Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand had their chances to register a point in their NHL regular season opener.
Ultimately, the Florida Panthers didn’t need either one of them to get on the scoresheet in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks as a -295 favourite at FanDuel.
A.J. Greer, Carter Verhaeghe, and Jesper Boqvist scored as the Cats recorded their 10th straight win when opening their season on home ice.
Meanwhile, potential fantasy hockey league sleeper stud Mackie Samoskevich registered two assists getting time on the second powerplay unit and skating at 5-on-5 on a third line that featured Boqvist and Evan Rodrigues.
For what it’s worth, I’ll be back on Bennett and Marchand to record their first points of the season when Florida hosts the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
Elsewhere, a potential New York Rangers bounce back season began with a thud as they stumbled to a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice.
The Penguins closed +180 at FanDuel.
While Igor Shesterkin is the second choice to win the Vezina Trophy at FanDuel, it was Arturs Silovs – not even among the available options in the Vezina market – joining Marc-Andre Fleury as the only goalies in franchise history to register a shutout in their season opener.
All the above set the stage for the main event of the NHL opening night, which thankfully didn’t start until after the New York Yankees forced a Game 4 in their ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays with a 9-6 win.
Suddenly, there is a lot more pressure on the Blue Jays as a +154 underdog for tonight’s game in the Bronx.
Fortunately, our guy Luke Bellus gave me a winner with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to record a walk, and Nathan MacKinnon never seems to let me down.
Nathan MacKinnon stands alone as the Colorado Avalanche’s ALL-TIME POINTS LEADER! 🏔️
MacKinnon passed Joe Sakic (1,015 points) with an assist to Martin Necas in the second period of the Avs’ game against the Kings. pic.twitter.com/SuX6JQrYGt
— BarDown (@BarDown) October 8, 2025
MacKinnon passed Joe Sakic for the most points in franchise history with two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.
Only Connor McDavid (+200) has shorter odds to win the Hart Trophy than MacKinnon (+430) at FanDuel.
I picked the Avalanche to win the Western Conference, so it was nice to end the night with a FanDuel Best Bet winner in a dominant Colorado win on the road.
Speaking of FanDuel Best Bets, we’ve got four games in the NHL tonight and then we’re on to Week 6 in the NFL.
Transparently, for anybody who asked about MLB best bets, my focus will likely remain on football and hockey this month to ensure the best possible product.
That said, Blue Jays fans won’t like it, but I am content that I doubled down on the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series at the start of the MLB postseason, and recommended plays on them to beat the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hopefully, the Dodgers finish off the Phillies tonight.
In the meantime, let’s lock in a couple of FanDuel Best Bets for tonight’s NHL slate in this Morning Coffee column for Wednesday October 8th, 2025.
Will Marner Shine In Golden Knights Debut?
The Vegas Golden Knights enter the 2025-26 NHL season as a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel.
I’m not buying the hype.
Last season, Vegas went 50-22-10 for 110 points – the third-best mark in the entire NHL behind the Winnipeg Jets (116) and the Washington Capitals (111).
While the Golden Knights signed Mitch Marner to an eight-year, $96 million deal in the summer, the move seemed more like a desperation add than the final piece on a Stanley Cup contender.
Most Toronto Maple Leafs fans I’ve talked to agreed it was time for both sides to move on after another playoff disappointment.
Meanwhile, Vegas needed a spark up front after it was shut out in its final two losses to the Edmonton Oilers in last year’s second round playoff exit, and Marner was an obvious fit as the best available option on the market.
Tonight, the Maple Leafs will open their 2025-26 season against the rival Montreal Canadiens without Marner.
Later, Marner will make his Golden Knights debut against the visiting Kings, which are set to play their second game in as many nights after a disappoint loss to Colorado.
Toronto is a -170 favourite versus Montreal at FanDuel.
Vegas is a -196 favourite against Los Angeles.
A two-team moneyline parlay with Marner’s former team and Marner’s current team to win pays +139 at FanDuel.
After all the offseason hype, I’ve got to believe that Marner is fired up to make his Golden Knights debut.
It’s a fresh start in a new market with great expectations.
A hot start in Vegas could generate positive momentum and help Marner avoid the type of noise he didn’t want to hear anymore when he decided to leave Toronto.
A year ago, the Golden Knights opened the year with back-to-back wins over the Avalanche and St. Louis Blues in which they outscored them a combined 12-7.
Jack Eichel opened with a goal, five assists and eight shots on goal.
With Eichel and Marner skating together at 5-on-5 and on the top powerplay, it’s only a matter of time before that dynamic duo hooks up for a goal.
I’ll bet on it to happen tonight with a builder SGP that features Marner 1+ point, Eichel 1+ point, and Eichel 2+ shots on goal at +103.
As for the Original Six rivalry, I’ll go with a builder SGP that features Auston Matthews 3+ shots on goal, John Tavares 2+ shots on goal, and Cole Caufield 2+ shots on goal at +120.
I’ll also pair Bobby McMann 2+ shots on goal with Matthew Knies 1+ shot on goal and Nick Suzuki 1+ shot on goal at -103.
Finally, I’ll lock in one final builder SGP for tonight’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames with Connor McDavid 1+ point, Leon Draisaitl 1+ point, and McDavid 3+ shots on goal at +101.
I’ll also play McDavid to score a goal at +115.
McDavid’s contract status was one of the biggest stories of the NHL offseason.
While he signed a two-year extension in Edmonton, anybody paying attention understands the frustration that the best hockey player on the planet must be feeling after falling just short in back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
McDavid is two years removed from a career-best 64 goals, but there’s been a lot of talk about his intention to shoot the puck more this season.
McDavid already averaged 3.24 shots on goal per game and 1.6 points per game at home last season.
Any uptick on those numbers would be remarkable.
A year ago, the Oilers opened the year with three straight losses, getting outscored a combined 15-3 while dropping games against the Winnipeg Jets, Blackhawks, and Flames.
McDavid and company will attempt to avoid another slow start with a lot more urgency.
Hopefully, Edmonton’s captain delivers tonight.
To recap, here are my best bets for tonight’s NHL action.
DP’s FanDuel Bets Bets
Wednesday October 8th, 2025.
1) Connor McDavid Anytime Goal +115
2) +101 SGP: Connor McDavid 1+ point, Leon Draisaitl 1+ point, Connor McDavid 3+ shots on goal
3) -103 SGP: Bobby McMann 2+ shots on goal, Matthew Knies 1+ shot on goal, Nick Suzuki 1+ shot on goal
4) +120 SGP: Auston Matthews 3+ shots on goal, John Tavares 2+ shots on goal, Cole Caufield 2+ shots on goal
5) +103 SGP: Mitch Marner 1+ point, Jack Eichel 1+ point, Eichel 2+ shots on goal
We’re on to Week 6 in the NFL on Thursday morning.