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NHL Goal in First Ten (GIFT) Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (3/4)

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Here are our top NHL Goal in First Ten (GIFT) bets and picks for today’s hockey action.

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

Saturday’s Best NHL Goal in First Ten Bets

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Buffalo Sabres 

The Eastern Conference is very deep with championship-caliber teams, but no one has the recent playoff experience of Tampa Bay. Their forward unit can compete with anyone, as they are eighth in Goals Percentage and have eight guys with double-digit goals.

The Lightning have been shaky all season on defense, allowing the 11th most high-danger shots. However, they can still confidently lean on Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. He allows 2.61 goals per game and has a .917 save percentage.

The Sabres have lost back-to-back games at a bad 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 what should be a high-scoring showdown.

Pick: Over 0.5

Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames

The Wild have been playing well recently, climbing to second place in the Central. The offense has been their weak point throughout the season, coming in at 20th in goals scored. However, they were busy at the trade deadline, grabbing Oskar Sundqvist, Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist and defenseman John Klingberg.

Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson have been outstanding at switching off in the crease. They are third with 2.58 goals allowed per game. With Fleury playing the last game, Gustavsson should be getting the start.

The Flames have been a massive disappointment this year and are on the outside looking at a playoff spot. Some of their offseason moves have worked out, including Nazem Kadri with 21 goals, but Jonathan Huberdeau has just 12 goals after putting up 30 for Florida last year.

The Wild have the second-lowest GIFT percentage in the league and the lowest on the road. I’ll favor under for them to hold down Calgary early in this game.

Pick: Under 0.5

Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars

The Avalanche have been on a stellar run, winning seven of their last eight. They continue to move up the Western Conference standings. Alexandar Georgiev has been great in the crease, allowing 2.57 goals per game and a .922 save percentage.

They have a lot of talent sidelined, but Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are holding it down. The 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 they’ve struggled recently by going 5-3-6 over their last 14 games. The offense has been a massive problem, averaging just 2.6 goals over their previous nine games. They made some moves at the deadline, acquiring Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov to try to improve that side of the puck.

The Stars are in the middle of the pack in GIFT rate, but they’ve missed nine of their last ten games. There will be two incredible goalies on the ice, so it will take some time for the offense to get going.

Pick: Under 0.5

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