Detroit's Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Montreal's Lane Hutson headline Best Bets options for Thursday's season opener between the Red Wings and Habs.

Hockey fans will get their first loaded slate of NHL action Thursday with several marquee matchups featuring some of the biggest teams and rivalries in the league with the biggest being an original six showdown between the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens, who look to rebound after a troubling loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. 

It should set up to be a thrilling night of games with several chances to hit it big and win cash along the way. We're looking to build off a successful first night of games on Tuesday as well as some player props from last season in Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck.  

All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly. 

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Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens Best Bets: 

Habs ML (+115)

Over 6.0 Goals (-120)

Lane Hutson Over 0.5 Points (-128)

Alex DeBrincat Over 0.5 Points (-180)

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård anytime goal (+550) - Longshot Pick

Matthews and Draisaitl Poised for Another Explosive Goal Race New future bet pins Toronto's Auston Matthews against Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl for who will score more goals last season.

The Habs will be looking to avoid the dreaded double loss on a back-to-back to start the season but it won't be without it's challenges as they must travel for both legs and will be moving from Toronto to Detroit on Thursday. Road teams having to travel so much are expected to struggled but the Habs may catch a break against a young Red Wings team. 

The storyline dominating the Motor City hockey club is the emergence of three talented rookies with Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, all of whom will be in the lineup for their NHL debuts and will be featured in prominent roles. The Habs won three out of four games in the season series versus the Red Wings. and we can expect a back-and-forth battle with six or more goals in six of their last seven matchups. 

Western Michigan Offers Shocking Value, In-State Rivals Reload for NCAA Title Push Despite being the defending champions and preseason number one, Western Michigan is a major value at +2000 odds as a proven team overlooked in a market focused on hype over results.

The Habs have dominated the sportsbooks when it comes to facing off against the Red Wings with a 12-3 record against the spread over their last 15 matchups, including a 9-3 record when listed as an underdog. They will look to receive bounce back performances out of two of their young talented prospects with Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov. 

The pair both had tough games versus Toronto with Hutson, who made his NHL debut against the Red Wings in April of 2024, going -2 on the night with several lapses that led to goals while also contributing some stellar passing plays that led to scoring chances. Demidov was featured in a more limited role than expected with just 13:21 of ice-time and did little with it as he finished -1 with a penalty. Both players will look to bounce back with Hutson entering as the safer bet with five points in six career games versus the Red Wings. 

To lead the way for the hometown Red Wings will be the team's top goal scorer in Alex DeBrincat, who has a solid record against the Habs with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) over their last 17 matchups. His line with the veteran Patrick Kane and rookie breakout Marco Kasper, entering his second season with the team, have been described as the Red Wings' most deadly forward unit heading into this season and will likely be behind one of Detroit's goals in their season opener. 

Our longshot pick would have to be the young Brandsegg-Nygård, who will be starting on the team's third line with NHL veterans in Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher. The two longtime NHLers will be able to cut through inexperienced Habs team that is the youngest in the league and generate plays with weaker matchups lower in the lineup. 

Brandsegg-Nygård scored four goals in seven preseason games and will be given every opportunity to show that scoring upside in this lineup. He will also be featured on the second power play unit and could see scoring chances there while playing with his linemates as well as Kasper and Sandin-Pellikka.