NHL Saturday Picks – Rundown Of All 12 Saturday Games
Calgary Flames @ Boston Bruins
Online betting players know neither team has been playing well as of late, a disappointing fact for both fan bases considering both teams are in the middle of a playoff race. Both teams lost on Thursday, although it’s worse for Calgary since Boston at least occupies the 8th spot in the East. Calgary is sitting in ninth in the West and are pretty much throwing the season away. This game may not be so much of a Boston win than a Calgary loss.
Pick: Boston BruinsPhiladelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Flyers are not a good hockey betting team without Michael Leighton between the pipes. His replacement, Brian Boucher, is a porous 1-4-1 since replacing Leighton as the number one goalie in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh, however, is looking for a measure of revenge after losing to Washington on Wednesday. A pissed off powerhouse Penguin team, at home, against a reeling Flyers team that’s lost six of their last seven? That’s as simple of a prediction as it gets.
Pick: Pittsburgh PenguinsTampa Bay Lightning @ Buffalo Sabres
Tampa Bay’s slim playoff hopes stayed alive with a big 5-3 win over Boston on Thursday. Buffalo had one of their biggest wins of the season on Wednesday, scoring twice in the final two minutes against Montreal, eventually winning 3-2 in a shootout. Vezina-favourite Ryan Miller is on a personal four-game winning streak, and if there is one goalie in the league you don’t want to face while he’s on a hot streak it may be Miller. The Sabres defense has been playing well enough recently to stop the Lightning’s top scorers. That combined with Miller’s hot play should do the trick.
Pick: Buffalo SabresNew York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
The Rangers have won two straight, while Toronto has won seven of nine. The late season surge has become a staple of the post-lockout Maple Leafs, who only seem to play well when the playoffs are a non-issue and there is nothing on the line. That’s precisely the situation Toronto is in now, and it’s a dangerous one for the Rangers.
Pick: Toronto Maple LeafsNew Jersey Devils @ Montreal Canadiens
The Devils, despite their loss to New York, are entering a pretty solid groove at the end of the season. Ilya Kovalchuk is starting to score, and the defense has finally begun to stabilize and get healthy. Montreal, on the other hand, have lost three of four and are coming down after a strong post Olympic stretch which saw them win six straight. A win and the Devils continue to stay tied atop the Atlantic Division. They are properly motivated to win.
Pick: New Jersey DevilsFlorida Panthers @ Ottawa Senators
It was scary déjà-vu for Florida on Thursday when David Booth suffered another massive open-ice hit and was taken to the hospital. The Panthers are a much better team with Booth in the lineup, and it doesn’t look like he’ll play against Ottawa. The Senators, meanwhile, shut out Philadelphia the last time they played at home, and could probably hand the Booth-less Panthers the same fate.
Pick: Ottawa SenatorsAtlanta Thrashers @ Carolina Hurricanes
As most NHL Sportsbook enthusiasts agree, the Thrashers looked nothing like a team in a playoff race during their overtime loss against Toronto on Thursday. They played with little emotion and desperation, something a ninth place team needs at the end of the season. The Hurricanes, however, seem to be embracing the spoiler role quite well. They’ve stolen points in four of their last five games and have beaten both Washington (twice) and Pittsburgh over the past week.
Pick: Carolina HurricanesNew York Islanders @ Columbus Blue Jackets
The Islanders followed a 5-0 loss to New York with a come-from behind 3-2 win over Calgary on Thursday. The Blue Jackets demolished the Blackhawks on Thursday 8-3, handing the top team in the West their worst loss of the season. In a game against two of the worst teams in the league, the team at home that is coming off an eight-goal performance is the safe bet to make.
Pick: Columbus Blue JacketsDetroit Red Wings @ Nashville Predators
The Red Wings post-Olympic hot streak has turned them into the one team nobody wants to face in round one of the playoffs. The Predators have also been hot since the break, winning eight of their last ten. But with Nashville pretty much entrenched in a playoff spot, the desperation falls on Detroit. Their urgency will prove to be the difference.
Pick: Detroit Red WingsColorado Avalanche @ Phoenix Coyotes
The battle of the two biggest surprises in the NHL. These two teams were supposed to be battling for the worst team in the league, not jockeying each other for playoff position this late in the season. Phoenix has been a beast at home this season, and the result shouldn’t be any different against an Avs team that has lost two straight on the road.
Pick: Phoenix CoyotesVancouver Canucks @ San Jose Sharks
The Sharks recent woes are definitely a cause for concern, and it won’t get any easier against a Canucks team that’s coming off a big win against Anaheim on Wednesday. The Sharks recently experienced a six-game losing streak, a bad stretch of play that’s usually reserved once they make the playoffs, not before them. Roberto Luongo looks ready for a big final stretch of the season.
Pick: Vancouver CanucksDallas Stars @ Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles hasn’t looked good in their last two games, but it shouldn’t matter against the Stars at home. They’ve won two straight at the Staples Center and have already beaten Dallas twice this month. The Kings are ready for their first playoff appearance in a long, long time.
Pick: Los Angeles Kings
