This article focuses on today’s eight-game NHL evening slate, going over the NHL odds and giving you a few potential NHL betting picks against the spread. Feel free to jump in our sports betting Slack channel for additional information and updates when it comes to tonight’s action.
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NOTE: There are what we call the back end of “miniseries” scenarios in several cases tonight including the back end of a back to back in Ottawa (Battle Of Ontario) and Detroit as the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings battle again.
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NHL Betting Picks: Saturday Best Bets + Odds
The biggest rivalry game on the slate
NY Islanders vs NY Rangers, 7:05 PM ET – After the first game of this two game miniseries, it was clear that the Islanders had the Rangers’ number yet again. This was so true that David Quinn made a series of adjustments. That included moving Adam Fox up to the top pair. He gets anchored with Jack Johnson. How long does that last is the question? The New York Rangers forechecked early but could not keep up with the Islanders’ pace. That resulted in a quick 2-0 deficit, which snowballed from there.
Again and again, the Rangers could not stop the bleeding and in this first meeting, the offense could not capitalize on chances as they were shut out 4-0. It was unusual for a team that typically averages more than three goals a game at home. However, the Islanders tend to play better at MSG the past couple seasons than anyone.
The morning money line hovered at -118 for the Islanders while the Rangers saw a modest +105 on their side of the ledger. Those are not very surprising numbers. Keep in mind, with no fans, home ice advantage becomes muted. In the Rangers’ case, this rings even more true.
The over/under projects to wobble between 5.5 and 6. The current expected goalie matchup is Semyon Varlamov and Alexandar Georgiev. Georgiev expected to start on Saturday according to David Quinn. For the Islanders, Varlamov projected to start both games of this miniseries.
Barry Trotz enjoying the better of this matchup against David Quinn is not surprising. How Quinn has reacted with lineup changes is also not a shock (defensively and the penalty kill remain issues). That is why the Islanders are a slight favorite again on the road. Furthermore, the argument is with Georgiev starting, the Isles enjoy more of the favorites’ role. This early in the season, it may be worth a look to see how the goal totals play out.
If the total stays at 5.5, bet the over even at -130. If the total goes up to 6, pivot towards the Islanders on the moneyline. The Islanders at anywhere from -110 to -120 is reasonable. Movement should not be too drastic.
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Game Against the Spread
Vancouver (+125) vs. Calgary – Again, Vancouver at +125 is a bet which must be looked at heavily. The Canucks may be a bit inconsistent defensively but they have enough firepower to frustrate the Flames. Calgary starting Jakob Markstrom against his former team will be intriguing. Vancouver knows his tendencies well. Expect their top-six and man advantage to have a feather in their cap here.
The Calgary Flames are a modest -140 favorite with some books creeping to -150. That latter number worries could be troubling. This Canadian division expects to see some wild scoring games. The over at 6.5 could be a play at -105 if the number stays there. That is more risk averse than the Vancouver moneyline. On the other hand, it could make for a decent parlay.
Notable Score And Other Props
So, the over/under in several of tonight’s games are worth a look. Watch for several changes as some over/unders are on the bubble. This time of year is about knowing when to pounce and when to wait. It is a delicate game of cat and mouse. The Toronto and Ottawa over was an illustration of that on Friday night. When the game was low scoring early, the live action numbers were even better on the over. Jumping on that resulted in a nice return when both teams picked up the pace. That may be something to look at again tonight as the offenses are ahead of the defense.
The Vegas money line is still at -215 is just too much to versus Anaheim. Also, the splits for the puckline this evening are not that appetizing currently. Maybe looking at Vegas (-1.5/+115) is not terrible along with Carolina (-1.5, +120). After that, when those spreads climb in the mid to high 200’s, that is just difficult at best.
More player props expect to be available later in the day but one to look at is Max Pacioretty scoring first for Vegas tonight against Anaheim at +1000.
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A special thanks must be granted to all of the Awesemo staff as this column has returned once more. We will be here as many as a few times a week as the slates warrant. There will also be picks in the slack chat and on social media.
