NHL Sports Betting Saturday Preview

Story posted January 28, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Evan Popalis

The sports industry has seen a surge over the last year in sports gambling. As sports continue to start back up after months of pause, the sportsbooks will be popular once again.

The NHL has undoubtedly been one of the more difficult sports to pinpoint with consistent lineup changes and play on a nightly basis. However, play during the first few weeks of the season has built the confidence for today’s picks.

This Saturday includes a full-slate of impactful games. 12 puck drops are scheduled to take place, and there will be plenty of can’t miss action. Here are some plays to consider for Saturday’s matchups.

Nashville at Tampa Bay (-1.5) looks to be a possible steal in primetime action. The Lightning are one of the league’s top-scoring teams, while Nashville has been nothing special on the penalty kill. The Predators rank last in the NHL at 61.5% on the kill.

Tampa will have its opportunities to score, and the Bolts should have no problem putting pucks in the back of the net.
Play: Lightning -1.5

Though by Saturday, the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes will have only played a combined eight games on the season, this matchup seems clear. The probable over/under is 5.5.

Both of these squads have elite defensive cores that are capable of shutting each other down. Picture this game as a 2-1, 3-2 tight-checking style hockey game.
Play: Under 5.5

Much like the game before, Islanders-Flyers seems to resonate the same feeling. In their first six games, the Islanders have had no game eclipse the minimum 5.5 goal mark for sportsbooks.

Islanders goalie, Semyon Varlamov, has the best save percentage in the league at .966%. Head coach Barry Trotz has turned this New York squad into a defensive machine. Expect a physically demanding game where both goaltenders shine for their respective clubs.
Play: Under 5.5

A battle in the West division between the Blues and Ducks might be a sleeper game for Saturday’s action. While the Blues are the definite favorite in this matchup, the Ducks have been a tough out in this young season.

The Ducks are an assertive, grinding team that is difficult to play against. Anaheim does not give the opposing team much room with the puck. All of its games have been tightly contested, and this one should be too.

Maybe not a win for Anaheim, but a close one against the 2019 Champs from St. Louis.
Play: Ducks +1.5

One player prop to consider for Saturday night comes from Winnipeg. Nikolaj Ehlers of the Jets currently has five goals to his credit, and the Jets host the Vancouver Canucks for the nightcap.

Vancouver is second to last in goals-against average in the NHL, allowing opponents to score over four goals per game. Look for Ehlers to put another one home against a couple of struggling Canucks goaltenders
Play: Nikolaj Ehlers goal scorer

A busy day of games in the hockey world on Saturday has excitement levels rising. Adding a little money to the wallet would take that excitement to a new level.

 

Evan Popalis is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email eqp5229@psu.edu.

 

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About the Contributors

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Evan Popalis

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Evan Popalis is a third-year from Lititz, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is a writer, analyst, and play-by-play commentator for the CommRadio sports department. His writings include weekly NHL betting previews along with power rankings for the NHL and NFL. He appears weekly on the NHL Podcast as a host and analyst reviewing the previous week’s action. If you would like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).