Opening night delivered everything fans expect from a new NHL season — comebacks, statement wins, and late drama. Calgary’s rally headlined the night, Toronto handled business at home, and Los Angeles edged Vegas in a shootout thriller.
Calgary Flames 4, Edmonton Oilers 3 (SO)
Nazem Kadri ended an eight-round shootout with the winner as Calgary stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Edmonton 4-3.
Matvei Gridin scored in his NHL debut, Connor Zary and Blake Coleman also tallied, and Dustin Wolf stopped 32 shots for the Flames.
Leon Draisaitl reached 400 career goals for Edmonton, adding an assist in the loss. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed a goal and two assists, while Stuart Skinner finished with 19 saves.
Capper Insight: Bettors who grabbed the Flames live at +400 after the first period saw one of the best early-season hits, echoing bankroll management tips featured in the Bettors Handbook.
Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Montreal Canadiens 2
Morgan Rielly scored the go-ahead goal early in the third as Toronto pulled away from Montreal in a steady home win.
Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander added goals. Nylander, Steven Lorentz, and John Tavares each had two assists.
Oliver Kapanen and Zack Bolduc scored for Montreal. Sam Montembeault made 22 saves, while Anthony Stolarz stopped 29 for Toronto.
Capper Insight: Toronto’s puck line (+1.5) cover streak continues from last season, something top cappers on the Picks Leaderboard had flagged pregame as strong value in divisional openers.
Los Angeles Kings 6, Vegas Golden Knights 5 (SO)
Trevor Moore scored short-handed and again in the shootout to lead Los Angeles past Vegas in a wild 6-5 finish.
Adrian Kempe also scored in the shootout, while Jeff Malott netted his first career goal. Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinton Byfield each had a goal and assist for Los Angeles.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s hat trick fueled Vegas, but the Knights’ six-game win streak in openers ended when Mitch Marner’s shootout try was stopped glove-side.
Capper Insight: One of our analysts noted preseason how early overs tend to cash in divisional openers with new systems — this one cleared the total by the second period. Track similar angles and line moves in Odds & Scores.
Boston Bruins 3, Washington Capitals 1
David Pastrnak opened his fourth straight 100-point pursuit with a goal and two assists, leading Boston to a 3-1 win in Washington.
Pastrnak set up Elias Lindholm for the power-play game-winner before Morgan Geekie sealed it with an empty-net goal. Jeremy Swayman stopped 35 shots for the Bruins.
Tom Wilson scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson made 18 saves in Marco Sturm’s debut behind the bench.
Handicappers Roundup
Keylor Santos remains on top with a 71.4 percent win rate and +$319 net from 14 plays in the Premium Package. Coach Rick and Heather Williams both hold perfect 100 percent marks, while Kyle Buchman stays consistent at 75 percent and +$190.
Across the NHL board, early sharps are targeting totals and first-period plays, an approach paying off for Santos and Rick alike. Their combined playoff and season-opener record stands as one of the strongest starts on Sportshub.
Access verified picks from these cappers in today’s Free Service Plays or explore full profiles on Handicappers.
