NHL Best Bets: Wednesday (9/30)

The 2026-27 NHL season opened Tuesday night, so more teams are making their season debut on tonight’s 3-game slate. Some good matchups are on tap, starting with a Keystone State rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, with the Flyers favored at -142 on home ice.

A second Eastern Conference tilt between the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs will be played from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are -130 home favorites, with F Kirill Marchenko and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky acquired as major free agents.

A nightcap between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche will be played from Ball Arena in Denver. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are the biggest favorites on this slate at -192 odds on the moneyline.

Goal totals are all set at 6.5 for tonight’s slate. 58 percent of public money is on the Flyers moneyline, 81 percent is on the Maple Leafs’ moneyline, and 87 percent of public action is on the Avalanche moneyline, including 66 percent of puck line bets.

I’ve got three NHL best bets to place tonight. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay for more betting analysis and free picks.

Wednesday’s NHL Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Penguins vs. Flyers

Goaltenders will be on full display in this matchup. Arturs Silovs was stout for the Penguins down the stretch, which included limiting the Flyers to 2 or fewer goals in all three starts during their head-to-head playoff series.

Dan Vladar was a force for Philadelphia last season, posting a career-best 2.42 GAA. He held the Penguins to 2 or fewer goals in 4 of 6 starts in their playoff series. The Flyers also play a physical, tough style of hockey on the ice, which is why they finished last season ranked 20th in goals scored per game (2.93).

This game has all the makings of a low-scoring affair. Let’s start our NHL Wednesday betting card by taking Under 6.5 at -130 odds.

Pick: Under 6.5 (-130)

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Islanders vs. Maple Leafs

My favorite underdog on Wednesday’s slate is the New York Islanders going up against a re-tooled Maple Leafs offense. The edge comes from goaltending disparity, as Anthony Stolarz is confirmed in the crease for Toronto tonight.

Stolarz gave up 3.28 GAA last season with a 10-10-3 record as a starter. The Islanders will plug Ilya Sorokin into the net on Wednesday, as he looks to find more consistency, bouncing between shutouts and allowing 4 or more goals during his starts last season. Sorokin had an impressive 7 shutouts and led New York to a 5-3 win in his previous start against Toronto.

The public is hammering the Maple Leafs at home, creating big-time value on the Islanders’ moneyline at plus odds. With star defenseman Matthew Schaefer leading the way, plus the Maple Leafs playing the second night of a back-to-back following a 3-2 loss to Montreal, I’m siding with the Islanders to win outright on the road.

Bet on the Islanders moneyline at +110 odds.

Pick: Islanders Moneyline (+110)

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Kings vs. Avalanche

The Kings and Avalanche make their season debut for the latest chapter in this exciting rivalry tonight. Artemi Panarin has now had a full offseason to assimilate to the Los Angeles roster, where he’ll look to Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe on the first attack line.

The defense has been beefed up for the Kings, who are known league-wide for their ability to shut down opposing lineups. The goaltender is expected to be Darcy Kuemper tonight, as he’ll look for a strong start to shake off one of the worst years of his career with a 2.78 GAA and .891 save percentage.

Colorado definitely has more depth and star power than Los Angeles. It’s why the Avalanche are nearly -200 moneyline favorites on home ice. While I won’t fully commit to the Kings to pull off the upset outright, I can see this game going into overtime, with Los Angeles covering +1.5 on the puck line at a reasonable -155 odds.

The Kings have covered in their road opener 10 times in their last 11 outings. Getting swept by the Avalanche during last year’s opening round of the playoffs will serve as plenty of motivation for Panarin and Kempe to keep the Kings within striking distance in Denver tonight.

Let’s lay a bit of juice and bet on the Kings +1.5 at -155 odds.

Pick: Kings +1.5 (-155)