Believe it or not, the last Saturday of the NHL regular season is upon us. It’s been a long and winding season, and both conference have heated playoff battles going on down the stretch. Saturday brings us a massive 15-game slate, which means there are plenty of opportunities to find some betting value. If you will be following along and want to have some action on this jam-packed day of hockey, I have picked out my 3 NHL best bets for Saturday with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Furthermore, don’t forget to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season, including all 15 matchups today.
NHL best bet: Red Wings ML over Devils (-142)
The Red Wings have struggled mightily down the stretch, but they put together a much-needed well-rounded performance on Thursday night in a 6-3 win over the Flyers. Still fighting for their playoff lives, Detroit should come out with plenty of urgency in this one. Dylan Larkin continues to lead the way with his strong 200-foot game, and Patrick Kane is in the middle of a hot streak with 14 points on 4 goals and 10 assists over his last 8 games.
New Jersey enters this contest officially eliminated from playoff contention. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and have been out-scored 10-3 over their last 2 contests. The Devils are a tough team to trust given their goal-scoring struggles, as they currently rank 27th in the NHL scoring just 2.75 goals per game. They’ve now gone 4 straight games without a power play goal, while the Detroit power play is on fire having converted on 4 of its last 5 opportunities. Playing their last home game of the regular season, the Red Wings should be able to have a strong night against the directionless Devils.
Read our full Red Wings vs Devils prediction
NHL best bet: Sharks -1.5 over Canucks (+114)
The Sharks have seen their playoff hopes take a dive over the last few weeks, and they enter this contest coming off back-to-back losses and have just 1 win over their last 4 games. The good news is that they have an excellent chance of bouncing back in a big way on Saturday night against the Canucks. Vancouver has been the worst team in the NHL for the majority of the season, and they are scoring just 2.54 goals per game which is the worst mark in the NHL. a significant rebuild in Vancouver is already underway, as the team is now giving ice time to young prospects to get a glimpse at the future.
San Jose may be struggling, but their ceiling is far higher than Vancouver’s. Macklin Celebrini has already cemented himself as one of the top players in the NHL at the age of 19, and Will Smith has proven to be a great sidekick on San Jose’s top line. The Sharks are 21-14-5 at home this season, and they are already 3-0-0 against the Canucks this season. 2 of those 3 wins have come by multiple goals, and I expect that trend to continue with a multi-goal win from the Sharks in this one.
Check out all of our NHL predictions for today’s massive 15-game slate!
NHL best bet: Flyers vs Jets Under 5.5 (-105)
A playoff atmosphere can be expected north of the border on Friday when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Winnipeg Jets, and so can a playoff effort from both teams. That generally means a serious commitment to defense and elite goaltending with both teams’ #1 starters in the net. That could yield a physical, low-scoring game with limited scoring chances on both sides.
Team USA goaltending hero Connor Hellebuyck is heating up just in time to potentially save the Jets’ season. He has has allowed just 5 goals during his team’s 3-game surge. Hellebuyck previously faced Philadelphia in October and surrendered only 2 goals. The Flyers are countering with Dan Vladar between the pipes. Although the 28-year-old Czech got roughed up a bit by Detroit on Thursday, that was clearly an aberration as opposed to the rule. Vladar had previously given up just a single goal in each of his 3 previous starts. He is 27-14-7 this season with a strong 2.47 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. It’s hard to see either offense doing a whole lot of damage in this borderline must-win matchup for both teams. That makes the under the play.
Read our full Flyers vs Jets prediction
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