NHL Opening Night Odds and Best Bets: Battle of Ontario & Recent Champs Blues & Capitals Meet

• Toronto Maple Leafs open their 2019/2020 NHL season against the Ottawa Senators as -280 favorites in the NHL odds
• Senators finished last overall in the NHL in 2018/2019  but posted wins in three of four meetings with Toronto last season
• Recent Stanley Cup champions clash as the St. Louis Blues host the Washington Capitals as -145 home favorites

The 2019/2020 NHL season gets underway on Wednesday with four games on the opening night schedule. The Battle of Ontario is rekindled in the first game of the night as the Toronto Maple Leafs play host to the Ottawa Senators, while later on Wednesday, the past two Stanley Cup champions clash as the Washington Capitals visit the St. Louis Blues. We’ve got the odds for all four games that mark the launch of the NHL season.

NHL Opening Night Odds

*Odds taken on 10/01/2019

Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to open their schedule with a win for a third straight year as they play host to the divisional rival Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs return to action with a lot to prove after getting bounced from the playoffs in the first round in each of the past three years.

In 4 preseason games Frederik Andersen had a 0.25 GAA & a .987SV% with 3 shutouts!#LeafsForever

— Maple Leafs Daily News (@MLDNewss) September 29, 2019

After opening their preseason schedule with consecutive losses to the Senators, Toronto finished strong, posting wins in five of their six final outings, including four shutout victories. Goaltender Frederik Andersen stood tall as the Maple Leafs turned things around in September, and did not surrender a goal in three game appearances.

Andersen hopes to celebrate his 30th birthday on Wednesday with a win, and has enjoyed steady success against Ottawa since taking the loss in his first five dates against the Senators after arriving in Toronto three years ago. The Great Dane has posted wins in three of four meetings since, but has 3.5 goals per game during that stretch.

Leafs & Sens far this off-season:

🏒 Leafs assistant DJ Smith becomes Sens head coach
🏒 Ceci for Zaitsev/Brown in multi-player deal
🏒 Former Senator Spezza to sign with TOR
🏒 Hainsey & Ennis to sign with OTThttps://t.co/7iookVjzag #TSNHockey #FreeAgentFrenzy pic.twitter.com/jSPA9sZSKn

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 1, 2019

The Senators have nowhere to go but up after closing out last season with a 29-47-6 record. The club took steps over the summer to add veteran leadership and depth to their lineup, and will have four former Maple leafs in the lineup on Wednesday including Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown, and Tyler Ennis.

Ottawa cooled off after opening the preseason with a pair of wins over the Maple Leafs, following up with losses in three of their next four while surrendering four goals per game.

Ottawa cooled off after opening the preseason with a pair of wins over the Maple Leafs, following up with losses in three of their next four while surrendering four goals per game. The Senators are also winless in their past two season openers, but won the season series with Toronto last season, posting wins in three of four meetings while outscoring the Maple Leafs by a 19-12 margin.

Picks: Senators +1.5 (-105), Under 6.5 (-105), Game goes to overtime (+375)

Washington Capitals vs St. Louis Blues

The past two Stanley Cup champions clash on Wednesday as the St. Louis Blues host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday at Enterprise Center. The Blues return to action after mounting the most spectacular turnarounds in hockey history, climbing from last place in the Western Conference on New Year’s Day to claim their first championship.

Blues Head Coach Craig Berube spoke to reporters with his thoughts on the Blues' preseason matchup with the Capitals. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/2HPB9H7HXx

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 19, 2019

However, the Blues have work to do to boost their middling +1500 odds of repeating as Cup champions, starting with their shaky record against the 2018 champion Capitals. While St. Louis took two from the Capitals back in January, they have otherwise struggled against Washington, losing in nine of 15 matchups since 2010.

“I think I’m really close.” — #Caps D Michal Kempny, who is still working his way back from injury. He was placed on the ‘injured non roster’ list today and can be activated when healthy. Unclear when that’ll be; he’s improving but still wearing a no-contact jersey. pic.twitter.com/aeMrrj3e3C

— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 1, 2019

The Blues also split a pair of preseason clashes with Washington, but face a Capitals team that will be without Evgeny Kuznetsov, who opens the season on suspension. Alexander Ovechkin was also sidelined this weekend by a lower body injury, and rearguard Michael Kempny’s status remains uncertain as he battles through a hamstring injury.

Complicating matters for the Capitals is their history of slow starts over the past two seasons. Washington has posted consecutive October wins on just one occasion over the past two years, and are winless in three October dates in St. Louis since 1996.

Pick: Blues to win (-145), Under 5.5 (-110)