Last season Charlotte went 44-38 and outscored opponents by 4.8 points a game, 116.0 to 111.2. Brooklyn went 20-62 and was outscored by 10.0, 105.9 to 115.9 (ESPN, 2025-26). Tonight is the first game of both teams' 2026-27 season, so last season is the only record on the page, and rosters have changed since.
The books have not settled it. In DraftKings' prices Charlotte is -118 on the moneyline and Brooklyn -102, so both sides are priced as favorites. Across nine books, seven list Charlotte as the favorite (a spread of -1.5 at four, -1.0 at three) and two list Brooklyn (-1.5 at one, -1.0 at one). Charlotte's moneyline runs from -104 to -120 and Brooklyn's from -117 to +100 (The Odds API).
The total is the other outlier. It sits at 219.0 to 219.5, the lowest on tonight's 11-game board by eight points: the next-lowest is Sacramento at the Clippers at 227.5 to 228.0, and Utah at Memphis is highest at 241.5 to 242.5. The two teams' scoring averages from last season sum to 221.9. The numbers say how the books price the game; they do not say why they differ.
Ottawa's former captain returns tonight. The Senators traded Tkachuk to Florida in a deal announced June 21 for the Panthers' two first-round picks in this year's draft, a conditional 2029 first and a 2027 second, and he rejoined his brother Matthew (press reports; NHL API roster). Brady has 6 goals and 4 assists in nine games, all six goals in two games: three against Columbus on Oct. 13 and three against Vancouver on Oct. 15. Matthew has a point in eight straight, 14 in all, with 10 assists in the last five (NHL API). Across their last five games the two have 21 combined points.
Florida's crease changed Tuesday. ESPN's transaction wire shows Markstrom placed on injured reserve; his last start was Oct. 17, when he stopped 20 of 23 in an 8-3 win over Seattle. Akira Schmid has a .878 save percentage in four appearances (12 goals on 98 shots), and Cooper Black is on the roster with no games played this season (NHL API). Neither team has confirmed a starter. Ottawa's Linus Ullmark has stopped 94.4% over his last five starts, seven goals on 125 shots.
The market sees a coin flip: across nine books both teams sit between -104 and -115 on the moneyline, and eight of nine have the total at 5.5 (The Odds API). Both clubs last played Oct. 17, so each comes in on four days' rest (NHL API).
Sam Houston (1-5) has lost three in a row by 35, 32 and 13 points, scoring 14, 3 and 3. That is 6.7 points a game over the stretch against 19.5 for the season (ESPN team schedules; the stat miner scored the drop 6.7 out of 10 on surprise).
New Mexico State (2-4) is 2-1 at home and 0-3 on the road this season, and this is a road game. The Aggies last played Oct. 8 and the Bearkats Oct. 15, a seven-day gap in rest in the visitors' favor (ESPN). Both records are small samples, and neither team has a winning mark.
Nine books agree on the spread, New Mexico State -2.5, with moneylines from -135 to -140 and totals from 44.5 to 45.5 (The Odds API). Open-Meteo has Huntsville at 71°F with a 5 mph wind and clear skies at kickoff (WIS 0/7).
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