Saturday is easily the most crucial day of the NHL’s regular season so far.
There are 11 games on the docket, and nine of them feature at least one team within five points of the playoff cutline. And one of the outliers, Minnesota vs. Dallas, pits two teams jockeying for home-ice advantage. The only true dead-rubber game is St. Louis vs. Vancouver.
Better yet, the action gets underway at 1 p.m. ET with staggered starts throughout the day until a massive late-night puck drop between the Oilers and Lightning to close the show on “Hockey Night in Canada.”
Cards like this don’t come around very often, and what better way to celebrate than by building a long-shot parlay?
Jets vs. Penguins, 1 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh deserves tons of credit for hanging onto a playoff spot despite the injury to Sidney Crosby. The Pens’ captain made his return to the lineup against Carolina and helped his team scrape together a point in a wild overtime loss.
That defeat revealed some of the cracks underneath the surface for the Penguins of late.
Pittsburgh’s defensive structure has come unglued, leading to some struggles in goal. A high shooting percentage and terrific special teams have kept the Pens afloat, but their recent numbers scream regression.
The Jets will be a dangerous, desperate underdog in Steeltown on Saturday afternoon. Take Winnipeg on the moneyline (+134, FanDuel) to get the day started.
The Play: Jets moneyline (+134, FanDuel)
Sabres vs. Kings, 4 p.m. ET
The Kings are turning themselves into an intriguing long shot in the futures market. They still need to get into the dance, but if Los Angeles ends up in the Pacific bracket, it can go on a run.
One of the reasons to believe that the Kings will get into the postseason is its ability to drag games beyond regulation. Los Angeles has gone to overtime an NHL-leading 26 times this season, and Saturday’s out-of-conference tilt with the Sabres sets up well for more free hockey, as both of these clubs will be keen on grabbing anything they can from this game and moving on.
You can get +300 on Kings vs. Sabres to go past 60 minutes.
The Play: Sabres vs. Kings to go to overtime (+300, FanDuel)
Maple Leafs vs. Senators, 7 p.m. ET
It’s not a good habit to just blindly bet against teams because they’ve got nothing to play for, but there are some exceptions to the rule. The Toronto Maple Leafs fit that bill. Not only are the Buds limping to the finish line, but they are caught up in a media maelstrom after nobody stepped up to challenge Anaheim’s Radko Gudas when he injured captain Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit. Toronto just wants this season to end.
The Senators, meanwhile, are playing must-win hockey from here on out. And it also doesn’t hurt that Ottawa loves nothing more than embarrassing big brother, especially on “Hockey Night in Canada.”
Toronto is on the second night of a back-to-back and will be ripe for the taking here. The Sens are -130 to win by at least two goals.
The Play: Senators -1.5 (-130, FanDuel)
Islanders vs. Canadiens, 7 p.m. ET
Perhaps the biggest game on the slate, only one point separates the Islanders and Canadiens. The Isles will be feeling the pressure after dropping out of the playoff picture for the first time since Dec. 4, thanks to a gut-punch against the Senators on Thursday, but the Habs are also feeling the heat after they blew a late lead in a regulation loss to the Red Wings on the same night.
Given the stakes, this could be a cagey affair, which should set us up well for another play overtime bet.
Only two teams have gone past 60 minutes more than the Canadiens, and only six have played more 3-on-3 periods than the Isles. You’re getting +330 on this one to stretch past regulation.
The Play: Isles/Canadiens to go to overtime (+330, FanDuel)
The Parlay: Jets moneyline/Sabres-Kings to go to overtime/Senators -1.5/Isles vs. Canadiens to go to overtime (70/1, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
