With less than a month remaining in the regular season, the drama in the NHL is building day by day. Saturday’s 11-games slate only adds to the intrigue with everything from division rival matchups, to inter-conference matchups, to just about every game having an implication on the playoff picture. This is a fantastic weekend on the sports calendar and the NHL is a big contributor.
If you will be tuning in and want to have some action, I’ve picked out my NHL best bets for Saturday, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also, be sure to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season, including all 11 matchups today.
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NHL best bet: Sabres ML (-115) over Kings
The Sabres, yes, the Buffalo Sabres, have turned into one of the most reliable teams in the NHL. Since early December, the Sabres make for a challenging matchup against just about every team in hockey. The Kings will be no exception. Buffalo enters this game 11-1-0 since returning from the Olympic break as part of their current 32-6-2 run. That is a large sample size and this is no fluke. This is a very good team that is facing a vulnerable opponent on Saturday.
The Kings have not been able to find any consistency all season. Recent results have not deviated from those challenges. Los Angeles has traded a win for a loss in each of their last 10 games as part of 5 wins in their last 15. Their 10-15-8 home record ranks 20th in the NHL among home teams, so unfortunately being on home ice is not the advantage they would need against an opponent like Buffalo. The Sabres have won 6 consecutive games on the road, having outscored opponents 23-6 including consecutive shutouts entering this game. Until or unless the Sabres slow down even a little bit, they are a solid play.
Read our full analysis of Saturday’s 11-game slate
NHL best bet: Stars vs Wild over 5.5 (-115)
The Stars and Wild have met twice this season in games which both ended in a final score of 5-2. Having split those games, each team has shown both the ability to score in bunches, and a vulnerability of allowing goals in bunches. Independent of their head to head matchups, recent trends have been similar. Dallas has been one of the hotter teams in hockey since late-January, and lately have been successful by way of offensive production. Dallas has scored 4+ goals in 5 out of their last 9 games, in which the game total over hit 6 times. That is not surprising for a team that scores the 8th most goals per game in the league and has the 2nd best power play.Â
It is a bit of a different story for the Wild. Minnesota is all but a formality to make the playoffs. But it has not been pretty lately. They enter this game having dropped 4 out of their last 5 games. The Wild have struggled with goal prevention over that span, but have still shown the ability to produce at a solid clip as well. Minnesota has either scored or allowed 4+ goals in 6 out of their last 9 games, and are 4-3-2 during that span. Lately it has not mattered whether the Wild win or lose. Their range of outcomes, recent struggles with goal prevention, ability to score, and the pure matchup against the Stars are a good recipe for a 3rd straight over head to head.
NHL best bet: Blue Jackets 3-way ML (-110) over Kraken
Two scorching hot teams have already been discussed. Enter a third. The Blue Jackets are 18-2-4 since mid-January, a run that has catapulted them up the standings and firmly into playoff contention. Included in that span is a current 8-0-3 run at home. While the Olympic break halted a bit of momentum, Columbus is still 7-1-4 since returning from break. They enter this game specifically hot, having won 3 straight as part of 4 wins in their last 5 games. Even with the loss mixed in there, Columbus’ goal differential in their last 5 games is +10 for an average of +2 per game.Â
Meanwhile, the Kraken are 4-8-0 in their 12 games since returning from the break. That stretch has them now on the outside of the playoffs looking in, albeit by just a point. Although they are in playoff contention, the bar is much lower as the Western Conference is not near as deep as the Eastern Conference. To paint a picture, not a single team in the Pacific would even be in the playoffs in the East. Seattle has been struggling against weaker opponents than Columbus is beating. The Kraken have an uphill battle in Columbus on Saturday.
Read our full individual game predictions from the first drop of the puck until the final horn on Saturday.
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