NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Blackhawks vs Bruins (Wednesday, October 11)

Blackhawks vs Bruins Odds

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The Boston Bruins are coming off of a historic 65-12-5 campaign, but they don't look nearly as imposing in 2023-24 now that they're without Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Still, they still should at least be competitive this season. At a minimum, Boston ought to open the campaign with a home win against a lowly and tired Chicago Blackhawks squad. Simply taking Boston on the moneyline wouldn't offer much of a return though, so we'll need to dig deeper to find a good bet.

Find my betting pick, preview and prediction for Blackhawks vs. Bruins on Wednesday, October 11, below.

Hall won't have to wait long to face his old team. After being traded from Boston to Chicago over the summer, he will face the Bruins in just his second game with the Blackhawks.

However, his role with Chicago is considerably different than it was with Boston. Prior to the trade, Hall was a member of the Bruins' supporting cast, but the Blackhawks are employing him on the first line, alongside rookie phenom Connor Bedard.

Hall should be a great fit alongside Bedard this season. Although the 31-year-old forward just scored 16 goals and 36 points in 61 contests with the Bruins last year, Hall is capable of so much more when put in the right circumstances–and playing alongside Bedard, who has the potential to be a generational talent along the lines of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, certainly qualifies.

Hall should also be a solid mentor off of the ice, both because the veteran forward knows what it's like to be a first overall pick and because he's worked with other talented youngsters in the past.

While that duo should shine, Chicago doesn't have a whole lot else going for it. Lukas Reichel, who had seven goals and 15 points in 23 appearances last campaign, at least gives the Blackhawks one interesting offensive weapon outside of the top line, but Chicago will still probably finish 2023-24 in the bottom half of the league in goals scored.

The Blackhawks' goaltending is even bleaker. Petr Mrazek started Tuesday, so Arvid Soderblom is projected to start tonight. Soderblom had a 3.45 GAA and an .894 save percentage in 15 contests last year and is unlikely to contain Boston even after key forwards left the Bruins over the summer.

Goaltending is an area Boston shouldn't have to worry about. Yes, Linus Ullmark left something to be desired in the 2023 playoffs, but he still posted a 40-6-1 record, 1.89 GAA and .938 save percentage in 49 contests last season, so he should handle Chicago, especially with the Blackhawks playing for the second straight night.

However, Boston's forward corps is the bigger question mark as key departures have put more pressure on David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand to carry this offense. The Bruins are projected to split them up in an attempt to balance the attack, which isn't new, but Marchand used to play off Bergeron while Pastrnak got Krejci, so now Boston might not have enough depth to keep them apart and still have them effective.

Tonight will be the first real test of that.

James van Riemsdyk is arguably the forward who looks most out of place on Boston's new top six, and he scored just 12 goals and 29 points in 61 contests last year. Boston is hoping that the 34-year-old still has enough left in the tank to take advantage of playing alongside Pastrnak. If that's ever going to be true, a game like Wednesday's against Chicago seems like a prime opportunity.

The potential return for taking Boston on the moneyline isn't big enough to entertain. Even selecting the Bruins on the puck line where the spread is 1.5 goals in favor of Chicago offers a tame payout. That's understandable, given how heavily this game seems to be stacked in the Bruins direction, but it also makes picking Boston not that appealing.

Instead, I recommend taking Taylor Hall as an Anytime Goal Scorer on FanDuel.

Ullmark is tough, but he's not unbeatable, and Hall's going to be particularly motivated against his former squad. Chicago's top line isn't likely to be enough to result in an upset, but it should at least prevent Ullmark from starting the campaign with a shutout.

The +360 price for Hall on FanDuel is also a really strong potential payout, especially when measured against the likes of James van Riemsdyk (+210), Pavel Zacha (+300) and even Milan Lucic (+340). Action’s FanDuel promo code also unlocks $200 in bonus bets for new sign-ups.

If you're looking for something safer, then Boston on the puck line is still a solid choice.

Betting the 2023 NHL Season

The NHL is back! Don't forget to shop the lines throughout the year to get the best sportsbook prices on all of your wagers. Keep an eye out for newcomer sportsbook, ESPN Bet (ESPN Bet promo code coming soon), slated to launch in November, for more NHL betting options.