The NHL makes a triumphant return on Saturday with every team in action.
The pregame narrative: The Toronto Maple Leafs look to improve to 2-0 in the early season and battle the Detroit Red Wings. I like the value on Matthew Knies to light the lamp in that game, and will also ride with Kirill Kaprizov when the Minnesota Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets
Check out my NHL anytime goal picks for Oct. 11.
NHL anytime goal picks
Best bet: Kaprizov to score (-107)
Kaprizov was electric in the Wild’s debut, recording three assists to aid in the 5-0 thrashing of the St. Louis Blues.
He only needed to play 16 minutes, which is almost seven minutes less than his average last season.
The superstar winger was hyper-efficient with his time on ice and should see an uptick in minutes moving forward.
Last year, Kaprizov missed half the season with an injury and still recorded 25 goals. Before that, he had three straight seasons of 40+ goals.
The scary part is that he is only entering his prime at 28 years old.
Colombus will turn to Elvis Merzlikins in goal for their second game. He started 52 games for the Blue Jackets last season and had a below-average .892 SV% and 3.18 GAA.
In fact, he’s had worse than a .900 SV% for three straight seasons.
Key stat: Kaprizov put up a 50-goal pace in 2024-25, which would have ranked second behind Leon Draisaitl’s 53 goals.
NHL predictions
Knies to score a goal (+200): With the departure of Mitch Marner and Knies’ newly inked deal, the forward is expected to have a strong campaign.
- In the season opener, the big winger played just under 20 minutes, which was the second most amongst Leafs’ forwards behind only Auston Matthews.
- Knies grabbed an assist and recorded two shots in that game.
- He’s coming off a career year, scoring 29 goals and 58 points in his second full NHL season.
Knies remains in a very advantageous position, playing on the first line with Matthews. He also plays the net front role on a loaded power play that also includes Morgan Rielly, John Tavares and William Nylander.
That will lead to a lot of easy goals for Knies this season.
The Detroit Wings got rocked 5-1 in their opener and seemingly have a goalie problem. They went to John Gibson in that game, and he got lit up for five goals on 17 shots by the Montreal Canadiens.
On Saturday, they will try their hand with Cam Talbot, who doesn’t project to be much better.
He played the Leafs three times last season and had a dreadful .817 SV% and 4.13 GAA in those games.
Based on the opponent and opportunity, Knies has strong value at a 2-to-1 price.
NHL anytime goal picks made at 9:11 a.m. ET on 10/11/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.