NHL Expert Matt DiLeo (10-3) in his last 3 articles previews Saturday Night’s hockey slate and gives his 5 best bets of the evening.
Season Record 13-5
Saturday Night’s Best Bets
Check out how we did in our last article in the link below. We are absolutely killing the NHL picks so I would highly recommend joining us!
Now on to the our next Best Bets. Saturday Night gives us a beautiful 9 game slate to choose from. We have the Stanley Cup rematch in Boston and it is a highly anticipated matchup for the Bruins as they look to get a little revenge from a couple of months ago. There are also a few powerhouse matchups to fill the slate as well, which should make for a ton of value for the evening.
Chicago Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes
This game is the only game being played during the day at 1:00 pm and it is a good one. The Chicago Blackhawks (2-4-2) are traveling to Carolina to take on the Hurricanes (6-3-1). The Hurricanes are finally returning from a rough road trip where they went 1-2-1. The Hurricanes will feel rested and back to the norm as they should feel comfortable again. The Blackhawks have only played one road game this season and it was on opening night where they lost 4-3 to the Flyers. The Blackhawks have only 1 player who has over 5 points in 8 games this year and that is Patrick Kane. This team is not playing well at all and they will be tested heavily in Carolina. The Hurricanes are the much better team in this matchup and I think they will prove it convincingly on Saturday.
The Hurricanes have also scored over 2 goals in every game this season and I think they will score early and often on Saturday. The Blackhawks are allowing 3 goals a game this season and the Over is currently at 6. I will take the Over as I think the Hurricanes will score at least 4 and win smoothly. I love this game and I will have 2 plays here.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens
The Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-2) will travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens (4-4-2) in this classic Canadian rivalry. The Maple Leafs are still without team captain John Tavares until November and they have backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson expected to start. Hutchinson has struggled this year with an 0-2 start and averaging 4 goals allowed per game. The Leafs will also be playing on Friday Night against the Sharks, which will not be an easy matchup and I would expect them to come into Montreal a little banged up. This gives an edge to the Canadiens who are struggling at the moment as well. I would usually put my money on the well rested team at home, but it is just impossible to trust the Canadiens right now. However, this game should be a high scoring affair as the Maple Leafs have scored 2 or more goals in every game this season and the Canadians have gone over 6 goals in 8 of their 10 games this season. If Hutchinson starts I would put my money on the over in this coin flip of a hockey game.
St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins
The Stanley Cup rematch is finally here! Boston will welcome the Blues on to their home ice to possibly get a little taste of revenge from the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins have everything to prove in this game as they are trying to put together another championship run this year. If they are able to beat the Blues, they should gain a ton of confidence while feeling a little better about themselves since their Game 7 loss. the Bruins are 6-1-2 on the season and the Blues are 5-2-3. Both teams should be rested and have everyone starting so this should be a good test to see where both teams are at.
However, I have to give the edge to Boston in this matchup. The Bruins are undefeated at home this year and Tuuka Rask is leading the league in Save % at 94.4%. Blues Goaltender Jordan Binnington doesn’t rank until #20. To top it off the Bruins offense has been absolutely dominant, especially on power plays with a league leading 35.7% compared to the league average of 19%. David Pastrnak also has a league leading 10 goals and has scored 8 goals in his last 4 games. I would absolutely roll with the red hot bruins to keep rolling and get some sweet revenge on Saturday. Take the Bruins now before the price gets worse.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Dallas Stars
This should be a great game all around as both of these teams have playoff hopes and are looking to gain some momentum from their slow starts. The Penguins are 6-5 on the year and have lost their last 3. The Stars on the other hand are 4-7-1 and have won their last 3 games. I think the Stars are finally clicking on all cylinders and Ben Bishop has been playing at the level that the Stars need him at. Penguins Goaltender Matt Murray is also playing worse than his backup Tristan Jarry and with Murray struggling a bit I think I am going to jump on the Stars here. I would normally fade this game, but with the Penguins 2-2 on the road and have lost their last 3 I think I am going to roll with the momentum and take the surging Stars at the generous price.
