NHL Opening Night Player Props: Best Bets for Tuesday (Sept. 29)

• The puck drops on the NHL’s regular season tonight with 5 matchups
• I’m targeting three NHL player props for Tuesday’s opening-night slate
• See my favorite NHL Opening Night player props and best bets for Tuesday, below

The NHL’s regular season begins tonight, with five games and a fresh player-prop board. I have narrowed the slate to three bets across Carolina, Toronto and Boston, focusing on points and shots rather than forcing a selection from every game.

Opening night requires some care with historical hit rates. A player’s recent games came before this season, and changes in role or linemates can matter more than a small sample against one opponent.

Below are my favorite NHL Opening Night player props and best bets for Tuesday, Sept. 29. Compare the numbers across NHL betting apps and confirm that each player is available before placing the wager.

NHL Opening Night Player Props

Odds as of September 29. Use the bet365 bonus code to get in on the action tonight.

A points bet can win through either a goal or an assist. Shots on goal are a different statistic: a blocked attempt or a shot that misses the net does not count. None of these picks requires the player to score a goal, which is why an anytime-goalscorer price is not interchangeable with the lines above.

NHL Opening Night Best Bets

Ivan Demidov Player Prop: Points vs Maple Leafs

• Pick: Over 0.5 points (-110 at bet365)

My favorite NHL player props bet tonight is Ivan Demidov Over 0.5 points. Demidov recorded a point in three consecutive meetings with Toronto, averaging 1.33 points in that span. I like the low threshold here: one goal or one assist is enough, and Montreal does not need to win the game for the bet to cash.

Three meetings are a small sample, however the useful part is that Demidov has previously found a way onto the scoresheet in this matchup. At -110, a $10 wager would earn about $9.09 in profit. My preference is to keep the line at 0.5 points; moving to a higher total would create a different bet and require a fresh assessment.

Jordan Staal Player Prop: Shots vs Panthers

• Pick: Over 1.5 shots on goal (-130 at BetMGM)

Jordan Staal finished his previous four home games last season with at least two shots, averaging 2.5 per game in that sample. That provides a direct reason to consider the over at Lenovo Center: the line is below the average from those appearances, and the bet only needs two official shots.

The limitation is that home form alone cannot guarantee the same workload against Florida. I would want his usual role intact and would not pay a substantially shorter price merely to follow a four-game trend. The wager depends on volume, rather than on whether his attempts become goals.

A $10 bet at -130 returns about $7.69 in profit if the over wins. That smaller return is worth weighing against the line; a higher shots total would not be the same recommendation.

Pavel Zacha Player Prop: Shots vs Rangers

• Pick: Over 1.5 shots on goal (+100 at BetMGM)

Pavel Zacha cleared 1.5 shots in his previous three games against New York, averaging 2.33 shots in those meetings. I am interested in the combination of that modest target and an even-money return. Two shots would settle the over regardless of whether Boston wins.

Again, the matchup sample is only three games. I am using it as support for a measured bet rather than calling it a dependable win rate. Confirming his availability and role is more useful than assuming an old head-to-head sequence will repeat automatically.

At +100, a $10 wager earns $10 in profit. That price gives this selection a different risk-reward balance from Staal’s more expensive over, even though both bets need the same number of shots. New users can claim the BetMGM promo code for a bonus to use on the NHL’s Opening Night slate.