This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks Tonight: NHL Picks and Player Props for Tuesday, October 11
NHL action returns to North American soil tonight, and boy I'm excited. It's that time of year again when there's hockey on nearly every night, and it's perfectly acceptable for me to wear my Caps jerseys when walking the dog, going to the grocery store, taking my girlfriend to dinner, or doing just about anything. And when my neighbor hears me yelling, at least they'll know it's at my TV because a last-minute empty netter just iced my chances of hitting a puck line bet.
The Sharks and Predators kicked things off in Prague over the weekend, with the Predators taking both games. The full slate starts with two big market matchups and perfect excuses to watch over six consecutive hours of hockey tonight. Here are the picks I like in each:
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Tampa Bay Lightning 
versus New York Rangers 
The NHL's scheduler threw an absolute haymaker slotting the Lightning to visit Madison Square Garden to open the main slate of games for the new season. These two teams faced off in the Eastern Conference Final last year, with the Lightning winning in 6 games. This is a battle of the best two goalies in the league Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin, the latter of which coming off a Vezina Trophy victory. Both teams bolstered the cores of their respective lineups during the offseason, and on paper, this is a really tough one to call. I could see either team winning its division and even coming out of the Eastern side of the playoff bracket to compete for the Cup. This first game may even put them on a collision course for another ECF barn burner as well.
All that said, I'm taking the Rangers on the money line. The Bolts are dealing with some off-ice issues and frankly have just played a ton of hockey after making 3 consecutive runs to the Cup. I think the Blue Shirts come out hot on home ice with fresher legs and steal a close one in a 2-1 or 3-2 kind of contest. The goalies will be the stars in this show, so I'll also take Under 0.5 goals at +110 on DraftKings Sportsbook for a goal in the first 10 minutes to be scored.
NHL Best Bets for Lightning-Rangers
- Rangers Moneyline (-115, DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Under .5 Goals Scored, First 10 Minutes (+110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Vegas Golden Knights 
versus Los Angeles Kings 
The west coast matchup features a bit of yin and yang. The Kings overachieved last season and surprised many by making the playoffs in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The Golden Knights, on the other hand, were one of the most disappointing teams of last season, and are entering this new slate with a new coach and new energy. I expect these two teams to be competing with one another for the 3rd spot in the Pacific division and likely one of the last playoff spots in the West, so the first of 82 games for either team is actually already an influential one.
I'm taking the Golden Knights to win and to cover. I think both teams will play like they have something to prove, but I think Vegas plays that theme better this time out. Jack Eichel looked incredible during the preseason and will have a lot of pressure to produce big numbers in his first full season with the Golden Knights. I expect him to be firing on all cylinders, so I like the +200 on DraftKings Sportsbook for him to record 5+ shots too.
NHL Best Bets for Kings-Golden Knights
- Golden Knights Puckline (-1.5, DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Jack Eichel Over 5 shots (+200, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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