Skip to content

NHL Saturday Betting Preview: Bruins Slumping?

Boston Really Needs To Get Back on Track

There are seven games on the docket in the NHL Saturday and while there aren’t any marquee matchups, per se, a lot of contenders are playing so the intrigue and talent are there even if the contender-contender games aren’t. The Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers, among others, are all in action.

Let’s preview each game with an eye to the NHL betting lines:

Players warm up NHL Saturday Betting Preview
Rich Gagnon/Getty Images/AFP

Colorado Avalanche vs Buffalo Sabres

The Avalanche returned to their winning ways on Wednesday with a shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights and will look to make it two in a row against a Sabres team that is coming off a disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators but has been playing better overall. Buffalo’s top line, including Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson, has been an effective offensive engine in recent weeks even if Buffalo’s defense and goaltending has continued to be shaky.

Colorado should put up a bunch of goals in this game. So, if you’re betting online, strongly consider the over and the Avalanche on the puckline. There isn’t much value on Colorado to win, even by two goals or more, but it’s tough to envision a scenario in which the Avalanche — at mostly full strength with Darcy Kuemper in net — don’t put together a strong performance this afternoon.

Edmonton Oilers vs Winnipeg Jets

Don’t look now but the Oilers have won four games in a row and all by two goals or more. Edmonton is hitting a stride under interim head coach Jay Woodcroft in every way, from the offense clicking to the goaltending — with starter Mike Smith and current backup Stuart Skinner — getting the job done. The Oilers finally look like the scary team they were at the start of the season.

But, they’re visiting the Jets today who have won two-straight and have scored five goals or more in three of their last four games. Winnipeg will also have Connor Hellebuyck back in net after a rare day off on Thursday.

Edmonton is a slight road favorite but, with how good the Oilers have been recently, they’re the side to back for this game. The under is a bit high and while neither of these teams are great defensively, it might be worth taking.

Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators

Boston finally has Patrice Bergeron back in the lineup but is still without Brad Marchand, so the Bruins at least have a little more offensive juice as they look to break out a 1-3-1 funk. Ottawa has won two of three yet is pretty banged-up right now and won’t have star defenseman Thomas Chabot or starting goalie Matt Murray, in addition to Josh Norris and Drake Batherson.

This is a really good spot for Boston to get a much-needed bounceback win following a rough New York trip that featured losses to both the Rangers and Islanders. Offense has been hard to come by as of late for the Bruins, who have scored just six goals in their last five games.

The Bruins are a big road favorite today even without Marchand amid their slump. Still, you should take them on the puckline because of how undermanned Ottawa is. Also, even though Anton Forsberg has played well in his last two starts — both wins — he’s a downgrade from Murray in net.

St. Louis Blues vsToronto Maple Leafs

Toronto seems to have gotten back on track with back-to-back wins and the Maple Leafs will look to extend their home winning streak to seven games as they welcome the Blues. St. Louis lost a tough overtime decision to the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, which is a tough pill to swallow for any team playing the Canadiens this season.

The Blues might start Jordan Binnington in goal tonight as Ville Husso has started St. Louis’ last three games and Craig Berube typically uses Binnington once every three or four games with Husso now the unquestioned No. 1. If St. Louis does go to Binnington, that would be a great thing for the Maple Leafs.

Toronto is a sizable home favorite on the BetUS sportsbook. There’s pretty good value in the Maple Leafs on the puckline and on the over, even if the total is a little high.

Los Angeles Kings vs Arizona Coyotes

Fresh off a huge overtime comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, the Kings are right back at it on Saturday as they try to take down the struggling Coyotes. Los Angeles will have backup goalie Calvin Petersen in net looking for his fourth win in five starts while Arizona just tries to stay out of the NHL’s cellar.

The Coyotes could go to their own backup, Scott Wedgewood, to give starter Karel Vejmelka a spell. Arizona has won just two games in the past month so this would be a great spot for the Kings to steal two points even with the rest disadvantage.

Seattle Kraken vs Calgary Flames

The Kraken are the latest team to try and slow down the juggernaut that is the Flames, who have won eight games in a row. While that winning streak is impressive on its own, what’s even more notable is how Calgary is winning games. The Flames have six-straight games by two or more goals and have scored five or more goals in five-straight — not to mention allowing two goals or fewer in six consecutive games.

Basically, the Flames have been incredible on both ends of the ice, and they’ll have Vezina Trophy candidate Jacob Markstrom in goal once again. Markstrom leads the NHL in shutouts and has lost only twice in the past month.

Seattle’s last two games were lopsided losses and the Kraken have really struggled on the road this year, so today could be a rough one for them. Calgary is a huge home favorite and, with Markstrom playing, the under might be the smart move.

Anaheim Ducks vs Vancouver Canucks

Anaheim is in a bit of a free fall right now, having lost four games in a row and getting closer and closer to falling out of the Western Conference playoff picture. They really need to stop the bleeding and it would be great to do so against the Canucks, a team the Ducks will be fighting with for a Wild Card spot down the stretch.

Vancouver, unlike Anaheim, has actually played pretty well since the All-Star break. The Canucks have won three of four and have been scoring plenty of goals, which is a nice change of pace from how much of Vancouver’s season has gone.

The Canucks are solid home favorites but Vancouver is a tough team to bet on with regard to the puckline. Even though Anaheim has been struggling, John Gibson should be in net for the Ducks and this is as good a spot as any for them to stop their skid. There’s also decent value in Anaheim on the moneyline.

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)

Featured Picks

Related News