NHL Betting Guide: Thursday 10/12/23

The 2023-24 NHL season is officially underway.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the NHL action all season long. It's a long 82-game season, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Detroit Red Wings at New Jersey Devils

Devils -1.5 (+100)

The New Jersey Devils put the NHL on notice last season with a quarterfinal run. Now, they're looking to kick off a championship-caliber campaign.

Taking on the Detroit Red Wings in their season (and home) opener, the Devils should be able to get ahead quickly.

New Jersey was top 10 in goals for per 60 minutes last year at 3.48, ranking sixth overall in that respect. On the other hand, Detroit was bottom 10 with 2.85 goals per 60 minutes, giving the 1.5-goal spread at positive odds great momentum. Defensively, the Devils were again one of the strongest last season. New Jersey averaged 2.67 goals against per 60 minutes, the eighth-lowest in the league in 2022-23. Notably, the Red Wings allowed 3.31 goals per 60 minutes.

The Red Wings should be a better offensive team in 2023-24 with the addition of Alex DeBrincat, but it's hard to believe the two-time 40-plus-goal scorer transforms the team in one game.

With a core of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Nico Hischier running the offense and veteran additions of Tyler Toffoli and Tomas Nosek, the Devils are serious threats to win it all this year. They have the fourth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup (+1100). Their road begins tonight, and at +100 to win by multiple goals, it's hard to go against them.

We'll see what they're made of quickly.

New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres

Over 6.5 Goals (-114)

When top-scoring teams of last season play against one another, it's hard to expect anything other than some big numbers in the box score when the night is over.

The New York Rangers will collide with the Buffalo Sabres to open up each other's seasons.

Despite missing out on the playoffs, the Sabres had one of the top offenses in hockey in 2022-23. While Buffalo had just a 57.59 Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes, they were able to turn what they had into 3.53 goals for per 60 minutes, ranking as the third-best scoring offense in the NHL.

The main reason they didn't get themselves into the playoffs comes from their defensive deficiencies. Buffalo allowed 3.58 goals against per 60 minutes (seventh-most last year), which should aid the over.

The Rangers were good offensively in 2022-23, sitting just outside the top 10 in goal scoring. They had 2.68 goals for per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which was 11th-best in hockey. An offense with the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider should be able to remain on the scoring track as one of the league's expected top teams.

Out of six games on Wednesday, five went over the 6.5-goal total. The scoring should keep up in tonight's slate.

Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks

Under 6.5 Goals (-114)

If there's a game that tracks to be under on the slate tonight, it's this one.

The Vegas Golden Knights moved to 1-0-0 on the opening night of the 2023-24 NHL season with a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. In the game, they finished with a pedestrian 61.0 Corsi For per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations.

The San Jose Sharks were one of the worst offensive teams in hockey last season, putting up 2.80 goals per 60 minutes in all strengths of the game. To make matters worse, they allowed the third-most goals against per 60 minutes at a 3.79 clip. If that's not all bad enough, they traded their best player Erik Karlsson in the offseason to finally kick into full rebuilding mode, signaling that offense (and defense) isn't going to be easy for this team for much of the season.

Vegas is in a position to play smart hockey by getting a lead and dominating defensively to win. It is what helped lead them to glory last year and should follow the same fate this season. We saw it in Game 1 against the Kraken, and now a far weaker Sharks offense should follow suit.

The Knights' offense is fine, but the Sharks should have trouble generating any goal scoring as one of the worst offenses in the league. Take the under in this tilt.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.