As the midway mark of the NHL regular season passes, sports betting players have already witnessed the contenders begin to separate themselves from the pretenders, and establish themselves ahead of the rest. This weekend will move us closer to the playoffs, and while several teams have put themselves in a good position to compete in the big dance later on this year, the rest of the teams have to get going before they fall to far out of contention.
Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings
Saturday, 12:30 PM ET
The Blackhawks and Red Wings are two of those teams that have already established themselves as legitimate contenders in the west, and this could be a preview of a conference final matchup. Chicago is fighting to get back to the top of the west after dropping four straight before a home game against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, while the Red Wings were handled with ease on Long Island. Detroit has been a very good team at home, but the desperate Blackhawks will give them all they’ve got in this best sportsbook matinee listing.
NHL Betting Pick: Chicago Blackhawks
New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Saturday, 7:00 PM ET
While Maple Leafs’ fans are happy to see their team back in playoff contention, Toronto will have to be careful not to let off the gas, as they still have the entire second half of the season to avoid falling back outside of the postseason picture. The Rangers meanwhile aren’t worried about anything at all with a comfortable lead atop the Eastern conference, but that is partly because head coach John Tortorella has constantly preached the concept of consistency being tied to success. The Maple Leafs have already had some hiccups against top teams this season, and could be caught against a New York team that has more credit than is being acknowledged.
NHL Betting Pick: New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens
Saturday, 7:00 PM ET
It will be a meeting of teams that were expected to be in opposite positions at this point in the season when the Canadiens play the Senators, as Ottawa has exceeded expectations to remain in a top-eight spot while Montreal has failed to capitalize on their considerable young talent and put it all together. The Canadiens are too talented to remain down for much longer, while the opposite can be said about a Senators’ team that could start to slide.
NHL Betting Pick: Montreal Canadiens
Philadelphia Flyers @ Nashville Predators
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET
Of all the problems that Flyers’ fans thought they would have to deal with this season, goaltending had to have been at the bottom of the list after restructuring their entire team to sign free agent Ilya Bryzgalov to a long-term deal. Despite Bryzgalov’s struggles, Philadelphia has managed to remain a top team based on the offensive contributions of a stacked top-six that includes Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr. The Predators are known for their strong defensive play, but even they will struggle to contain the Flyers’ forwards as sportsbook underdogs.
NHL Betting Pick: Philadelphia Flyers