NHL Openers: 2 Teams Out for Revenge

There will be bitterness in the air on opening night of the NHL season Wednesday. But will the bad blood bear out from the get go in NHL betting? We'll see, as St. Louis travels to Chicago, and the Los Angeles Kings visit San Jose. Those are the games we'll focus on for the revenge factor.

St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks want to get back to where the figure they belong - holding the Stanley Cup. The Blues, however, figure Chicago was the big barrier they had clear toward becoming the dominant force out west. And they cleared that barrier last year in the suspenseful seven-game, first-round series full of one-goal decisions. St. Louis won the last game, 3-2. But they won't have Brian Elliott in goal, and we'll see if Jake Allen can stand up to the fire that will come at him from Patrick Kane and company. Corey Crawford, the star in goal for the 'Hawks, surely will stand tall. I like Chicago in this one and if you can get -120 or better in NHL betting, take the Hawks. Six of the seven games in that playoff series were decided by one goal, so -1 1/2 would be too much to expect. Four of the games hit a total of 5 or less, but Chicago took the last home game, 6-3, so the over is a fair shot. And two of the games were decided in overtime, so consider a good draw number in a three-way.

LA Kings at San Jose

The Sharks will be raising the Western Conference banner, and the Kings are certain to want to tear it down and stomp on it. That's because the last meeting of these Pacific Division rivals was in the opening round of the playoffs last year, where the Sharks prevailed in five games. Four of those games were close, though, so the near-sweep was deceptive. And the Kings are another of those teams that have Stanley Cup memories close at hand; they won it in 2014. But revenge may not be enough to carry the Kings in NHL betting, since the Sharks really appear to be the better team. But again the +1 1/2 should be good at the right price, say -150 or better. Otherwise this should be a pick 'em game in NHL betting.