3 Best NHL Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 10/8/25

Whether it's moneylines, goal props, or who lights the lamp, there are plenty of ways to bet on NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, 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 the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com. Lineup notes come from Daily Faceoff.

Today's Best NHL Bets and Player Props

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs

John Tavares Any Time Goal (+200)

The Montreal Canadiens were a poor defensive team last season, ranking 30th in expected goals against per 60 minutes (3.14), 30th in Corsi against per 60 (63.07), and 29th in high-danger chances allowed per 60 (12.79). While the Canadiens have a promising defensemen duo in Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson, it remains to be seen whether this team can make significant strides in overall team defense this year.

That makes this an appealing spot to target one of the Toronto Maple Leafs' top scoring threats, and John Tavares might be one of the better values at +200 to score.

In the 2024-25 season, Tavares was second on Toronto in expected goals per 60 (1.42) and third in shots on goal per 60 (8.78). Overall, he finished last season with the NHL's 12th-most goals (38).

Even entering his age-35 season, it looks like Tavares has a lot left in the tank, and he could get rolling straight away on Wednesday.

Calgary Flames at Edmonton Oilers

Oilers -1.5 (+110)

The Edmonton Oilers have reached back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and while they ultimately lost both times to the Florida Panthers, they should be in the mix for the title once again. Entering the season, Edmonton is tied for the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup (+800), and they still have some guy named Connor McDavid, who's the odds favorite to win MVP (+200).

On the other hand, the Calgary Flames are likely to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. While Calgary barely missed the postseason last season, they were just 25th in expected goals for (2.85) and 16th in expected goals against (2.96) per 60 minutes last season. MoneyPuck projects the Flames to have just a 19.5% chance of making the playoffs, which is the league's ninth-worst mark.

In the 2024-25 campaign, the Oilers excelled both offensively and defensively, ranking second in expected goals for (3.32) and seventh in expected goals against (2.80) per 60. MoneyPuck gives Edmonton the highest percent chance of winning (75.5%) across Wednesday's four games, and I'm willing to back them to cover the puck line at plus money against an inferior opponent.

Connor McDavid Any Time Goal (+115)

And speaking of McDavid, with Zach Hyman opening the season on LTIR, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will practically be Edmonton's entire offense for the first month -- and these two were expected to do most of the heavy lifting anyway.

Draisaitl led the league in goals last season (52), benefiting greatly from the presence of McDavid, who racked up the NHL's fourth-most assists (75). Draisaitl's big year also coincided with McDavid seeing a dip in goals (26), which was his lowest mark since he debuted in the 2015-16 season.

However, we're just a few seasons removed from McDavid scoring a whopping 64 goals in 2022-23, and it's possible we get a closer split between him and Draisaitl this time around. While Draisaitl routinely outperforms his expected goals, he had 20.6 goals above expected in 2024-25, a career-high mark that will be awfully difficult to duplicate.

With that in mind, given that Draisaitl is at rather short -105 odds to score, McDavid feels like the better value at plus odds against a middle-of-the-road defense. Even in his "down" year, McDavid was tied with Hyman at 2.9 shots on goal per game (Draisaitl averaged 3.4), and that number figures to go up while Hyman is out.

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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.