NHL

NHL Betting Guide: Friday 10/7/22

Austin Swaim  —  @ASwaim3 Oct 7th, 2022
The NHL season officially starts Friday in the Czech Republic. What is the best way to bet the game?

The NHL's regular season starts exactly where you'd assume it would -- Prague, Czech Republic.

This latest Global Series contests will be there both Friday and Saturday between the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators.

This is the official start of hockey season, though. Happy days are here again!

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All ratings are out of five stars. All NHL betting odds and totals come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

San Jose Sharks at Nashville Predators

Under 6.0 (-110) - 2 Stars

We're not exactly sending the best hockey clubs to Prague, but there's plenty of meaning for both of these teams.

Tomas Hertl is one of the NHL's most well-known players from the Czech Republic, so the Sharks made a lot of sense. The Preds have been overseas plenty with a massive international influence throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Still, this likely won't be an offensive showcase. The Sharks had the 6th-worst expected goal tally (218.0), and the Preds were 12th-worst in that same category (230.3). Plus, Juuse Saros got some preseason Vezina Trophy buzz as one of the best goaltenders in the sport.

numberFire's model gives a 64.0% chance that this game stays at or below six tallies. Of the 20 most similar games to this one in the model, 15 of those contests stayed at or below six markers.

Given the Sharks' lofty puckline odds (-145), I'll stay away from a side in this one and just bet the total.