Ryan Hodges
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The NHL is treating us to a crazy good schedule on Saturday. Beginning at 12:30 pm ET, we will have a good 12 hours of hockey with 12 games to enjoy. Whether it is new faces in new sweaters or implications on the playoff race, there is a lot to watch for today. Try to knock out any chores you can as soon as you can so that you can hit the couch and enjoy every possible second of today’s slate! If you’re looking to combine a few plays that have value, check out this NHL mega parlay that has +1190 odds with DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing.
Detroit Red Wings vs New York Islanders under 6 (-120)
Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+120) vs Vancouver Canucks
Nashville Predators ML & game total under 5.5 vs Chicago Blackhawks (+220)
NHL parlay odds: +1190
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Detroit Red Wings vs New York Islanders under 6 (-120)
The makeup and trends of these teams give the under plenty of appeal. The total has gone under in 4 of the Islanders’ last 5 games and in 6 of their last 8 at home. These teams have played each other twice this season, with the Red Wings winning 3-0 and the Islanders winning 2-0. Those unders contribute to the total going under in 6 of their last 9 head-to-heads. When the Red Wings and Islanders meet, totals typically go low and the recent results for these squads indicate the trend have a good chance to continue on Saturday.
Detroit and New York generally struggle to produce offensively, which is the primary driver behind their low totals. The Red Wings rank 22nd in the NHL in goals scored per game and 20th in power-play percentage. The Islanders rank 24th in goals per game and 28th in power-play percentage. If both teams just hold to their averages, that general lack of scoring will give yet another under a very good look. On the defensive side, the Islanders rank 7th in goals allowed per game. Those strengths and weaknesses have led to low totals both this season as a whole and recently and Saturday should bring more of the same.
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Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+120) vs Vancouver Canucks
This is a lopsided matchup no matter how you slice it. Put very plainly, the Maple Leafs are a very good hockey team and the Canucks are not. Toronto has won 4 of its last 5 games and 4 of the last 6 on the road. The Maple Leafs are 7-3-0 in their last 10, which includes a 4-2 record against the spread on the road. The Canucks have actually enjoyed a decent stretch of hockey and have 2 wins in their last 5 games but they are plain outmatched in this one. As long as the Maple Leafs do not completely mail it in and at least stick to their averages, they should be able to win by a couple of goals without much issue.
The Leafs both score more and allow fewer goals per game than the Canucks. They have better special teams than Vancouver and they have an edge in goal differential, shot differential, save percentage, blocked shot differential and goals scored and allowed at 5-on-5. In their 4 wins among 5 their last games played, the Leafs beat the the Sabres, Wild, Kraken and Flames by a combined score of 15-6. That is a good stretch against strong opponents. Toronto is excited about its new-look roster and strong play and the Leafs are flat out getting it done right now and have a lot of advantages in this one.
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Nashville Predators ML & game total under 5.5 vs Chicago Blackhawks (+220)
The Predators and Blackhawks have both had significant roster turnover in the past week and not in a positive way. Chicago has shipped out star Patrick Kane, Max Domi, Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, while Nashville has lost Mikael Granlund and Mattias Eckholm. In this matchup, the Predators already had the deeper roster and although it’s not saying as much now, they still do. With the look of this Blackhawks roster, they have to play a near-perfect game to beat any team remotely average or better. At this point, Chicago is focused on ending this season and getting Connor Bedard in the draft lottery. The players who remain will still play hard but the Predators should take care of business just fine in this one.
The Blackhawks have the 6th-worst goal prevention in the league this year, which would usually bode well for the over. But the Predators rank 25th in the league in goals scored per game so it offsets the Blackhawks’ inability to keep the puck out of their net. Chicago scores the fewest goals per game in the league and the most important pieces of their offense this season are now wearing other sweaters. Lack of goalscoring should outweigh any lack of goal prevention and bring a low total on Saturday. Even with their traded-away players, neither the Preds or Blackhawks produced much offensively. Now without them, production should take even more of a hit. There just isn’t enough offense in this matchup.
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