All but two of the NHL’s 32 teams are set to be in action on Saturday as the schedule is packed with 15 games. The puck drops early, too, with a pair of games including a marquee matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Today’s NHL Odds
- Tampa Bay Lightning (+140) at Boston Bruins (-165)
- Detroit Red Wings (+110) at Philadelphia Flyers (-130)
- Seattle Kraken (-135) at Nashville Predators (+115)
- San Jose Sharks (+250) at Calgary Flames (-300)
- Winnipeg Jets (+105) at Los Angeles Kings (-125)
- Buffalo Sabres (+150) at New York Islanders (-175)
- New York Rangers (EVEN) at Florida Panthers (-120)
- Chicago Blackhawks (+285) at Minnesota Wild (-345)
- Ottawa Senators (+145) at New Jersey Devils (-170)
- Columbus Blue Jackets (+105) at Montreal Canadiens (-125)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+125) at Carolina Hurricanes (-145)
- Vancouver Canucks (+165) at Dallas Stars (-195)
- Washington Capitals (+120) at Pittsburgh Penguins (-140)
- Vegas Golden Knights (+155) at Edmonton Oilers (-180)
- St. Louis Blues (-155) at Anaheim Ducks (+135)
Visit VSiN NHL Odds to see the full board.
NHL Schedule Breakdown
The following table highlights tired spots and/or days’ rest.
|
Rest
|
Visitor
|
Home
|
Rest
|
|
1
|
SJS
|
CGY
|
4/6
|
|
1
|
NYR
|
FLA
|
4/6
|
|
1
|
WSH
|
PIT
|
3/4
|
|
1
|
WPG
|
LAK
|
4
|
|
1
|
VGK
|
EDM
|
2
|
|
4/6
|
DET
|
PHI
|
1
|
|
1
|
TBL
|
BOS
|
1
|
|
1
|
SEA
|
NSH
|
1
|
|
1
|
CHI
|
MIN
|
1
|
|
1
|
VAN
|
DAL
|
1
|
|
1
|
TOR
|
CAR
|
1
|
|
1
|
STL
|
ANA
|
1
|
|
0
|
CBJ
|
MTL
|
1
|
|
4/6
|
OTT
|
NJD
|
0
|
|
0
|
BUF
|
NYI
|
0
|
Latest NHL News
- Canadiens’ forward Josh Anderson will miss the remainder of the regular season with a high ankle sprain. The 28-year-old ranks third on the team in goals (21) and he was one of Montreal’s most durable players, ranking second in games played with 69, in season where injuries were a big issue. Nick Suzuki, who has 26 goals on the season, is now the only 20-goal scorer in the Montreal lineup.
- Blue Jackets’ forward Patrick Laine will miss two-to-four weeks with a triceps injury. Laine has only 55 games this season but still ranks second on the team in goals and points. Like Montreal, Columbus now has just one 20-goal scorer (Boone Jenner) in the lineup.
- On Thursday, Predators’ head coach John Hynes told reporters that star forward Filip Forsberg’s progress had stagnated, claiming that the forward is not close to returning.
- Roman Josi is still listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury, and it is unclear if he will return to the Nashville lineup on Saturday. Side note: The Predators will unveil a statue of long-time goaltender Pekka Rinne before the game on Saturday.
- Pittsburgh’s defense has been decimated by injuries as Jeff Petry, Jan Rutta, Marcus Pettersson and Dmitry Kulikov have all been put on the shelf since March 15th. Even some of the would-be call ups are injured.
- Penguins’ goaltender Tristan Jarry also suffered another injury just a month after returning from a long absence. His status heading into Saturday’s game is unknown, but he hasn’t been good since returning and Casey DeSmith has been doing a better job stopping pucks as of late.
- Blues’ defenseman Torey Krug is expected to link up with the team in California after missing Thursday’s game. Forward Robert Thomas also missed Thursday’s game and he is listed as day-to-day with an illness and his status for Saturday’s game is up in the air.
- With no timetable on Mark Stone’s return to the lineup, the injury bug couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Golden Knights. Forward Reilly Smith and goaltender Logan Thompson were sent home ahead of Saturday’s game in Edmonton due to injury and forward William Carrier is listed day-to-day. Defenseman Alec Martinez was also sent back to Vegas due to personal reasons.
- Quick note about Boston’s goaltending: Most voters have Linus Ullmark pencilled in as the Vezina Trophy winner, and rightfully so, but backup Jeremy Swayman probably doesn’t get enough credit. He’s been great for most of this season, and he’s been better than Ullmark, at least through the lens of GSAx, since Jan. 1st. In fact, Swayman ranks second in that category since the beginning of February.
Today’s Best Bets
- Los Angeles Kings (Moneyline) -125
Kings’ forward Kevin Fiala has progressed a lot over the last few days and has re-joined the group, but it doesn’t look like he will be ready to return to the lineup in time to take on the Jets. Forward Gabriel Vilardi and defenseman Sean Durzi do appear to be ready to return, though, and in terms of current form, there’s a big gap between these two teams, who weren’t all that far apart a few months back.
In fact, the Jets appeared to be a team on the rise, but instead, they have gone 7-17 straight up since the middle of February. Uncoincidentally, they only scored four or more goals in six of those games, and their goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been mediocre. On the other hand, Kings' goaltenders Pheonix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo have been among the best at the position as of late.
While Hellebuyck is clearly the best goaltender of the three, the Kings are a good bet at -125 because, considering the sum of all their parts, they are a better team than the odds suggest. Los Angeles ranks fourth in expected goals and shot attempt percentage since the beginning of February. Only two teams have scored more goals per 60 minutes and only three teams have allowed fewer goals (per 60).
Meanwhile, Winnipeg has struggled to stay above level with 50 percent expected goals percentage over the last month. The Jets scored just 40 percent of the goals during that time. Luck, coaching, lack of effort has all combined to plague the Jets, and even though the Kings would be better off with Fiala in the lineup, they’re still in a good position to pick up a win on Saturday.
Keep an eye on forward Quinton Byfield, who is currently on the top line alongside Anzi Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has just 21 points in 42 games this season, but he has nine points (one goal and eight assists) in his last 10 games. His ice time is all over the place, though.
Bet: Los Angeles Kings -125
All bets tracked via third part app Betstamp.