Saturday's Best NHL Bets
Phoenix Coyotes at Boston Bruins (-127, 5)
Don’t get the Boston Bruins confused with a powerhouse on their home ice.
Boston was a mediocre 18-17-6 at home last season as the team posted the second-fewest home victories in the Eastern Conference. Overall, the Bruins had a goal-diffential of just six last year and struggled to take advantage of one of the more loyal fan bases in the league.
Meantime, the Coyotes – sporting one of the youngest lineups in the game – was not bothered by opposing rinks last year, racking up a 21-15-5 record on enemy ice. The team should continue to rely on its young core this year as starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov emerged as one of the best in the league and top defensive prospect Kyle Turris made the team out of camp.
Combine that with the Bruins counting heavily on young forward Tyler Seguin, and this one will come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes. It could make for some boring hockey.
Pick: Under.
Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks (-151, 5.5)
What happened to the Chicago Blackhawks defense? The defending Stanley Cup champions make their home debut on Saturday night after their defensive end was turned into a shooting gallery in a 4-3 loss at Colorado on Thursday.
The Blackhawks gave up 41 shots in the loss, allowing at least 11 shots in each period. Not exactly the debut the team was hoping for in front of new goaltender Marty Turco. The team also didn’t do itself any favors by losing the faceoff battle, 32-28.
Meantime, the Red Wings looked like world beaters against the Ducks, getting a goal from new acquisition Mike Modano on his first shot on goal.
The teams split six games last season, with each team winning on the other’s home ice. But Chicago is dealing with the Stanley Cup hangover and Detroit
looks more like the squad that dominated the league the past decade.
Pick: Red Wings.