The NHL regular season kicks back into gear on Tuesday night with a pair of games and some nice value on the betting board. Let’s dive in and see where we can grab some more value after connecting on all three props in Friday’s regular-season opener!
*Odds courtesy of FanDuel
Best NHL Bets 10/11/2022
Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin each with 25+ saves (+104)
Last season, the Lightning averaged 30.9 shots on goal per game and the Rangers checked in at 29.2 which was actually tied for 27th in the league. These averages give both netminders plenty of leeway to each record at least 25 saves on Tuesday night, especially with both clubs hovering around 30 shots against each game a season ago.
Of course, there’s little debate about these goaltenders being among the very best in the sport. Indeed, Shesterkin was the best netminder en route to what could be one of many Vezina Trophies a season ago. In addition to back-to-back Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe mixed in, Vasilevskiy collected the 2019 Vezina.
While the Bolts ranked seventh in terms of shot attempts against/60 at 5v5 action last season, they did lose one of the top shot-blocking blueliners in the league in Ryan McDonagh, a cap-casualty via trade with the Nashville Predators this summer. His absence opens up shot-on-goal opportunities for the Rangers in this one.
With a pair of high-octane offenses going up against two of the league’s elite netminders, there should be more than enough shots on goal in this one to have both Vasilevskiy and Shesterkin to turn aside at least 25 shots apiece.
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Artemi Panarin any time goal scorer (+250)
A playmaker by trade, I like the value we’re getting for Artemi Panarin to find the back of the net tonight.
He’s coming off a 22-goal season last year, but he’s also reached the 30-goal mark in three of his seven NHL seasons to date. He doesn’t shoot the puck as much as other superstars around the league, but still put a healthy 177 shots on net a season ago.
He doesn’t project to skate alongside Mika Zibanejad or Chris Kreider on the team’s top line, but rather with Vincent Trocheck and Vitali Kravtsov on the second unit. That said, Kreider and Zibanejad are healthy goal scorers themselves while Panarin would be more of a distributor skating with that pair. His second-line positioning hardly hurts his chances of scoring goals.
Beating Vasilevskiy is a challenge, but the price is right on this one.
Brayden Point 3+ shots on goal (+108)
Against a Rangers team that ranked 17th in shot attempts against/60 at 5v5, it’s not a bad idea to target a Tampa forward in the shots-on-goal department. At this price, I like Point as the preferred player.
Point is set to center one of the league’s most dangerous offensive lines alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Both of those players shoot the puck a healthy amount, but at -186 and -180 odds, respectively, Point’s value is far superior.
With 176 shots on goal across 66 games last season, Point averaged 2.67 shots per game a season ago. However, skating with Kucherov should get the puck in Point’s hands plenty in the offensive zone against a Rangers back end that easily remains the team’s biggest question mark heading into the season. Shesterkin’s Vezina-type play last season helped cover up plenty of defensive shortcomings.
Expect Point and that Lightning top line to come out firing this evening.
