Following the opening night of the NHL season yesterday, more teams are ready to drop the puck for the first time tonight.

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.

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs -1.5 (-118)

After finally winning a playoff series a season ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now aiming to go even further with that no longer hanging over their heads.

Toronto will open its season against Original Six and division rival Montreal Canadiens. Last season, the Maple Leafs were not as strong an offensive team as expected, posting a 57.61 Corsi For (Total Shot Attempts Created) per 60 minutes, ranking 17th in the NHL.

They made sure to improve their top-heavy lineup, signing Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to add a much-needed punch to their lineup. Heading into the season, they have one of the best offenses on paper but will need their studs to step up.

No stud needs to step up more than Auston Matthews, who followed his 60-goal Hart Trophy campaign in 2021-22 with an underwhelming 40-45-85 year. After signing a new contract in the offseason, Matthews should be able to elevate his game back to the MVP level that makes him one of the best in hockey. He should be starting that off against the bottom-tier Canadiens.

Montreal wasn't good last season, finishing 31-45-6. The team had a 61.13 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, the fifth highest in the sport. Montreal has young pieces to be excited about, but until their goalie situation gets better and those pieces develop more, it's going to be best to bet against them this season -- especially as they enter what should be a lively Scotiabank Arena for opening night.

Jake Allen will be between the pipes for Montreal, coming off a season where he finished with a 3.55 goals against average (GAA) and .891 save percentage. This is as good a matchup as the Maple Leafs can get to kick off their season offensively, giving the -1.5 spread plenty of life as they should put the puck in the net.

Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes ML (-194)

After another letdown in the playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes will do their best to learn from their shortcomings, beginning with Game 1. Carolina was one of the best teams in the league in 2022-23, putting together the best Corsi For per 60 minutes in the league at 67.4.

Luckily for the Hurricanes, they're bringing back a lot of that same team that put up some of the league-best numbers. The best news for Carolina is that Frederik Andersen is healthy. The 34-year-old wasn't right last year, only starting 34 games during the regular season and 9 games in the playoffs. In the regular season, Andersen had a 2.48 GAA and .903 save percentage, only upping those in the playoffs (in the games he played), finishing with a 1.83 GAA and .927 save percentage.

Under head coach Rod Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes had the fourth-best home record in the NHL, finishing 28-10-3 at PNC Arena. Against an up-and-coming Ottawa Senators team, the Canes should be protecting home ice tonight in the first tilt of the year.

It won't be easy, though, as the Senators spent their second straight offseason making strides to put them in position to win. The addition of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo should be part of their upswing. However, trading away Alex DeBrincat and replacing him with Vladimir Tarasenko will be a wait-and-see move more than anything else. As such a young team, they'll have a lot to figure out early.

The Canes enter the season with two great additions with the signings of Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting, so they made the moves necessary to set them up for expected success.

We're taking the straight-up win for Carolina -- they're going to be a force this season.

Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks

Over 6.5 Goals (-140)

Another season, another year to be excited about the potential of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers led the NHL last season when it came to scoring. With 3.93 goals for per 60 minutes, Edmonton powered themselves to being one of the best teams in the sport with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way. There's no duo in hockey as great as those two. Expect them to push the Oilers to a hot start this season beginning with opening night. They alone combined for 116 goals -- this team is an offensive juggernaut that won't be stopping any time soon.

In the preseason, the Oilers had a 62.17 Corsi Against (Total Shot Attempts Allowed) per 60 minutes. While the preseason doesn't paint the full picture, that could open up a slew of opportunities for the Vancouver Canucks to take advantage of. That makes this game all the more enticing.

The Canucks were no slouches, either, when it came to scoring, as they had the 13th-most goals for per 60 minutes last season at an average of 3.25. Where Vancouver's problems arise is defensively, but that's good news for taking the over. The Canucks allowed 3.56 goals per 60 minutes, the eighth most in 2022-23.

Set at a content 6.5 line like many of the other games in this opening week, there's no game more prepped to feature doses of scoring than this. It should be one of the highest-scoring games of the night

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.