Saturday is the best night of the week when it comes to NHL action with a loaded lineup of games worth keeping an eye on for both hockey enthusiasts and sports bettors alike. Some of the intriguing matchups in the afternoon are red hot Oilers travel to the Lone Star State to take on the league’s best offense in the Dallas Stars and the Red Wings look to bounce back against the Flames as both teams look to fight their way back into the playoff race.
It should be an exciting afternoon of hockey and if you want to get in on all the action, here's a breakdown of the matchups with some insights for potential betting opportunities.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Please gamble responsibly.
Edmonton Oilers @ Dallas Stars
The Stars have been heating up with netminder Jake Oettinger starting to play at his best with two or fewer goals allowed in four straight starts along with winning his last seven starts in a row. Dallas also has the best offense in the league since the start of January, averaging over four goals a game and going against Connor McDavid and his Oilers top eight offense during that same span should make this a high-scoring affair with McDavid needing to play a big role to keep them in this game.
Pick: Over 6.5 goals (-135), Connor McDavid anytime goal (+110)
Detroit Red Wings @ Calgary Flames
The Wings got outplayed by the Canucks Thursday night and were handed a tough 4-1 loss. They now travel further into Canada and stop in Alberta to take on the Flames who’ve been streaky as of late as they trade winning streaks for losing streaks and head into Saturday with a two game losing streak along with three straight losses to the Wings. The hurdle for the Flames will be their cold offense that averages just 2.73 goals per game that ranks 20th in the league since mid-January. They should see a boost with the Red Wings starting netminder James Reimer who’s allowed five or more goals in three of his last four games.
Pick: Flames over 3.5 goals (-105)