Will the Panthers continue to own the Sabres? Can the Senators’ domination of the Canadians continue? Will the Flames notch another victory to get to 2-0 on the young season? Check out our Saturday NHL Best Bets.
Friday NHL Best Bets Recap
My Friday NHL Best Bets included the Blackhawks/Jets under 6 (-120), the Flyers/Canucks under 6 (+100) and the Blues/Golden Knights over 6 (-110). Things started well, as the Blackhawks and Jets combined for only one goal through two periods. While the game eventually went to overtime, the teams combined for only three goals in the Jets’ 2-1 victory.
It was a similar situation with the Flyers-Canucks matchup, although that game didn’t start as well for us as it finished. The Flyers and Canucks combined for three goals heading into the second intermission, but mustered just one goal in the third. Philadelphia eventually won 3-2 in a shootout, giving us our second win of the night.
Finally, the Blues and Golden Knights got the scoring started immediately in Vegas. The Blues tallied an early goal, only to see their lead erased by the Golden Knights just minutes later. The two teams combined for three goals in the first period, two goals in the second and another pair in the third. The over cashed easily in the Golden Knights’ 4-3 victory.
The 3-0 night erased my 0-3 performance from the night before. I am now 7-5 ATS in this space, as a $100.00 bettor would now be up $165.00 on the season.
Saturday NHL Best Bets: Florida Panthers -135, 7:00 p.m. ET
The Panthers sunk me the other night when they failed to show up in a 3-1 loss to the Senators in Ottawa. I think tonight will go differently for the Panthers in Buffalo. Florida is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. They met three times in 2024, with the Panthers taking all three matchups. In the lone meeting in Buffalo, the Panthers posted four goals in a 4-0 shutout. The two games in Sunrise were close, as the Panthers won 3-2 in regulation and 3-2 in overtime.
Still, the Panthers have owned the Sabres over the years and I expect that trend to continue tonight. I like backing good teams off a loss and the Panthers fit the bill tonight.
Saturday NHL Best Bets: Ottawa Senators -155, 7:00 p.m. ET
As previously mentioned, the Senators burned me the other night when I faded them as a home dog versus the Panthers. I’ll be on their side tonight, however. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 meetings against the Canadians. You’d have to go all the way back to March of 2022 to discover the last time the Habs knocked off the Senators. That 5-1 victory in Montreal set off a trend of nine consecutive wins for the Senators, who swept the three-game season series between these two teams in 2024.
Assuming the Montreal club that showed up in Boston the other night reappears tonight, we’ll be in good shape. Following a 1-0 shutout over the Maple Leafs to open their season, the Habs allowed six goals in a 6-4 loss to the Bruins two nights ago.
Saturday NHL Best Bets: Calgary Flames -130, 10:00 p.m. ET
The Flames got off to a good start to the season with a 6-5 overtime win at Vancouver. They erased a 4-1 first period deficit by scoring three goals in the third and another in OT to stun the home crowd. Anthony Mantha, Rasmus Andersson, Martin Pospisil, MacKenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary accounted for the six goals, proving this team has some scoring depth.
They’ve also had good success against the Flyers over the years. Granted, these two teams split their two matchups in each of the last two seasons, but the Flames still own a 7-3 advantage over the Flyers in the last 10 meetings between the two clubs.