I have been providing NHL Betting Notes at Sportsbook Review for a little while, and I like the homework aspect of it to stay on top of each team, but I will be writing more news and features there, so I figured I’d drop betting and fantasy notes here.
There are nine games on Saturday’s NHL schedule, including some games with implications in the Western Conference playoff race.
Here is a closer look at each of Saturday’s NHL matchups.
Saturday’s NHL Betting Notes
Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils, 12:30 p.m. ET
Trends: Panthers 46-15-6 SU, 36-31 ATS, 39-24 O/U | Devils 24-38-5, 31-36 ATS, 37-26 O/U
Projected Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky (33-6-3, .916 SV%, 2.55 GAA) vs. Nico Daws (8-9, .894 SV%, 3.27 GAA)
Key injuries: FLA D Aaron Ekblad (lower body), RW Patric Hornqvist (undisclosed), C Anton Lundell (lower body); NJ G Mackenzie Blackwood (heel), G Jonathan Bernier (hip), LW Andreas Johnsson (illness), LW Janne Kuokkanen (wrist), LW Miles Wood (hip), C Pavel Zacha (upper body).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Panthers 60.8%/60.0%; Devils 50.5%/53.2%
NHL Betting Notes: Panthers are 44-12-4 as favorites and Devils are 13-32-3 as underdogs. Panthers are 14-5-1 since the All-Star break. Devils are 9-13 since the break. Panthers LW Jonathan Huberdeau has 30 points (6 G, 24 A) in 20 games since the All-Star break. Panthers LW Mason Marchment has 15 points (7 G, 8 A) since the break. Devils C Jack Hughes has 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in 19 games since the break. Jesper Bratt (8 G, 16 A) and Nico Hischier (10 G, 14 A) have 24 points since the All-Star break. LW Yegor Sharangovich has 19 points (8 G, 11 A) and D Damon Severson has 17 points (4 G, 13 A) in 22 games since the break. Panthers have hit a total of seven goals or more in 10 of their past 15 games. Devils have hit a total of seven goals or more in six of their past eight games.
Best bet: Mason Marchment Over 0.5 Points (-115 via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Colorado Avalanche, 3 p.m. ET
Trends: Penguins 41-18-10 SU, 34-35 ATS, 34-32 O/U | Avalanche 48-14-6 SU, 34-34 ATS, 35-28 O/U
Projected Goalies: Tristan Jarry (33-14-6, .921 SV%, 2.33 GAA) vs. Darcy Kuemper (31-9-3, .924 SV%, 2.37 GAA)
Key injuries: PIT LW Brock McGinn (upper body), LW Jason Zucker (leg); COL D Bowen Byram (concussion), D Samuel Girard (back), LW Gabriel Landeskog (knee), C Nazem Kadri (undisclosed).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Penguins 51.9%/53.3%; Avalanche 55.5%/54.5%
NHL Betting Notes: Penguins are 9-6-3 as underdogs while Avs are 46-12-6 as favorites. Penguins are 14-7-2 since the All-Star break and Avalanche are 16-6-2 since the break. Penguins C Sidney Crosby has 31 points (13 G, 18 A) in 23 games since the All-Star break. Avs D Cale Makar leads Colorado with 31 points (6 G, 25 A) in 24 games since the break. Avalanche LW Valeri Nichushkin has 17 points (7 G, 10 A) in 22 games since the break. Avs have hit a total of six goals or less in eight of their past 10 games. Penguins have hit a total of six goals or less in seven of their past 10 games.
Best bet: Avalanche (-140 via Caesars)
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. ET
Trends: Blue Jackets 32-31-5 SU, 40-28 ATS, 42-21 O/U | Bruins 42-20-5 SU, 26-41 ATS, 32-30 O/U
Projected Goalies: Elvis Merzlikins (22-17-5, .902 SV%, 3.42 GAA) vs. Jeremy Swayman (19-9-3, .920 SV%, 2.24 GAA)
Key injuries: CBJ C Boone Jenner (back), LW Alexandre Texier (finger), D Zach Werenski (upper body); BOS RW Nick Foligno (lower body), BOS RW Craig Smith (illness).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Blue Jackets 46.9%/44.8%; Bruins 56.5%/59.6%
NHL Betting Notes: Blue Jackets have covered the puck line 58.8% of the time. Bruins are 35-12-2 as favorites while the Blue Jackets are 21-29-5 as underdogs. Bruins are 16-6-2 since the All-Star break, tied for third best record in the league in that time. Blue Jackets are 12-9-4 since the break. CBJ LW Patrik Laine leads Columbus with 30 points (15 G, 15 A) since the All-Star break, ahead of CBJ RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (12 G, 10 A). BOS RW David Pastrnak leads Boston with 28 points (16 G, 12 A) in 22 games since the break, ahead of BOS LW Taylor Hall, who has 22 points (6 G, 16 A) in 24 games. Blue Jackets have hit a total of seven goals or more in 14 of their past 21 games.
Best bet: Blue Jackets +1.5 (+115 via DraftKings)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m. ET
Trends: Canadiens 18-39-11 SU, 34-34 ATS, 37-28 O/U | Lightning 43-18-6, 31-36 ATS, 33-32 O/U
Projected Goalies: Jake Allen (7-19-4, .907 SV%, 3.19 GAA) vs. Brian Elliott (7-3-2, .916 SV%, 2.38 GAA)
Key injuries: MTL LW Jonathan Drouin (wrist), RW Brendan Gallagher (lower body), D Jeff Petry (lower body), G Carey Price (knee); TB D Ryan McDonagh (upper body).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Canadiens 44.9%/43.6%; Lightning 50.7%/54.6%
NHL Betting Notes: Canadiens have lost 10 straight games in Tampa Bay. Lightning have covered the puck line 43.3% of the time. Lightning are 40-13-4 as favorites and Canadiens are 14-33-9 as underdogs. Lightning are 13-8 since the All-Star break and Canadiens are 10-10-4 since the break. TB C Steven Stamkos, C Brayden Point, and RW Nikita Kucherov each have 23 points in 21 games since the All-Star break. MTL RW Cole Caufield leads the Canadiens with 25 points (13 G, 12 A) in 24 games since the break. Nick Suzuki has 23 points (9 G, 14 A) in 24 games since the break. Lightning have hit a total of six goals or less in nine of their past 11 games.
Best bet: Lightning -1.5 (-125 via DraftKings)
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. ET
Trends: Maple Leafs 43-19-5 SU, 29-38 ATS, 37-27 O/U | Flyers 21-35-11 SU, 32-35 ATS, 35-32 O/U
Projected Goalies: Jack Campbell (24-8-4, .914 SV%, 2.65 GAA) vs. Carter Hart (13-21-7, .909 SV%, 3.04 GAA)
Key injuries: TOR RW Ondrej Kase (concussion), D Ilya Lyubushkin (head), D Jake Muzzin (concussion), D Rasmus Sandin (knee).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Maple Leafs 55.7%/56.8%; Flyers 43.5%/43.4%
NHL Betting Notes: Maple Leafs are 41-17-4 as favorites but have only covered the puck line 43.3% of the time. Flyers are 15-31-8 as underdogs. Maple Leafs are 14-9-2 since the All-Star break and Flyers are 6-13-3 since the break. TOR RW Mitch Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 42 points (14 G, 28 A) in 25 games since the All-Star break. Auston Matthews has 36 points (21 G, 15 A) in 23 games since the break. PHI RW Travis Konecny leads the Flyers with 18 points (4 G, 14 A) in 21 games since the break, ahead of Joel Farabee (4 G, 10 A in 16 GP) and Cam Atkinson (6 G, 8 A in 22 GP). Maple Leafs have hit a total of seven goals or more in nine of their past 13 games. Flyers have reached a total of seven goals or more in nine of their past 14 games.
Best bet: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
Minnesota Wild vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. ET
Trends: Wild 41-20-5 SU, 31-35 ATS, 37-26 O/U | Hurricanes 45-15-8 SU, 33-35 ATS, 29-35 O/U
Projected Goalies: Marc-Andre Fleury (21-21-5, .909 SV%, 2.88 GAA) vs. Frederik Andersen (33-10-3, .929 SV%, 2.00 GAA)
Key injuries: MIN LW Matt Boldy (upper body), D Alex Goligoski (undisclosed); CAR D Ethan Bear (lower body).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Wild 52.6%/55.3%; Hurricanes 56.9%/55.8%
NHL Betting Notes: Wild have won seven of their past eight games and seven of the past eight Wild and Hurricanes matchups have gone over the total. Hurricanes are 38-12-5 as favorites while Wild are 8-9-2 as underdogs. Wild are 13-10-2 since the All-Star break and Hurricanes are 14-6-6 since the break. MIN LW Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild with 30 points (19 G, 11 A) in 25 games since the All-Star break, ahead of RW Kevin Fiala (10 G, 17 A) and RW Mats Zuccarello (5 G, 20 A). CAR LW Teuvo Teravainen leads the Hurricanes with 24 points (6 G, 18 A) in 24 games since the break, ahead of C Sebastian Aho (12 G, 11 A in 26 GP) and RW Andrei Svechnikov (11 G, 11 A in 26 GP). Wild have hit a total of six goals or less in eight of their past 10 games. Hurricanes have hit a total of seven goals or more in four of their past five games.
Best bet: Hurricanes (-152 via BetRivers)
Los Angeles Kings vs. Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m. ET
Trends: Kings 27-30-12 SU, 40-29 ATS, 33-34 O/U | Jets 21-41-5, 34-33 ATS, 31-32 O/U
Projected Goalies: Cal Petersen (19-11-1, .901 SV%, 2.71 GAA) vs. Connor Hellebuyck (25-23-9, .912 SV%, 2.92 GAA)
Key injuries: LA D Mikey Anderson (upper body), LW Andreas Athanasiou (undisclosed), RW Dustin Brown (upper body), D Drew Doughty (upper body), D Matt Roy (lower body), D Sean Walker (knee); WPG LW Kyle Connor (COVID-19), LW Cole Perfetti (upper body), D Nate Schmidt (COVID-19).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Kings 54.4%/52.7%; Jets 47.2%/49.1%
NHL Betting Notes: Eight of the past nine games between the Kings and Jets have gone under the total. Jets are 22-14-3 as favorites while the Kings are 16-19-5 as underdogs. Kings are 13-7-3 since the All-Star break and Jets are 15-9-3 since the break. Kings linemates Trevor Moore (6 G, 10 A) and Phillip Danault (9 G, 7 A) lead Los Angeles with 16 points in 23 games since the All-Star break. WPG LW Kyle Connor leads the Jets with 37 points (16 G, 21 A) in 25 games since the break, ahead of C Mark Scheifele (16 G, 19 A in 27 GP) and Blake Wheeler (10 G, 24 A in 27 GP). Jets have hit a total of seven goals or more in 11 of their past 17 games.
Best bet: Kings (+110 via Caesars)
St. Louis Blues vs. Calgary Flames, 10 p.m. ET
Trends: Blues 37-20-10 SU, 37-30 ATS, 33-30 O/U | Flames 40-18-9, 36-31 ATS, 33-29 O/U
Projected Goalies: Ville Husso (18-6-5, .923 SV%, 2.40 GAA) vs. Jacob Markstrom (31-13-8, .925 SV%, 2.15 GAA)
Key injuries: STL D Torey Krug (upper body), D Scott Perunovich (wrist), RW Jordan Kyrou (illness); CGY D Oliver Kylington (upper body).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Blues 49.2%/50.5%; Flames 57.4%/56.1%
NHL Betting Notes: Blues have a 2-2-3 record in the second half of back-to-back games and lost 6-5 in overtime at Edmonton on Friday. Blues have covered the puck line 59.7% of the time. Blues are 11-10-3 as underdogs while the Flames are 32-11-8 as favorites. Blues are 11-7-5 since the All-Star break while the Flames are a league-best 17-5-3 since the break. STL RW David Perron leads the Blues with 25 points (15 G, 10 A) in 22 games since the All-Star break, just ahead of C Brayden Schenn (9 G, 15 A in 23 GP) and C Robert Thomas (9 G, 14 A in 20 GP). CGY RW Matthew Tkachuk leads the Flames with 38 points (12 G, 26 A) in 25 games since the break, coming in just ahead of LW Johnny Gaudreau (13 G, 24 A in 25 GP). Blues have hit a total of seven goals or more in nine of their past 11 games. Flames have reached a total of six goals or less in seven of their past 11 games.
Best bet: Flames -1.5 (+102 via BetRivers)
Dallas Stars vs. San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. ET
Trends: Stars 38-25-3 SU, 29-37 ATS, 28-36 O/U | Sharks 29-30-8 SU, 34-33 ATS, 27-39 O/U
Projected Goalies: Jake Oettinger (24-11-1, .916 SV%, 2.47 GAA) vs. James Reimer (18-14-6, .915 SV%, 2.79 GAA)
Key injuries: DAL D Esa Lindell (upper body); SJ LW Jonathan Dahlen (upper body), D Mario Ferraro (fibula), RW Kevin Labanc (upper body).
SVA CF%/xGF% Since All-Star Break: Stars 48.7%/52.0%; Sharks 40.7%/41.4%
NHL Betting Notes: Stars are 25-13-2 as favorites and Sharks are 16-25-7 as underdogs. Stars are 15-7-1 since the All-Star break and Sharks are 7-10-4 since the break. DAL LW Jason Robertson leads the Stars with 20 points (14 G, 6 A) in 23 games since the All-Star break, ahead of C Roope Hintz (9 G, 10 A) and LW Jamie Benn (6 G, 13 A). SJ RW Timo Meier leads the Sharks with 20 points (10 G, 10 A) in 21 games since the All-Star break, just ahead of C Tomas Hertl (4 G, 15 A). Stars have reached a total of six goals or less in seven of their past 11 games.
Best bet: Stars (-150 via DraftKings)