It's a pretty straightforward handicap for New York. The Rangers have already played twice, while the Red Wings have yet to skate together in the regular season. After a condensed preseason, it makes most sense to back the team with the most on-ice experience together, especially at or near a plus-money price.
Defense, defense and more defense is what we're expecting in this one between the Hurricanes and Capitals. These were two of the better defenses in the league last year, mutually surrendering fewer than three goals per contest, and there's new pieces in Washington's attack that don't have much experience playing together yet.
There's a ton of firepower in both offenses. Las Vegas and Anaheim both finished last season in the top-half of the league in scoring, averaging north of 3.2 goals per game, and they were both playoff teams, finishing in the top-half of scoring in the postseason, as well. Vegas started where they left off with five goals in their opener, and while the Ducks haven't played yet, we expect pace and shot attempts to be there. Plus, Anaheim is working in multiple new defenses pieces.
