NHL Betting Picks: Tuesday 10/17/23

We're a week into the season, and Wednesday gives us nine games to sink our teeth into and find some bets we like.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the 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 FanDuel Sportsbook.

Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks

Under 6.5 Goals (-128)

The Carolina Hurricanes continue their road trip to start the season. They won one game in a shootout against the Los Angeles Kings and then followed it up with a loss to the Anaheim Ducks.

Both of those games went over this total, and all three of their games have seen at least seven goals this season. So, why are we looking at the under?

Well, the Hurricanes allowed the fewest expected goals in the NHL last year. They play a solid defensive structure and didn't lose any key personnel this offseason that would make them weaker defensively. In fact, the addition of Dmitry Orlov makes them even better.

Their opponents today -- the San Jose Sharks -- did lose a key player that hurts their offense. They traded away Erik Karlsson, who had 101 points and was by far their leading scorer. They also had Timo Meier for more than half of last season, which made their expected goals numbers respectable, but he's also no longer with the team.

They have only two total goals through two games so far this season. They played two very good defensive teams in the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, but it won't get any easier tonight.

Mackenzie Blackwood had a heroic performance that nearly won Saturday's game for the Sharks. He saved 4.19 goals above expected through the 65 minutes of regulation and overtime. If he can do anything like that tonight, this game has a great chance of staying under the total.

The main angle for this bet is that we have one of the best defensive teams in the league going up against a team that will likely struggle to create offense all season. It's hard to see San Jose scoring more than two goals in this matchup.

Colorado Avalanche at Seattle Kraken

Avalanche -1.5 (+152)

This is a rematch of a first-round series from last year in which the Seattle Kraken eliminated the Avalanche in seven games.

This game could be circled on the calendar for the Avs after that upset. Even if it's not, they have a good chance to cover this spread with how they've been playing.

Colorado has been relentless on offense so far this season. Sure, it's been just two games, but they've produced 84.49 shot attempts per 60 minutes. That's a rate that's at least nine shots higher than any other team in the league.

We know that Colorado has the talent to be one of the best offensive teams in the league, regardless of their result over the small sample. The small sample of this season hasn't been too kind to their opponents tonight.

Seattle has just one point across its first three games. They've been able to score only two total goals in those three games. They surprised everyone by finishing fourth in the league in goals last season, but that was driven by an unsustainably high shooting percentage.

Their shooting percentage at five on five was the best in the league by 0.7 percentage points. That's a huge gap over the course of a full season. Seattle has some good offensive players, but this was the fourth-best five-on-five shooting percentage since data became available in 2007-08. They don't have the kind of talent that would make that repeatable this season.

The market may be slightly overrating the Kraken based on what they did last season. Colorado can win this game by two or more, even on the road.

Minnesota Wild at Montreal Canadiens

Wild ML (-137)

The Minnesota Wild have been known for being the most average team in the NHL since they joined the league. They are rarely one of the best or worst teams in the league, and they rarely have many players who stand out.

They definitely have one who stands out nowadays -- Kirill Kaprizov. He's seventh in the NHL in goals since he joined the league in 2021. Minnesota has made the playoffs in each of his three seasons and finished with 103 points last year.

They'll be on the road tonight and are facing the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal was projected to be one of the worst teams in the league headed into the year, as they are still in the rebuilding phase.

Minnesota's first two games were fairly interesting. They beat the Florida Panthers at home and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs. They lost the five-on-five expected goals battle against Florida but won it against the Leafs.

This is Minnesota's easiest game so far. Montreal will also be withoutKirby Dach, a key young player who was contributing as a second line center.

The Habs were the third-worst team in expected goals percentage last season, and they didn't make any massive improvements. The Wild are a much better team and should be able to beat a Canadiens team without an important forward. I don't mind laying the -137 here.

Looking for more NHL betting opportunities? Check out all of the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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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.