NHL Betting - Free Picks for all 15 Games Saturday

The first weekend of action in the NHL will seem like the first weekend of action in the NFL: every team in the sport is in action.

On Saturday, October 3rd, the NHL will put all 30 of its teams on the ice with a total of 15 matchups including two games that will take place in Europe. The Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, Finland while the St. Louis Blues will take on the Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm, Sweden.

Here’s a rundown of the action with some picks:

Florida Panthers
12:00 PM ET – Helsinki, FI

Keep in mind that these two teams will also play on Friday night in Helsinki, so it could be an interesting dynamic playing back-to-back contests in Europe. Stick with the Blackhawks as they are the far superior squad.

Pick: Blackhawks

Detroit Red Wings
3:00 PM ET – Stockholm, SW

Similarly to the other European matchup, these two teams will also play on Friday night. Take a shot with the St. Louis Blues. They are underrated team that can skate and they will look to make an early season statement.

Pick: Blues

Colorado Avalanche
3:00 PM ET

The Canucks are the significantly better squad here. The Avalanche would be lucky to finish with more than 70 points – or ahead of the hapless Phoenix Coyotes – this year.

Pick: Canucks

Boston Bruins
7:00 PM ET

This is payback. The Bruins were ousted in the playoffs courtesy of Carolina and they’ve had this game circled.

Pick: Bruins

Buffalo Sabres
7:00 PM ET

The Habs take on the Sabres in what should be a matchup with high entertainment value. The Sabres consistency trumps the new-look Habs, who are still finding their team chemistry.

Pick: Canadiens

New Jersey Devils
7:00 PM ET

As per usual, this will be a tough matchup for Philadelphia but for one game they’ll show that scoring trumps good defense.

Pick: Flyers

New York Islanders
7:00 PM ET

The Stanley Cup Champs are going up against the bottom feeders in the Eastern Conference, does it get any more obvious?

Pick: Penguins

New York Rangers
7:00 PM ET

The Ottawa Senators surprise in this contest as they put their new-look depth on display. Fans in New York are too focused on the Yankees, Jets and Giants right now anyways.

Pick: Senators

Washington Capitals
7:00 PM ET

This is a matchup tailor made for the new Leafs. They face the high-scoring Capitals but their defense will be prepared. Leafs pull one of the big shockers of the day and the blue Kool-Aid immediately starts to flow in Eastern Canada.

Pick: Maple Leafs

Atlanta Thrashers
7:00 PM ET

This might take the honors for lowest attended, lowest viewed and least-cared about contest. Even so, the Thrashers get the job done in a shootout.

Columbus Blue Jackets
7:00 PM ET

The Minnesota Wild are getting away from their defensive roots and are planning to skate and score more. Unfortunately, they don’t have the personnel for it. Blue Jackets win at home.

Pick: Blue Jackets

Dallas Stars
8:00 PM ET