The NHL is back in full swing following the 3-week Olympic break, and hockey fans are treated to a massive 13-game slate on Saturday. The action gets started at 12:30 p.m. ET with the final game of the day starting at 10:00 p.m. ET. That means we’ll have over 12 hours of NHL hockey today!
If you will be tuning in and want to have some more excitement to follow, I have picked out my NHL best bets for Saturday’s slate with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings at the time of publishing. Additionally, don’t forget to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season — including all 13 matchups today.
NHL best bet: Oilers vs Sharks Over 6.5 (-135)
The Oilers have played a pair of high-scoring games since returning from the Olympic break, and I am expecting that to continue in tonight’s matchup against the Sharks. Edmonton scored 5 goals against the Ducks on Wednesday, and followed that performance up by potting a ridiculous 8 goals against the Kings on Saturday. Connor McDavid has been a man on a mission after missing out on Olympic Gold, as he has 4 points through those 2 games. But Edmonton has gotten plenty of depth scoring, as well, and McDavid getting that kind of help makes this team even more dangerous from an offensive standpoint. The Oilers should be able to keep things rolling offensively against a Sharks team that has struggled to prevent scoring chances all season long.
The Sharks managed to score just a single goal in their first game back from the break on Thursday against the Flames, but I am expecting a bounce-back performance in this one. At just 19 years of age, Macklin Celebrini continues to shine and has developed a great chemistry with Will Smith. Edmonton has been a disaster defensively and Tristan Jarry hasn’t found a groove with his new team, as he owns a less-than-ideal .863 save percentage to go along with a 3.85 goals-against average in 12 games with Edmonton. Look to the over.
Read our full Oilers vs Sharks prediction for tonight’s game
NHL best bet: Blues ML over Devils (-108)
The Blues aren’t having a great season by any means, but the Devils are a team to be fading right now. New Jersey’s season continues to go downhill after the Olympic break, as it has dropped games to the Sabres and Penguins and has scored just 2 total goals since returning to action. Furthermore, the Devils have now lost 5 games in a row and have scored just 4 total goals going back to the end of January. That follows a common theme for the Devils this season, as their 2.46 goals per game is the lowest in the NHL.
On the other side, the Blues looked great in their first game following the Olympic break. St. Louis defeated Seattle by a score of 5-1 on Thursday, and the game was never in doubt. It was arguably St. Louis’ most well-rounded effort of the season, and that should give them plenty of confidence heading into another winnable matchup at home against New Jersey. The key here will be goaltending for St. Louis. Jordan Binnington is enduring a rough season between the pipes, but he put forth a strong effort for Team Canada in Milan, and perhaps he returns to the US with a new energy following that performance. The Blues could also opt to go with Joel Hofer, who has been better than Binnington in every major statistic this season. But no matter who the Blues have in net, they seem to have a favorable matchup going up against New Jersey’s woeful offensive attack.
NHL best bet: Flames vs Kings Under 5.5 (-102)
The Kings are coming off a one-sided 8-1 loss to the Oilers on Thursday night, and after such a rough defensive performance, I am expecting Los Angeles to come out with a more sound defensive game plan. It helps that this matchup comes against a Calgary offense that has been among the worst in the NHL season. The Flames ranks 31st in the league scoring 2.53 goals per game and their powerplay percentage of 16.1% ranks 28th.
The Kings are still adjusting to life without Kevin Fiala, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Olympics. Fiala is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the NHL and is second on the Kings with 18 goals and 40 points. His absence is a big one for Los Angeles. The LA offense is also still getting used to having Artemi Panarin in the mix, and without Fiala, the dynamic of what the Kings were planning has now been adjusted. During their current 5-game losing streak, the Kings have scored more than 2 goals in a game just once. I expect that trend to continue, which could result in this game staying under the listed total of 5.5
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