There are NHL games all day on Saturday, starting in the early afternoon and going right through the next 12 hours or so. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The best game of the day is probably the Vegas Golden Knights heading South to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a potential Stanley Cup Finals preview but a bunch of top teams are also in action. Plus, the suddenly hot Edmonton Oilers can make it four wins in a row as they play the Montreal Canadiens.
Let’s run through all 10 games with an eye to the NHL betting lines:
Anaheim Ducks at Ottawa Senators
Trevor Zegras is one of the most electric players in the NHL and his Michigan goal — where he picked the puck up with his stick blade, skated around the back of the net, and calmly deposited it in the side of the net — against the Canadiens on Thursday was just another incredible highlight.
The Ducks needed that goal for their 5-4 win and they’ll look to stay hot in Canada as they visit the lowly Ottawa Senators in a Saturday matinee. The Senators have shown a little life lately but they’re still struggling overall and will be without All-Star winger Drake Batherson, who is out for a while with an ankle injury.
Anaheim is a slight road favorite and should have starting goalie John Gibson back in net so the Ducks are a good play.
Los Angeles Kings at Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers keep digging but seem to never actually find rock bottom. Things just keep getting worse for Philadelphia, which hasn’t won yet in 2022 and is riding a 13-game losing streak. Maybe a three-day break from games could help recharge the Flyers as they take on the Kings, who have won two of the first three games on a six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
With Jonathan Quick in goal, though, it’s going to be hard for the Flyers to end their losing ways. Quick has been really good this season and is a big reason why Los Angeles has been such a positive surprise. The Flyers’ scoring issues won’t be eased by his presence.
Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues
St. Louis has played well of late, winning seven of nine games and, most recently, crushing the Calgary Flames 5-1 two days after the Flames smoked them 7-1. It was a nice response for the Blues whose main problem is deciding whether to start Jordan Binnington or Ville Husso in goal on a nightly basis.
The Jets, on the other hand, don’t have a goalie controversy but have a problem on offense. Winnipeg has six-straight games and has scored two goals or fewer in four of their last five games. The Blues might be worth a puckline look if you’re betting online.
San Jose Sharks at Florida Panthers
San Jose has been up and down while Florida has been pretty consistently great, especially at home where the Panthers are 22-3-0. The Sharks are coming off an impressive 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday to start their road trip but will face an even bigger test in Sunrise as Florida leads the league in goals scored.
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
The Devils keep slipping further and further down in the Metropolitan Division standings as they’ve lost six of seven and are still without both their starting and backup goalies. That’s a bad combination for a matchup with the Hurricanes, who have won five of six and have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season.
New Jersey has also gone into a scoring slump lately, which plays right into the Hurricanes’ hands. The Devils have scored two goals or fewer in five of their last six games. Meanwhile, Carolina’s offseason pickup, Frederik Andersen, has been one of the league’s best goalies this season with a .928 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against average. Carolina might be worth a puckline bet at -125.
Edmonton Oilers at Montreal Canadiens
Break up the Edmonton Oilers! Edmonton has won three games in a row and seems to have gotten out of the potentially season-ending 2-11-2 funk. Now, they’ve stemmed the tide a bit, added some offensive help in Evander Kane, and have another great chance at a win as they visit the hapless Canadiens.
Montreal has lost 10 of its last 11 games and looks destined to battle with the Arizona Coyotes for the worst record in the NHL. Obviously, Edmonton is a big favorite but maybe not by as much as you might think, so the Oilers as -105 puckline favorites is intriguing.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are fresh off a surprising shootout upset win of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night so they have some momentum heading into a big matchup with the uber-talented Maple Leafs. Toronto has won eight of its last 11 games and is in a nice groove even with Jack Campbell not being as crisp in net as he was earlier.
It’ll be important for Toronto to have the rest advantage against a Detroit team that has lost three of four and likely will start Alex Nedeljkovic in goal despite his struggles in recent games.
Vegas Golden Knights at Tampa Bay Lightning
This is the best game of the night as the Golden Knights — even with a few injuries — are one of the most well-rounded and balanced teams in the Western Conference and the Lightning are, well, the Lightning and they have top-end talent all over the place. Tampa Bay has won six of seven and is a slight home favorite on the BetUS sportsbook so there’s decent value on both the Lightning and Golden Knights depending on your preferences.
Either way, these are two of the NHL’s best teams and it should be a great game.
Buffalo Sabres at Arizona Coyotes
It’s a lost season for both Buffalo and Arizona but each team has some young pieces that should be a part of their respective long-term cores. Still, the present is rough for both teams as the Sabres just got crushed 5-0 by the Senators — and are 3-7-3 in their last 13 games — and the Coyotes have lost four straight.
With that said, Arizona is actually favored in tonight’s game which is pretty interesting. The Sabres aren’t good, by any means, but this one probably should be closer to a pick’em.
Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames
Calgary has won three of five since snapping a four-game skid but the Flames have probably been a little too inconsistent for coach Darryl Suter’s liking. The Flames’ quick start is a thing of the past and they haven’t been getting great goaltending from Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar while the offense can be hit or miss.
Vancouver has been a lot better under Bruce Boudreau than Travis Green, yet the Canucks are still just a point-per-game team. They did get some good news yesterday with Thatcher Demko coming off COVID protocols, so he could start in net for Vancouver after missing a bunch of games. His presence could make Vancouver bet-worthy as sizable road underdogs.
