This Saturday’s slate is one of the best of the season so far. Two Original Six matchups should catch your attention as the Red Wings travel to the Bell Centre to take on the Canadiens, while the Bruins bring their boxing gloves to Toronto for a street fight against the Leafs. Not to mention, two of the hottest teams from November — the Rangers and Predators — will go at it in Smashville, all of which should make this an exciting Saturday night.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars Tampa Bay has a 4-2-1 record over the past two weeks with big wins against the Bruins and Canes, but the Lightning have lost three in a row and will be looking to bounce back in this one as underdogs and a great value pick on the puckline. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger has a 1-2-2 record during his career versus Tampa and the Lightning have won five of their past seven against Dallas. Chicago Blackhawks at Winnipeg Jets The Blackhawks have lost five in a row versus the Jets, and Chicago is 2-9-0 in its past 11 trips to Winnipeg. The Hawks also had the second-worst record in November with only four wins in 11 games. The Jets on the puckline looks like the best play as it has hit in every game of their winning streak. New York Rangers at Nashville Predators The Predators are coming into this one with six wins in their past seven against a Rangers defense that has a 2.75 GAA, which ranks ninth in the league. Both teams have hit the under regularly, which makes me like the over as the Rangers score in bunches like they did against the Bruins last Saturday, while the Preds will look to fight and prove they can hang with the big dogs. New York Islanders at Florida Panthers These two normally play great defensive games with under 6.5 goals hitting in seven of their last eight match-ups in Florida. The Islanders have a 3-5-0 record in those games and have been outscored 21-8 in their five losses. This should be a close game with two good goalies in Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Sorokin duelling in what should be an under game. Seattle Kraken at Ottawa Senators The Kraken and Sens have hit over 6.5 in three of their four match-ups with Seattle hitting overs in seven of their past 10 games. Both teams have losing streaks heading into this one as well, and will fight for the win and hit the over easily. Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens It’s the 606th meeting between these two, with the Habs owning a 10-3-2 record in the past 15 games at home in this match-up and Montreal has won by two or more goals in eight of the 10 wins. Detroit will be the favourites, which means taking the Habs to win by two on the puckline will be great odds and could hit as the most shocking result of the day. Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs This Original Six rivalry always sees close games with 11 of the past 15 match-ups being decided by one or two goals. The Bruins have won four straight in this match-up, which makes the underdog Leafs on the puckline feel like the best play as both teams are struggling offensively and should play a tough, low-scoring game. Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes Buffalo hasn’t won a game in Carolina since 2016 and have lost nine straight in this match-up when playing on the road. Both teams were below the league average in scoring in November, and when they played in early November the Canes won 3-2, which makes me believe the under hits again with another Carolina win. Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins The Battle of Pennsylvania being played in Pittsburgh has been good for the Penguins as they have an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 match-ups at home. Captain Sidney Crosby also has 15 points in his past eight games against the Flyers at home. The Penguins have been hot lately and should bring the heat in this one, powered by their captain. St. Louis Blues at Arizona Coyotes The Coyotes have a 2-1-0 record against the Blues since playing in Mullet Arena and have outscored the Blues 16-8 in the three games. There have been six or more goals in four of the past five match-ups in the state of Arizona and will likely hit again in this one, although an alternate line could be the safest play at five or more goals. Washington Capitals at Vegas Golden Knights Vegas lit the league on fire to start the season, but have been lackluster since with a 5-5-3 record in November including bad losses to the Oilers, Flames, Coyotes and the Capitals, who could play them hard again in this one. Vegas has a loud barn and they've won four straight versus the Caps at home. The Golden Knights should pull through in this one in front of their home crowd. Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks The Sharks have been the laughingstock of the league so far this season, but the Ducks and Blue Jackets were actually worse in November, both with only four wins in the month. The Avs on the other hand have been red-hot and have the third-best offence in the league, with the most shots per game when playing on the road at roughly 34 per contest. The Avs should roll past the Ducks and cover the puckline. Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames The Canucks have lost six of their past seven at the Saddledome, where they play Saturday night against a scrappy Flames team that is starting to piece things together. Calgary has been tough to play against with comeback wins against the Stars, Golden Knights and Kraken. A same-game parlay with the Flames on the puckline as underdogs and the over in goals feels like a great play to end the weekend.