Throughout the Ottawa Senators history, they've employed more than their share of tough guys. Mike Peluso was their first, and still holds the club record with 318 penalty minutes in a single season. Chris Neil was their greatest – one of the few NHL tough guys ever to have his number retired by his team.

Then you have the likes of Dennis Vial, Brian McGrattan, Denny Lambert, Andre Roy, Matt Carkner, Matt Kassian, Mark Borowiecki and several others.

Kurtis MacDermid is now their latest policeman, acquired from the New Jersey Devils late last week for fellow tough guy Zack MacEwen, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Sens.

MacDermid's acquisition is a clear response to the irritation the organization felt when the Senators lost 5-0 in Montreal last Tuesday. It wasn't so much the scoreboard beatdown; it was the physical one. So they went out and got MacDermid, who brings another Cup ring into the room (Colorado), has played for Travis Green (New Jersey), and on the nights they need him, he really is one of the game's true heavyweights.

"I mean, obviously, he's one of the tougher guys in the league," head coach Travis Green told the media after the game on Saturday. "He's a tremendous teammate, sticks up for this whole team. He's a smart individual, and he understands the game."

MacDermid didn't play for Green for very long in 2024, but it was probably long enough to fully understand his expectations. MacDermid has been toiling at the Devils camp again this year, getting ready for their season, so it was a unique experience to suddenly drop into Ottawa's preseason finale in Montreal. 

"It's been a whirlwind," MacDermid told the media on Saturday. "I got in here, just tried to relax and enjoy the experience. The guys are great, the staff is awesome, so it was a really easy transition."

After the two clubs met on Tuesday and combined for over 150 penalty minutes, many wondered if the game might get out of control. But it didn't. The rematch had just 14 penalty minutes, and by comparison, it might as well have been played in a library. Did MacDermid's presence have a hand in that? Hard to say.

But before this deal went down, both MacEwen and Hayden Hodgson, MacDermid's old junior teammate, were hoping to lay claim to the Sens' tough guy role. But Friday's trade ended those hopes, and MacDermid hopes he made a good first impression on Saturday night.

"I hope so," MacDermid told the media after the game. "I just go out there and try to create space for the guys, stick up for them when I need to and just play my game and help the team in any way."

After having Connor McDavid's back for a couple of years with the Erie Otters, MacDermid eventually entered the NHL as an undrafted free agent – first with Los Angeles, where he spent six seasons. hen as part of the 2022 Colorado Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup. Although he didn't dress for any playoff games, he played 58 regular-season games for the Avalanche during their championship season, so his name is on the Cup.

Saturday was the first time he'd played an NHL game with so little preparation, just one day after arriving.

"Yeah, I haven't done that before. You're just looking to go there and have fun and enjoy it. There's a lot of adrenaline, so that always works in your favour. So yeah, it was awesome and I'm glad we got the win."

At 6-feet-5, 233 pounds, the 31-year-old has played 288 games in the league. He's the latest in Ottawa's long line of sons of former NHL players. MacDermid’s dad, Paul, played in 690 NHL games.

The Sens now have three players, Jake Sanderson (Geoff), Ridly Greig (Mark), and now MacDermid, who top up the "My Dad Played For the Hartford Whalers" Club, filling the void left by Mark Kastelic (Ed) last year.

On the nights that he plays, what the Sens gain in toughness, they'll lose in secondary scoring potential. MacDermid had zero points in 23 games with the Devils last season and will be deployed strategically.

There's not much chance, for example, that he misses any of the four games this season against the Montreal Canadiens. The Battle of the 417 has become a matchup that's even more heated than the Battle of Ontario, but the Sens are now better equipped to deal with shenanigans.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Senators Land A True NHL Heavyweight In A Deal With The Devils
More Senators Broadcast Changes: Marc Methot Out At TSN
Reviewing Four Of The Nastiest Moments From Senators–Canadiens Game On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk On Starring In Prime Video Show: 'I'm An Open Book To Begin With'
Broadcast Frustrations Resurface For Senators Fans
Sens Goalie Linus Ullmark Says He Enjoys The Struggle

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly picked up a couple of players off the waiver wire ahead of their season-opener on Wednesday night.

According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs have claimed goaltender Cayden Primeau and forward Sammy Blais off of waivers. Primeau was placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes, and Blais by the Montreal Canadiens.

Toronto claims Cayden Primeau off waivers from Carolina.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 6, 2025

Toronto claims Sammy Blais off waivers from Montreal.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 6, 2025

Primeau spent the majority of last season with the AHL's Laval Rocket. The 26-year-old tallied 21 wins and a .927 save percentage in 26 games with the Rocket, while posting two wins and an .836 save percentage in 11 games with the Canadiens.

The undrafted goaltender signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Hurricanes on July 2, but with Carolina's influx of goalies, including Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov (and now Brandon Bussi, who they claimed off waivers on Sunday), they opted to try and sneak Primeau down to the AHL.

In 55 NHL games, Primeau has 13 wins and an .884 save percentage.

Cap projections had the Leafs with $729,554 in cap space with Dennis Hildeby on the roster and 22 players. Getting Cayden Primeau at $775k allows the #Leafs to save an additional $66,667 in cap space from Hildeby’s $841,667 cap hit, and thus room for a 23rd player in Blais at… https://t.co/eiEaUrxrtE

— David Alter (@dalter) October 6, 2025

This move by the Maple Leafs could mean James Reimer, who's on a professional tryout with Toronto, likely won't be with the team entering this season.

Blais is the more fascinating claim of the two. The 29-year-old is coming off a Calder Cup win with the Abbotsford Canucks, scoring six goals and 19 points in 23 games. He also has some history with winning the Stanley Cup on the St. Louis Blues alongside Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube.

The forward scored one goal and two assists in 15 games with the Blues during their cup run in 2019.

Blais has since bounced between St. Louis and the New York Rangers. In 257 NHL games, Blais has scored 27 goals and 71 points. The Canadiens hoped to get him through waivers (after signing him this summer to a one-year, $775,000 contract) and have him play with the Laval Rocket, however, that's not the case anymore.

Once Toronto sends Dennis Hildeby (who's waivers-exempt) to the AHL after claiming both Primeau and Blais off waivers, they'll be $21,221 under the salary cap, with Easton Cowan, Philippe Myers, and one of Blais, Nick Robertson or Calle Jarnkrok as a healthy scratch, per PuckPedia.

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Seven months after being fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, longtime NHL head coach John Tortorella has resurfaced, joining ESPN as an NHL analyst for the 2025-26 season.

Tortorella, 67, previously expressed interest in returning to coaching (while pushing back against narratives about his unceremonious exit from the Flyers), but it would appear that those aspirations are temporarily on hold.

The three-year Flyers coach returns to ESPN for the first time since the 2021-22 season, which he spent as an analyst in between his stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Flyers.

Tortorella will feature as an analyst alongside Blake Bolden, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Ray Ferraro, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, T.J. Oshie, P.K. Subban, Kevin Weekes, and Dave Jackson.

"John Tortorella returns to ESPN’s NHL studio coverage as an analyst this season, marking a homecoming to the team he first joined in 2021 when ESPN re-acquired NHL media rights," the ESPN press release said.

"Known for his candid insights and authentic commentary, Tortorella will bring his deep understanding of the game as a veteran coach with 23 NHL seasons behind the bench, including leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-04 season."

The 67-year-old spent three seasons in Philadelphia with the Flyers, compiling a 97-107-33 record.

Regardless of any potential NHL opportunities, Tortorella will return to the bench in 2026 when he serves as an assistant coach for Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan.

Even though rosters were trimmed to 23 on Saturday, there was no guarantee that the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to carry those exact 23 players into their season opener against former head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

But that does appear to be the case - which is good news for two top Penguins' prospects.

On Monday, Penguins' head coach Dan Muse confirmed that defenseman Harrison Brunicke and center Ben Kindel will both be making their NHL debuts when the Penguins take on the Rangers to kick off the 2025-26 season. 

Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, will be the first set of teenagers since Jordan Staal and Kris Letang on Oct. 5, 2006 to debut together for the Penguins, and they are just the third pair in team history - with the other being Mario Lemieux and Doug Bodger on Oct. 11, 1984.

"I'm excited for both of them. They earned this," Muse said. "I said it the other day... this wasn't something that we came in - that we started training camp or went through the summer - saying, 'Okay, these guys are going to be in.' Those two players were given an opportunity, and along the way, they earned new opportunities. And through those new opportunities, they're now here today.

"It was multiple steps, though, that they had to go through to get to this point. I mean, there were points in exhibition where we're purposely putting them in those hard situations to see how they handle them, and they handled them well. So, now we're onto going into [Tuesday], and both guys have earned the right there to be in that opening night lineup."

The kids are IN!

Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel will make their NHL debuts tomorrow, marking the third set of teenagers to make their NHL debuts together in @penguins history. pic.twitter.com/OqizdCfq06

— Penguins PR (@PenguinsPR) October 6, 2025

Brunicke - selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 - nearly made the team out of training camp as an 18-year-old last season. He faced some adversity in his 2024-25 season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, as a broken wrist sidelined him for nearly two months. He still managed to put up five goals and 30 points in 41 games last season, and he came into this year's camp looking even better than he did last time around. 

"Confidence. He's got tons of confidence with the puck," veteran defenseman Kris Letang said. "He has a pretty good set of skills, whether it's skating, puckhandling... and, obviously, his confidence makes him really dangerous. He can hold onto pucks and use his patience. So, it's going to be exciting what he can do at this level."

Kindel was selected 11th overall in 2025, and he was easily the best player in at least three of the Penguins' pre-season games. He also played in more pre-season games than any other Penguins' player, appearing in six of seven and registering a goal and three points. 

Brunicke, Kindel & Cootes Projected To Start 2025-26 Season In The NHLThree WHLers are projected to start the 2025-26 season with their NHL clubs. Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel are still with the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Braeden Cootes has yet to be reassigned by the Vancouver Canucks. With rosters needing to be set by Monday, it appears that all three will make their NHL debuts before being returned to the WHL. 

The 5-foot-10, 181-pound centerman registered 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL last season and has impressed the very best early on.

"He's got a lot of poise with the puck, a lot of speed. Those two things probably stand out the most," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think he's using his speed well, he's finding guys, he distributes the puck really well, and he seems like he's confident. It doesn't seem like it's been too fast for him or anything like that up to this point. He's done a great job.

"Sometimes, it takes time to adjust to all of that. It seems like, with every game, he's getting more and more comfortable."

In practice Monday, Brunicke was working on the bottom pairing with left defenseman Caleb Jones, while Kindel was centering Tommy Novak and Philip Tomasino on the third line - a combination that has stuck for the last week or so. Both players were also working on the team's second power play unit.

Crosby Set To Tie Prestigious NHL Record This SeasonBy now, Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby approaching NHL records is a relatively regular occurrence. 

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The Carolina Hurricanes have lost goaltender Cayden Primeau now just three months after acquiring the 25-year-old netminder, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have claimed him off of waivers.

The Canes were hoping to pass their newest netminder, who they acquired from the Montreal Canadiens this summer for a seventh-round pick, to the AHL, but now their goaltending depth will take a hit.

The Hurricanes probably didn't want Primeau to just be sitting around in the NHL behind Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov and so they hoped he'd be able to pass through waivers to get games in the AHL.

But it seems like their plan backfired as Primeau was the only netminder to get claimed off of waivers on Monday.

The Hurricanes did however claim goaltender Brandon Bussi yesterday from the Florida Panthers as an insurance measure, so one would assume they'll be keeping a third goaltender around now, at least for the time being.

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The Philadelphia Flyers’ 23-man roster for Opening Night is officially set—and it carries the look of a team that means what it says when it preaches earning your spot.

Youth and hunger headline the final group, with Jett Luchanko, Rodrigo Ābols, and Adam Ginning—three players who began training camp on the roster bubble—each forcing their way into the mix. 

Jett Luchanko: A Teenager with a Job to Keep

Few stories out of camp are as compelling as Jett Luchanko’s. 

The 19-year-old center made the NHL team out of camp last year, when he was still a fresh-faced rookie that had been drafted mere months before his Opening Night debut.

A quieter camp this year fueled a debate of whether the Flyers should keep him in the NHL squad or send him back to his OHL team (the Guelph Storm) to continue developing. As of the roster submission deadline on Monday, he’s sticking around—at least for now.

The Flyers have made clear that his spot is a reward for what he’s done, not a guarantee of what comes next.

“Nothing is set in stone,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said. “He has to keep earning it. He has to keep playing well; he’s not the only one. It applies with everyone. I know we make a big deal of the Opening Night roster, but that doesn’t mean you’re on the team forever. You’ve gotta keep earning your ice time and your spot on the team. That’s the message to him and every other player on the team.”

The expectations are simple: no complacency, no shortcuts. Luchanko’s maturity and work rate are some of his best qualities, especially for a player his age. He’s quick, thinks the game well beyond his years, and plays with the kind of structure coaches can trust. Whether he’s here for five games or 50, he’s made an impression.

Adam Ginning: The Quiet Surprise

In a camp where many Flyers defensemen weren’t exactly popping, Adam Ginning managed to get himself a place in the NHL group.

When camp began, Ginning wasn’t even considered a serious contender for the Flyers’ blueline. But as preseason rolled along, he played himself into the conversation—and eventually, onto the roster.

“There’s a couple guys that actually stepped up,” Briere explained. “A guy like Ginning, who, to be honest, we didn’t think he was even in the mix going into camp. But he played so well that he earned his way onto the team.”

For Ginning, it wasn’t about flash—it was about reliability. He simplified the game, closed gaps effectively, and leaned on his physical edge to win battles. On a defense corps that features smaller, more offensive players like Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, Ginning’s steady, defensive-minded style fills a key need—especially in the absence of Rasmus Ristolainen.

He may not have the highlight-reel plays, but he brings a certain level of balance. Ginning, like Luchanko, will have to continuously .

Rodrigo Ābols: The Unexpected Workhorse

Perhaps no player personified “earning it” more than Rodrigo Ābols. The 29-year-old Latvian forward was the only player to appear in all five of the Flyers’ preseason games—five games in nine nights—and not once did he look out of place.

Ābols didn’t just hold up under the workload; he thrived in it, playing with a consistency and physicality that caught the eye of the coaching staff from day one.

“He earned it,” Danny Briere said on Monday. “He’s been a big physical presence. I think Rick Tocchet and his staff didn’t know much about him and were really impressed. 

“I laughed because, early in camp, we had him playing in game one, and we were looking at lineups for games two and three and four, and at first, we didn’t have him in any of those games. And after game one, Tocchet came back and he says, ‘I want to see him again.’ And so we put him in game two, and then after game two, he said, ‘I need to see him one more time,’ and put him in game three and then game four and game five. At the end, we were trying to give him a break! …But Rod has had a great camp and earned the start on the roster for game one. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts in game one either.”

Ābols has carved out a niche as a bottom-six forward who brings energy, size, and a smart defensive stick. He kills plays, wins puck battles, and makes simple but effective reads in all three zones. In short, he does the little things right—and that’s often what wins coaches over.

A Roster Shaped by Effort

For all three players, making the Opening Night roster is validation of the Flyers’ new approach under Tocchet: accountability, competition, and a demand for consistency.

No one got a free pass because of potential or pedigree. Luchanko, Ginning, and Ābols earned their spots by doing the work—day after day, game after game—until the coaching staff had no choice but to notice.

And that, more than anything, says something about where the Flyers are headed. The roster may not be a finished product. It may evolve, change, and shift as the season begins. But it’s being built on the kind of foundation that winning teams grow from—honesty, effort, and the refusal to assume anything.

As Briere put it, it’s not about who starts on the roster. It’s about who earns the right to stay there.

Three teams claimed players off NHL waivers on roster cutdown day.

The Toronto Maple Leafs claimed goaltender Cayden Primeau from the Carolina Hurricanes and left winger Sammy Blais from the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, according to TVA's Renaud Lavoie.

The Buffalo Sabres also claimed goaltender Colten Ellis off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, while the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed center Curtis Douglas from the Utah Mammoth.

Everyone else who was placed on waivers on Sunday cleared, including goaltenders Clay Stevenson, Nico Daws and Michael DiPietro and veterans Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl and Michael Pezzetta.

Nobody was placed on waivers on Monday, according to PuckPedia.

Primeau, 26, played parts of six seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick this past off-season. In 11 NHL games last year as a backup, he had a 2-3-1 record, 4.70 goals-against average and .836 save percentage with Montreal.

Montreal swapped Primeau with Jakub Dobes for the backup role last December, and Primeau ended up with a 21-2-3 record, 1.96 GAA and .927 SP on the AHL's Laval Rocket.

Primeau is on a one-year contract worth $775,000, and he posted a 1-1-0 record, 2.03 GAA and .900 SP in two pre-season games.

Blais, 29, spent all of last season with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, putting up 40 points in 51 games and winning the Calder Cup as playoff champions. Montreal signed Blais to a one-year, $775,000 contract on July 1, and he had one assist in three pre-season outings.

The 6-foot-2 forward from Montmagny, Que., played 257 career NHL games between the Blues and New York Rangers, winning the Stanley Cup with the former in 2019. In 2022-23, Blais had a career-high nine goals and 20 points in 31 games.

Ellis, 25, joins the Sabres more than six years after the Blues drafted him 93rd overall in 2019. While he has yet to play an NHL game, he did post a 22-14-2 record, 2.63 GAA, .922 SP and three shutouts in 42 appearances for the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds last season.

In 45 minutes of pre-season action, Ellis stopped all 24 shots he faced. He's on a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 annually.

Douglas, 25, is a 6-foot-9, 242-pound center. He hasn't played in the NHL before, but if he does, he would be tied with Zdeno Chara and Matt Rempe as the tallest skaters to appear in a game.

In 63 games for the Tucson Roadrunners last season, Douglas had 10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points and 117 penalty minutes. He added 14 penalty minutes in three matches this pre-season. This is the second season of Douglas' two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.

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The Montreal Canadiens have lost one of their depth forwards, as Sammy Blais has been claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Blais was placed on waivers by the Canadiens on Oct. 5. Their hope was that he would clear and then be assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket. However, Blais is instead heading to Toronto after being claimed. 

The Maple Leafs have claimed F Sammy Blais off waivers from Montreal and G Cayden Primeau off waivers from Carolina.

— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 6, 2025

Blais signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens this off-season in free agency. This was after the 6-foot-2 forward posted 14 goals, 26 assists, 40 points, and 44 penalty minutes in 51 AHL regular-season games with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2024-25. He also had six goals, 19 points, and 77 penalty minutes in 23 games with Abbotsford during the playoffs.

With the Maple Leafs claiming Blais, he will give them another experienced depth forward to consider for their bottom six. 

In 257 career NHL games over seven seasons, Blais has recorded 27 goals, 44 assists, 71 points, and 835 hits 

Here's today's NHL Nugget –  this edition of Shinny or Nothing features the Sutter brothers' hockey habits when growing up on the farm in Viking, Alta.

Darryl Sutter is one of six brothers who made the NHL. They all played together and pretended they were NHL stars growing up – after they finished their chores.

Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media.  And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.  

The Chicago Blackhawks, on the eve of their season starting against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, had to make a change to their roster. 

Landon Slaggert, who looked like he could be the right winger on the third line to begin the year, is being put on Injured Reserve with a lower-body injury. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xwhat’s up Ryan!?👋 more roster moves➡️ https://t.co/NTQSHF5Zw7

In his place, Chicago called up Ryan Greene from the Rockford IceHogs. Based on the line combinations from practice, Colton Dach will take Slaggert's spot on the third line. Meanwhile, Greene will play fourth-line center, and Sam Lafferty will move to left wing on the same line. 

In addition to Slaggert hitting Injured Reserve, the Blackhawks placed Joey Anderson on it as well. He had a procedure done during camp that will keep him out for a while. 

The good news for the Blackhawks here is that Alex Vlasic did skate during their first off-day practice. He had previously been missing due to a lower-body injury. This is a good sign for him, but Jeff Blashill doesn’t believe he will be ready to play on opening night. 

The Blackhawks play the Panthers on Tuesday night after the Florida Panthers raise a Stanley Cup championship banner for the second consecutive year. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The NHL season opens Tuesday with three high-scoring games featuring key matchups between playoff teams and strong betting trends favoring the Avalanche, Rangers, and Blackhawks. 

The NHL season officially gets underway Tuesday with three exciting matchups on Opening Night offering plenty of chances to cash in early. Each game brings its own set of long-standing trends, including how teams historically perform in season openers, head-to-head records, and typical goal totals.

We kicked off the new NHL year on the right foot with a smooth preseason win as the Winnipeg Jets easily covered the spread against the Calgary Flames. Now, we're looking to carry that momentum into another profitable season. Last year, our season-long prop picks hit consistently, including calls on Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen, and Connor Hellebuyck, who not only went over his win total but also took home the Vezina Trophy. 

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM. 

Matthews and Draisaitl Poised for Another Explosive Goal RaceNew future bet pins Toronto's Auston Matthews against Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl for who will score more goals last season.

Bank On Offense 

If history is any indication, Opening Night in the NHL often delivers plenty of action on the scoreboard. As teams return to the ice with new line combinations and freshly implemented systems, defensive chemistry often takes a backseat to offensive execution, resulting in high-scoring games to start the season.

In 2024, two of the three Opening Night matchups went over 6.5 total goals. In 2023, two of three games topped 5.5 goals. The 2022 slate featured two games, with one clearing 6.5 goals. Both contests in 2021 also exceeded that same mark.

Even in 2019, which saw just one of four games surpass the 5.5 or 6.5 goal totals, every matchup still went over 4.5 goals. That consistency highlights the potential value in tracking live betting lines, particularly in games that start slow. For bettors, keeping a close eye on live totals could offer an edge, especially if the odds drop following a quiet opening frame.

CHI Blackhawks vs. FLA Panthers

As the puck drops on a new NHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks are set to open their campaign against an uncommon opponent in the Florida Panthers. This marks the first time the two teams will meet in a season opener since the 2009–10 season. 

The Blackhawks have struggled early with only three wins in their last ten season openers, but their games have rarely lacked offensive fireworks with nine openers featuring six or more goals. The Panthers enter this matchup with a much stronger track record in openers, having won six of their last ten. Like the Blackhawks, Florida has often lit up the scoreboard to start the season with six of their last ten openers have gone over the six-goal mark, making high totals a familiar theme for both clubs.

When it comes to head-to-head play, the Blackhawks and Panthers have split their last six regular season meetings. Despite that even record, Florida has severely struggled to cover the spread against Chicago, doing so in just three of their last twelve matchups. Goal scoring has defined this limited rivalry in recent years with eight of their last ten meetings having gone over 5.5 total goals.

Pick: Blackhawks +1.5 (-110), Over 5.5 goals (-120)

Why A Healthy Jack Hughes Could Be the NHL's Best Betting ValueNew Jersey's Jack Hughes can easily smash projected point totals if he remains healthy.

PIT Penguins vs. NY Rangers

As the NHL season begins, the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves with more questions than answers when it comes to opening night success. Despite a history filled with deep playoff runs and star power, the Penguins have struggled to start seasons on the right foot even in their best of times. They have won just four of their last ten season openers, and their defensive lapses have often led to high-scoring affairs. 

Seven of their last eight openers have gone over 5.5 goals, highlighted by their opener last season versus the Rangers, in which they were steamrolled in a 6–0 shutout. The Rangers routinely start on a good note having won six of their last ten openers, including three straight heading into Tuesday. Offensively, they tend to come out firing with six of their last nine openers have also gone over 5.5 goals thanks to their talent upfront with players like Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad leading the charge. 

Head-to-head, the numbers are even more discouraging for Pittsburgh with the Penguins having lost ten of their last 14 meetings with the Rangers with their betting record even worse. New York has dominated this matchup and the sportsbooks against Pittsburgh with a 9-2 record against the spread over their last 11 matchups. 

This has included some high-scoring affairs with seven or more goals in seven of their last nine matchups. Pittsburgh finished with the third-worst in the league last season with little adjustments in the off-season to improve. Due to their lack of changes, riding with the Blueshirts is the clear pick as they are looking to bounce back this season while the Penguins don't appear any closer to leaving the basement of the league than they did last season. 

Pick: Rangers -1.5 (+110), Over 6.0 goals (-110)

Count On Cale Makar, Avalanche Offense Staying Hot Without Mikko RantanenAvalanche defenseman Cale Makar should continue large role in the offense after red hot finish to the season without Mikko Rantanen. 

COL Avalanche vs. LA Kings

Among the most anticipated matchups on the NHL’s opening night slate, the showdown between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings stands out as a battle between two playoff-caliber teams with something to prove. Both clubs are entering the new season with high expectations, but their histories on opening night and against each other tell two very different stories.

The Avalanche have consistently been one of the league’s most reliable teams to start the season strong. Colorado has won seven of its last nine season openers, often setting the tone early with explosive offensive performances thanks to their superstar talents in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche have hit the over on 5.5 goals in four consecutive openers and in eight of their last ten. On the other side, the Kings have struggled in season debuts. Los Angeles has won just three of its last eleven season openers but have still produced offense with  five of their last six openers finishing with over 5.5 goals. 

These two teams last met on opening night in 2023, a game the Avalanche controlled from start to finish with a 5–2 victory that added to a history of matchup dominance. The Avalanche have won five of their last seven meetings against the Kings and hold a commanding 14-3-1 record in their last eighteen matchups. The Avalanche have also won convincingly, covering the spread in five of their last six meetings against the Kings with a streak of four straight covers heading into Tuesday’s season opener. All signs point toward another fast-paced, high-scoring contest, one that may once again tilt in Colorado’s favor.

Pick: Avalanche ML (-115), Over 5.5 goals (-120)

Western Michigan Offers Shocking Value, In-State Rivals Reload for NCAA Title PushDespite being the defending champions and preseason number one, Western Michigan is a major value at +2000 odds as a proven team overlooked in a market focused on hype over results.