NHL picks: 4 best bets for Saturday
Andrew Berkshire picks out his four best NHL bets for Saturday.
All the latest NHL lines can be found on the Betway sportsbook. Before finalising your online sports betting selections, make sure to check out our expert’s NHL picks and NHL predictions.
With a new year finally upon us, many teams are hoping for a reset to get them to where they thought they would be coming into the season.
The Florida Panthers are going to need to have their goaltenders step up, or find a solution. The Buffalo Sabres need to finally get over that hump and make something of the promise their young players give. The Toronto Maple Leafs should promise themselves they’re not going to lose all their games to the Arizona Coyotes in 2023, and more. Let’s get into the bets.
Boston Bruins to beat Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres are red-hot as of late, winning seven of their last 10 and pushing themselves closer and closer to playoff contention in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, but even if the Bruins have slowed down a tiny bit lately, they remain 28-4-3, and have a 18-0-2 record on home ice this season.
The Bruins are third in the NHL in expected goals for percentage both at 5-vs-5 and in all situations, and while the Sabres have improved, they’re 21st and 19th in those categories respectively this season.
Boston is just a powerhouse with no glaring weaknesses. Tough to bet against them.
Washington Capitals to beat Montreal Canadiens
The Capitals have been playing their best hockey of the season lately, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and forcing themselves higher in the standings through the ever-competitive Metropolitan division.
Even without Nicklas Backstrom, the team is humming along and Alex Ovechkin is ripping through the league on his chase of the all-time goal scoring record.
On the other side of the ice, the Canadiens are playing their worst hockey of the season, struggling to score and allowing a pile of goals despite their goaltenders giving them strong performances on most nights. It’s been tough to watch, but maybe not for their opponents.
Toronto Maple Leafs to beat Colorado Avalanche
What better way to bounce back from being defeated by the Arizona Coyotes for the fourth time in 2022 than to pry two points off the reigning Stanley Cup champions?
The Maple Leafs have been one of the best teams in the NHL since the end of October, where a loss to the Anaheim Ducks finally seemed to wake them from their slumber.
The Avalanche meanwhile, have been finding ways to grab points as often as they can, keeping them solidly in the playoff race, but the injuries they’ve been forced to deal with have taken away the lustre of being one of the league’s top teams, especially when combined with the talent they lost to free agency in the offseason.
Tyler Toffoli (Calgary Flames) to score anytime vs Vancouver Canucks
After a slightly disappointing first stretch with the Flames last season, Tyler Toffoli has quietly put together a stellar start to the season on a team where very few players have played to expectations.
Toffoli leads the team in goals and trails only Elias Lindholm in points, but most impressively he leads all Flames players in goals above replacement, a metric designed to measure total impact, by a wide margin.
Against a team like the Vancouver Canucks who struggle to defend, especially when they have the lead, there should be lots of opportunity for Toffoli to rip one into the net.