NHL Best Bets for Tuesday: Expert Hockey Predictions for Tonight's Games

It has been an excellent first week of the NHL season! There have been a few surprises and a few not so surprises. Tuesday brings more of the same with a nice 8-game slate. The action begins with 4 games starting at 7 PM ET and will go all through the night. If you will be tuning in and want to have some action, here are a few betting markets that may be worth considering — with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of writing. Also be sure to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season.

NHL best bet: Oilers ML 3-way (+115) over Rangers

Both the Oilers and Rangers are off to a solid start through just a couple of games. But the Rangers have yet to play what is expected to be a formidable opponent. The Rangers were shut out at home in their season opener by a Penguins team that does not look to be very good. New York responded well by convincingly beating Buffalo and Pittsburgh in a rematch. With that, it is tough to know yet what the Rangers are as they have a bit of a retooled roster and have played poor opponents. Meanwhile, we know exactly what the Oilers are.

The Oilers are a team that has won the Western Conference two seasons in a row in which they also got off to poor starts. Edmonton does not want to have to play catch up again and they are keen to get off to a good start to the season. They played well but lost beyond regulation to Calgary before beating Vancouver. The Oilers, on paper, and looks like on the ice as well, are the better team with far more superstar talent. They are taking these early games seriously, are more battle tested, albeit in a small sample size, and are the far more known quantity. The plus money for a regulation win is good value.

Get our full Oilers vs Rangers prediction

NHL best bet: Golden Knights ML (-162) over Flames

This is another game where the favorite looks to be the better team and the more known quantity. But the Golden Knights’ start to the season has been a bit surprising. There is no need to overreact. It was a bit surprising, though, to see Vegas lose to Seattle, barely beat San Jose, and give up 6 goals to Los Angeles. That said, they have not yet lost in regulation and have 4 points in 3 games played. The Golden Knights are a loaded team that is phenomenal year in and year out. They have not played their best hockey yet this season and will look get things on track.

After beating Edmonton in a shootout to start the season, Calgary has lost their last 2 games to Vancouver and St. Louis by a combined score of 9-3. The Flames look to be another team caught a bit in the middle. They have some good veteran players, some promising young players, but generally, a lot of unknown up and down their lineup. Although Calgary was a surprising playoff contender last year, Vegas won 3 out of the 4 head to head matchups and had a +8 goal differential. The Golden Knights look to be the better team once again, they are in a bit of a get right spot, and the Flames might be pressing a little bit after a couple of ugly losses. This one looks better for Vegas.

Read our full NHL analysis of Tuesday’s 8-game slate!

NHL best bet: Hurricanes vs Sharks over 6.5 (+100)

Goals have been scored in bunches in the 4 combined games played by the Hurricanes and Sharks thus far this young season. Neither team has lost in regulation, which is impressive considering they have allowed a combined 17 goals. Through 4 games, that is an average of 4.25 goals allowed per game between these teams. Considering they have also scored a combined 19 goals, the over looks great in this one. The +100 odds for trends to continue between these teams is just a plus. 

The Hurricanes are stacked. So much so that they are the odds on favorite to win the Stanley Cup at several sportsbooks. Carolina’s offensive talent gives the over a chance in any game they play. As for San Jose, they are letting their talented young players get as much NHL experience as possible. The Sharks’ future core has a ton of upside in terms of goal production, but they are taking their lumps on the defensive side of the puck. With that, they have scored 9 and allowed 11 goals through 2 games. The pure matchup and start to the season for these teams looks great for another high total.

Get out full Hurricanes vs Sharks prediction