NHL Opening Night: Time for a little puck luck

Hockey season is upon us! For those who followed us last year, this was one of our more profitable sports, and we're aiming for a repeat performance during the 2023-24 season. We have a play for tonight, using the 50 percent boosts offered on DraftKings and FanDuel today. But before that, we probably need to prime ourselves on the state of the league.

The Stanley Cup favorites

The Eastern Conference seems to own the cream of the crop, as the Carolina Hurricanes (+800), New Jersey Devils (+900) and Toronto Maple Leafs (+900) head the futures board for this season's Stanley Cup champs.

All three won a playoff series last year, and Carolina and New Jersey in particular added some exciting pieces this offseason, namely Michael Bunting to the Canes and Tyler Toffoli to the Devils.

In the West, the Edmonton Oilers (+1000), Colorado Avalanche (+1000) and the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights (+1200) round out the favorites before puck drop this year.

We like New Jersey and Edmonton.

The names to know in the futures market

Connor McDavid is the favorite to win another Hart Trophy at -105. McDavid won last season and has taken home the individual honors for Most Valuable Player in two of the last three seasons. Nathan MacKinnon (+900), Leon Draisaitl (+1000) and Matthew Tkachuk (+1200) are next on the board.

The value on MacKinnon seems solid for a Colorado Avalanche team that should be healthier in 2023. MacKinnon was third in the league in points per game last season, averaging 1.53 per contest.

Connor Bedard is the odds-on favorite to win the Calder Trophy for top rookie. Bedard is one of the most hyped prospects since McDavid and set to be the top-line center for the Blackhawks from the start. We wouldn't recommend looking elsewhere in this market. Bedard hits the ice tonight, and there are a few intriguing prop bets to peruse on the rookie.

+210 bet for opening night

We need a play tonight; we just do. Make sure you're opting in to the profit boosts offered for opening night; we're on DraftKings for this one.

Betting: Brayden Point over 2.5 SOG & Over 5.5 goals in Chicago-Pittsburgh (+210 DK)

Both Chicago and Pittsburgh had issues slowing down shots and goals last year, and both made some exciting additions to boost their offenses in the aforementioned Bedard for the Blackhawks and offensively minded defenseman Erik Karlsson for the Penguins. Last year these two met twice, seeing totals of seven and eight.

We pair their watered-down over/under with Brayden Point of Tampa to find three or more shots on goal. Nashville was one of the most generous defenses to shots last year, and Point hit this mark in nearly 60% of home games last year. Point also went over in both meetings against Nashville and just saw the Predators a week ago in preseason play, tallying five SOG.

Good luck tonight, and enjoy the season on the ice!

In the news ...

Justin Jefferson placed on IR — Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's loss to Kansas City, and it's significant enough to land him on IR. Jefferson must now miss at least the next four games, and at 1-4, Minnesota might opt to stay conservative with his return to action. The Vikings could also be sellers at the trade deadline with the season looking bleak, with QB Kirk Cousins the prime name to know. The Vikings are 2.5-point favorites at Chicago this week.

De'Von Achane set to miss multiple weeks — So much for the De'Von Achane Rookie of the Year train that we hyped yesterday. The electrifying Miami running back suffered a knee injury on Sunday that is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. It's currently a three-man race for OROY honors: C.J. Stroud (+130), Bijan Robinson (+350) and Puka Nacua (+400).

Braves even series; Diamondbacks take 2-0 lead over Dodgers — Philadelphia had a chance to head home up 2-0, but Atlanta sparked a late rally, punctuated by Austin Riley's two-run homer in the eighth and Michael Harris's amazing play in center in the ninth. The series is now tied, and the Braves are currently -135 favorites to advance to the NLCS. Meanwhile, Arizona surprisingly took both games in Los Angeles, winning on Monday 4-2. The Diamondbacks now sit at -600 to advance and are +340 to reach the World Series.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll, the guy who won $8K on a $20 NFL parlay. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.