad. The two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner enters Monday tied for the league lead with four goals.
The Hurricanes won both games against the Oilers last season by a combined score of 5-2, making it interesting to see if the latter has better luck with the home-ice advantage this week.
This matchup could also be a potential Stanley Cup preview. Carolina is FanDuel Sportsbook’s +500 favorite to win the Eastern Conference, while Edmonton sits at +700 (third-best) to win the Western Conference.
NHL Futures Odds Update
Stanley Cup Odds Show Little Movement
- Colorado Avalanche (+450)
- Carolina Hurricanes (+1000)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+1000)
- Florida Panthers (+1100)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (+1200)
- Calgary Flames (+1300)
- Edmonton Oilers (+1500)
- New York Rangers (+1500)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (+1700)
- Minnesota Wild (+1800)
For the most part, 2022-23 Stanley Cup odds have seen little to no movement. The top five on the odds list are exactly the same as when we last looked at the odds in September.
Having said that, the Flames did show the biggest movement as far as contenders go. Calgary sat at +1600 last month, but those odds have since shortened to +1300 after the team’s perfect start through two games.
The New York Rangers have also seen their odds improve from +1700 to +1500. The Rangers won back-to-back games before losing 4-1 to the Winnipeg Jets (+6000) to begin their campaign. If New York wants its odds to stay promising, Gerard Gallant’s team must rebound in convincing fashion.
The Golden Knights saw their odds worsen from +1700 to +1900 despite their 3-0-0 start. That still ranks 11th-best across the NHL, so there’s nothing to be ashamed about. If they can continue their flawless start, expect to see them rise up the rankings.
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds Almost Untouched
- Connor McDavid, EDM (+210)
- Auston Matthews, TOR (+450)
- Leon Draisaitl, EDM (+650)
- Nathan MacKinnon, COL (+1000)
- Kirill Kaprizov, MIN (+1200)
- Mikko Rantanen, COL (+1300)
The Hart Memorial Trophy race for the league’s MVP honors has also seen little movement. McDavid was the favorite to win a month ago and that hasn’t changed, although his odds have improved from +300 to +210.
Auston Matthews (+420 to +450) and Leon Draisaitl (+600 to +650) saw their odds grow longer over the last month. The season is still young and both players are among the most dynamic in the NHL, so their chances of winning this award should improve as time passes.
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby and the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin are currently tied for the NHL point lead with six points each. As a result, Crosby sits at +3500 to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, whereas Panarin isn’t too far behind at +4000.
McDavid Rises in Rocket Richard Trophy Odds
- Auston Matthews, TOR (+230)
- Connor McDavid, EDM (+650)
- Leon Draisaitl, EDM (+650)
- Alex Ovechkin, WSH (+1000)
- Kirill Kaprizov, MIN (+1000)
- Kyle Connor, WPG (+1700)
The Rocket Richard Trophy race has also seen a bit of movement. Sharing the NHL lead with four goals, McDavid has seen his odds improve from +750 to +650. Despite all that he’s accomplished, he’s never finished as the league’s goal leader, but that could change this season.
Matthews also saw his odds shorten from +270 to +230. He’s the reigning back-to-back Rocket Richard Trophy winner, so you can’t count him out even with a “slow” start by his standards.
The Winnipeg Jets’ Kyle Connor saw a big drop from +1200 to +1700. The 25-year-old scored a career-high 47 goals last season and has one empty-net goal in his lone game ahead of this new week.
