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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (3/4)

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An incredible slate of games tonight, and we’ll feature three, with each team poised to make a playoff run.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Saturday:

Saturday’s Best NHL Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel

Minnesota Wild (+126) vs. Calgary Flames (-145) | O/U 5.5 (-108/-112)

The Wild have been great since the All-Star break going 8-1-2 over their last 11 games.

The offense has been average throughout the season, but they improved by grabbing Oskar Sundqvist, Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist, and defenseman John Klingberg.

It’s been the tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson that has pushed this team. They’ve allowed just 17 goals in those 11 games and are sixth in Expected Goals Against. It should be Gustavsson getting the start.

The Flames have been one of the more disappointing teams this year. Last season, they comfortably won the Pacific and made it to the Western Conference Semifinals, but now they’re five points behind the final Wild Card Spot.

They decided to revamp the offense in the offseason; some moves have worked, and others have not. Nazem Kadri has been a great pickup with 21 goals, but Jonathan Huberdeau is projected to have his lowest goal total since his 2016-17 season when he played only 31 games.

Both teams played a ton of extra hockey lately: Calgary has played extra hockey twice in their last four, and Minnesota has done it three times. Despite each team going in different directions, this game could go either way, but I’m confident that each defense keeping the score low and under, even at 5.5, is the way to go.

Pick: Under 5.5 (-112)

Tampa Bay Lightning (-176) vs. Buffalo Sabres (+145) | O/U 6.5 (-140/+114)

The Lightning’s offense runs deep, leading with Brayden Point’s 38 goals, Nikita Kucherov being second in the league with 64 assists, and the team has eight guys with double-digit goals.

They unfortunately have one of the weaker blue lines in recent years, but it just makes Andrei Vasilevsky look even better, with 19.3 Goals Saved Above Expected.

The Sabres have lost back-to-back games at the wrong time and are now four points behind the last playoff spot.

The offense has dipped, going from the top-scoring team down to third. They can’t afford to struggle with a defense that has not played well this year, including allowing 12 goals in the last two games.

We have two top-five offenses squaring off in an offensive showdown.

Pick: Over 6.5 (-140)

Colorado Avalanche (-110) vs.Dallas Stars (-110) | O/U 6 (-102/-129)

Anyone who counted out the champs will need to apologize. They’ve been on a fantastic run, winning seven of their last eight, and are now third in the Central and could move closer to first tonight. Alexandar Georgiev has been great in the crease, winning five straight and allowing two goals in his last three games.

They have a lot of talent sidelined, but Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are holding it down—these two have a combined 17 goals and 12 assists in the last ten games.

The Stars got back-to-back wins against the Blackhawks and Coyotes, but their schedule will get more challenging starting tonight.

The offense has been a colossal problem lately, averaging just 2.6 goals over their last nine games. They made some moves at the deadline acquiring Chicago points leader Max Domi and Canadien Evgenii Dadonov to try to improve that side of the puck.

Despite the improvements, they need more firepower to keep up with Colorado, who is playing so well.

Pick: Avalanche ML (-110)

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