NHL Betting Preview: Saturday, March 13
Twelve games will be played Saturday as the NHL season approaches the midway mark. Tremendous play continues throughout the league as teams battle for a spot in the coveted Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Fighting for the opportunity to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup reminds the players how important every game is during the regular season. This week’s betting preview contains teams that are in the thick of the playoff push.
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to hold the top spot in the league’s standings as they search for a possible President’s Trophy. The Leafs play host to the Winnipeg Jets in a matchup that will be the finale of a three-game set between the two clubs.
Auston Matthews has been sensational putting the puck in the back of the net, but the secondary scoring has also helped the Leafs in their last handful of games. Zach Hyman has three goals, while Jason Spezza has four assists in Toronto's previous five.
The secondary scoring will propel more offensive firepower throughout the contest leading to the scoreboard lighting up on many occasions. Winnipeg has its own arsenal of goal-scoring talent as well.
Play: Over 6.5 goals
Contrary to the above selection, two well-structured defensive teams—the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues—will do battle on Saturday. These respected clubs lead the West division in points as the Blues try to overthrow the Golden Knights for the top spot.
Both squads have incredible goaltending tandems that have propelled their teams to many wins during this season. Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner have been superb for Vegas, while Jordan Binnington and newcomer Ville Husso have excelled for St. Louis.
Expect these teams to show off their top-tier goaltenders and experience on the back end as well, leading to a low-scoring affair.
Play: Under 5.5 or 6.5 goals
The Capitals head to Wells Fargo Center to take on the Flyers in an East division showdown. Two teams capable of scoring in the blink of an eye will share the ice in a highly anticipated matchup.
Washington and Philadelphia are consistently finding ways to win games to help themselves in their stacked division. Maybe two names that fans would not have expected to see leading these clubs in goals have been valuable assets this season: James van Riemsdyk for Philadelphia and Nicklas Backstrom for Washington.
This matchup will be the third time in seven days that the Flyers and the Caps square off against each other. A new prop bet is in store for this particular matchup.
Play: Both teams score a goal in the first period
The Pittsburgh Penguins currently find themselves in a playoff position and look to add cushion to that advantage when they play the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have had a dismal season with their top talents in Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner and newly acquired winger Taylor Hall barely contributing on the scoresheet.
Kasperi Kapanen started the season off slow but has become accustomed to his new club in Pittsburgh. Kapanen has four goals in his last five games played. Tristan Jarry has also started to get on a roll after a shaky start to the campaign.
The Sabres have struggled constantly for the last couple years and are starting to pack it in before the halfway mark of this shortened season. Pittsburgh should arrive in Buffalo Saturday and take this game handily.
Play: Pittsburgh -1.5
Evan Popalis is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email epopalis83@gmail.com.
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