Check out the latest NHL odds with our expert best bets for Wednesday, October 9.
With the regular-season Opening Night behind us, we now head into the next slate of NHL action. Tonight's lineup features 5 games, and our hockey pros have 3 bets for a trio of the games: Rangers vs. Penguins, Jets vs. Oilers, and Flames vs. Canucks.
Let's dive in with our NHL picks and predictions for tonight.
NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Rangers vs. Penguins
By Nick Martin
The Pittsburgh Penguins began last year's campaign with a lot of hype after adding Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in the offseason, but he failed to live up to those expectations in posting just a 38-32-12 record (-6.7% ROI). With few assets at their disposal and a capped-out roster, they have had a fairly quiet summer.
There doesn't look to be much interest in the betting market to back the Penguins early on. They opened at +100 in this game and now sit as high as +120. Part of that line movement is due to the fact that top-line winger Bryan Rust has been announced out, but that swing has to come down to more than Rust's absence, at least in my eyes.
To me, the Penguins look like a team that could surprise early on, though things getting ugly and long-tenured coach Mike Sullivan becoming the first bench boss fired wouldn't be surprising either.
Karlsson took some time to adjust to life with the Penguins, but he was much better as last season wore along. Kris Letang was putrid at times defensively, but he could benefit greatly from the signing of an excellent defensive defender in Matt Gryzelcyk as a new partner.
The Penguins top-six looks a lot less formidable without Jake Guentzel, but Drew O'Connor skated surprisingly well alongside Sidney Crosby at the end of last season, and Michael Bunting was excellent on the second line with Evgeni Malkin.
Igor Shesterkin started slowly last season, and his ongoing contract negotiations could be viewed as somewhat of a distraction entering this matchup. I'm still not entirely convinced the Rangers will be a true powerhouse at even strength, and I believe the Penguins can own their share of 5-on-5 play and provide a tough test for Shesterkin.
Betting sides in the first week of the NHL season can be tricky as it can be a guessing game as to which teams will come out of the gates in good form. Those thoughts work in favor of backing a Penguins team that could bounce back this season in their home opener given their +120 price tag. We'll bet it down to +115.
Pick: Penguins (+120)
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Jets vs. Oilers
By Greg Liodice
Nothing gets my juices flowing more than Canada vs. Canada hockey, even more when you factor in that the Edmonton Oilers are entering this season with everything to prove.
After nearly completing a miraculous 3-0 comeback in the Stanley Cup Finals, they fell in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. I don’t need to tell you what drives Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The two-headed monster in Northern Alberta will use that and take it out on everyone else.
The first test is against the Winnipeg Jets, who enter Rogers Place with many questions. As someone who used to cover the team for a little, I don’t quite know the direction that they’re heading in. Last season was a spectacle as the Jets were soaring through the Western Conference and seemed poised for a heavy playoff run.
But those dreams shattered after falling in the first round 4-1 to Colorado. This year, Rick Bowness retired, Scott Arniel took over, and they’re essentially rolling out the same team as last year.
Edmonton, on the other hand, made changes by adding scoring forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson. Additionally, they added young depth players in Vasiliy Podkolzin and Ty Emberson.
I’m banking on this to get pretty ugly and for Winnipeg to get a hard look at itself in the mirror. However, to protect myself, I’m backing the Oilers to win in regulation (60-minute line) at -105 odds, which I think is still fair value.
Pick: Oilers 60-Minute Moneyline (-105)
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Flames vs. Canucks
The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks are heading in opposite directions.
While Vancouver is looking to take another step forward after pulling a stunner and winning the Pacific Division in 2023-24, the Flames are in rebuild mode and are not projected to be near the playoff mix this season.
Thus, it makes plenty of sense that Vancouver is a chunky -215 favorite over Calgary on Wednesday night.
I'm here to say that number flatters the Canucks quite a bit, at least under these circumstances.
First and foremost, this is the opening game of the season for both clubs. Perhaps in the dog days of the season, you can justify playing the Canucks at this price at home against the Flames, but it gets much more complicated in this unique situation.
Another glaring reason to handle the Canucks with caution in this spot is the goaltending. Thatcher Demko is out for a month, which means either Arturs Silovs or Kevin Lankinen will get the nod on Wednesday. Silovs went on a memorable playoff run last spring, but he's only got nine games of regular season experience. Lankinen was terrific as a deputy in Nashville, but this would be his Canucks debut. There are reasons to be skeptical of both in this situation.
We will likely see the Flames trend down as the season goes on, but there's still enough talent on this roster to cause problems against better teams. That is especially true on Night 1 of a new campaign, when everyone is raring and ready to go.
Pick: Flames (+180)
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