Will the Jets stay undefeated when they visit the Flames tonight? Can the Blues post another victory despite losing their top-line center? Will the Capitals and Lightning score enough to get over the 6-goal total in Tampa, FL? Check out our Saturday NHL Prediction & Best Bets.
Friday NHL Best Bets Recap
My three recommendations last night in the NHL were the Golden Knights (-155) over the Senators, the Predators -1.5 (+140) over the Blackhawks and the over 6.5 in the Penguins-Oilers game. Only Vegas cashed and even that was a strain, as the Golden Knights had to overcome multiple deficits in the first two periods before claiming a 6-4 victory. As for the other games, Nashville won but only by a goal and Edmonton shutout Pittsburgh, 4-0.
The 1-2 night drops my season record to 23-24. A $100.00 bettor would now be down -$533.00.
Saturday NHL Prediction: Winnipeg Jets (-135), 7:00 p.m. ET
They’ll lose at some point but as long as the Jets are reasonable priced, I’ll back them. Why not? They’ve started the season 7-0 and haven’t scored fewer than three goals in four straight games. They’ve haven’t allowed more than three goals in any game this season. Even when it appeared as though they would suffer their first loss on Thursday night in Seattle, the Jets rallied to win 4-3 in overtime. They’re a wagon.
Granted, they haven’t had a ton of success against Calgary of late. The Jets have lost three of the last four meetings between the two teams. That said, they did beat Calgary 5-2 in Winnipeg in the final regular-season matchup of the 2023-24 season. Again, this selection is more about riding the hottest team in the NHL than it is about the matchup.
Saturday NHL Prediction: St. Louis Blues (-125), 7:00 p.m. ET
Sometimes when a team loses one of its best players, that “next man up mentality” can give the club a boost. That was seemingly the case for the Blues Thursday night in Toronto. Without their top-line center Robert Thomas (broken ankle), they beat the piss out of the Maple Leafs and their former coach Craig Beurbe. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead early and cruised to a 5-1 victory before a stunned crowd in Toronto.
The win gave the Blues victories in three out of their last four games. Their three victories came against the Islanders, Hurricanes and aforementioned Maple Leafs, so it’s not as if they’ve been piling wins against the bottom feeders in the NHL. Their loss came at home to the Jets, who have yet to lose a game this season.
On the other side, the Habs have dropped four straight games. Most of those games weren’t competitive, either. They fell 6-3 to the Penguins at home, 4-1 to the Kings and home and 7-2 to the Rangers at home. Their one close loss was a 4-3 shootout defeat at the hands of the Islanders in New York. Montreal also lost both games versus St. Louis last season and neither of those games were close either (the Blues won 6-3 in St. Louis and 7-2 in Montreal).
Saturday NHL Prediction: Capitals-Lightning over 6 (-120), 7:00 p.m. ET
If we combine the over/under records of these two teams, it would be 8-4-1 to the over. The Capitals have scored fewer than four goals in three straight games and netted six goals apiece in recent wins over the Flyers and Devils, respectively.
As for the Lightning, their goal prevention has been brutal. They’ve allowed at least four goals in four straight games and surrendered at least five goals in three of those four contests. They’ve been inconsistent offensively of late, but I’m confident they’ll contribute enough offense tonight to get this game over the 6-goal tonight.