The Rangers begin the 2025-26 NHL season with a showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The game is rife with narratives, but the most notable storyline is that the contest will pit Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan against his former team right out of the gate.
Sullivan coached the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups during his 10-season tenure, but Pittsburgh is now in the beginning stages of a rebuild, and Sullivan understandably didn’t want to be a part of that process.
A lot of ink has been spilled this summer about how the Penguins are the only team in the NHL that “isn’t trying to win” this season, but that does underestimate the talent that is currently on the roster.
Sidney Crosby is still one of the best two-way centers in the league at 38, and the clock hasn’t run out on Evgeni Malkin yet either.
Crosby and Malkin have some capable hands with them up top, even with Bryan Rust starting the season in the press box.
Pittsburgh’s defense will almost certainly be overmatched over the course of an 82-game season, but the top four boasts some solid veterans, including Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang, both of whom will be asked to play big roles for Dan Muse in what should be a trying campaign.
This roster is lacking, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not hopeless. And it’s not like they’re taking on a sure-thing Tuesday night, either.
Betting on the NHL?
The Rangers endured a miserable campaign in 2024-25, but they were especially terrible in their own zone, giving up more high-danger scoring chances than every team in the NHL except for Chicago and Anaheim.
Sullivan should help sort those issues out, and Igor Shesterkin will be there to help cover them up, but to expect things to turn around on Night 1 seems like a stretch.
There won’t be many people champing at the bit to start their hockey season off with a bet on the Penguins, but this situational spot seems like a decent opportunity to back them at a strong price.
Weird stuff happens on Opening Night, and the Pens should be hyper-motivated to beat their former coach.
The Play: Penguins (+172, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
