Lightning Favored In 2021-22 NHL Season Opener Against Penguins

• The Vegas Golden Knights are (-250) favorites at home against the Seattle Kraken (+210).
• The total goals set for the Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning’s game is 6.

LAS VEGAS – The 2021-2022 NHL season start is right around the corner and sportsbooks have odds posted for the opening night games on Tuesday.

The Vegas Golden Knights will be hosting the Seattle Kraken while the Pittsburgh Penguins head south to face the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The home teams are favored with regulated sports betting in both games, with the Knights having the shortest odds of the night.

The Golden Knights Are Heavy Favorites

The Vegas Golden Knights are coming off of back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances and are hungry to claim their first Stanley Cup.

Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone is expected to have a strong night against the new team in Seattle, as he was the Knights leading scorer with 21 goals for 61 points while also putting up 40 assists.

Additionally, left-wing Max Pacioretty who led the team in goals at 24 for 51 points is also hitting the ice for opening night. Neither All-Star played much in the preseason games.

The Kraken are seeing their first game ever as they have officially joined the league this season to make their debut. Starting players include Leon Draisaitl had 110 points on the Edmonton Oilers as a forward and goalie Tuukka Rask, who has a 2.12 GAA average.

This matchup will really test the Kraken early on this season, as the team will go against a playoff contender right out the gate. With no history of playing together, however, the Kraken are at a real disadvantage as to how much they’ll be able to glide on the ice as a unit.

Defending Champions Early Favorites

Before the Golden Knights game, NHL betting fans will see action on the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning who are hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For this wager, sports bettors looking to really cash in should take the Lightning to cover the -1.5 spread as Tampa Bay has (+170) odds to do so. The Lightning have center Brayden Point who put up 23 goals for 48 points and 25 assists last season.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is also returning and he was one of the best in the league last season with a .925 save percentage and a GAA rate of 2.21.

Unless championship hangover plagues the Lightning, there is no reason why Tampa Bay shouldn’t be able to cover the spread against Pittsburgh.

While the Penguins are no slouches, having Sidney Crosby on their roster who was top 10 in points last season with 62, the Lightning are still the team to beat for this matchup.

News tags: Andrei Vasilevskiy | Edmonton Oilers | Las Vegas | Max Pacioretty | NHL | Pittsburgh Penguins | Seattle Kraken | Tampa Bay Lightning | Vegas Golden Knights