NHL Expert Picks: Best Bets for Saturday, October 12

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Published on October 12, 2024

NHL Best Bets Tonight: Expert Hockey Parlay Picks for
Saturday, Oct. 12

The NHL has a full slate of 13 games on Saturday, with one afternoon game between the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins, which we will not include. We'll provide a handful of game previews and a quick analysis to make several different parlays work.

We have a lot to choose from, with six games in the 7 p.m. ET window, two more at 8 p.m., another at 9 p.m. and three puck drops at 10 p.m. or later.

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Best NHL Picks Tonight

Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens

The Ottawa Senators have picked up nine consecutive victories in this series dating back to April 5th, 2022, with the Sens outscoring the Habs 45-22 during that span. The favorite has cashed in the past 10 meetings in this series, too.

Ottawa opened with a 3-1 win over the defending champ Florida Panthers on Thursday, as Tim Stutzle netted two goals and Linus Ullmark backstopped his new team to a victory in his debut.

The Habs opened with a shocking 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday, before being stopped 6-4 in Boston on Thursday. The over has cashed in four of the past five meetings, with the Over going 3-1-1 in the previous five meetings at Bell Centre. Let's go high, too, for a nice Same-Game Parlay (SGP).

Senators ML (-156 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 6 (-115 at BetMGM)

Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres

The Panthers are looking to bounce back after that stunning loss in Ottawa. Florida looked good and lightning quick, rolling to a big lead in the first 20 minutes against the Boston Bruins Tuesday. The Panthers held on for a 6-4 win as the over cashed.

The Sabres have struggled to date, losing all three games by a combined 10-3 score. Buffalo has managed a single goal in all three outings, too, including two losses in a back-to-back at O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia, and a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Thursday, which saw Anze Kopitar erupt for a hat trick against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Roll with the champs against the Sabres. It is a little surprising Florida isn't favored by much, much more.

Panthers ML (-130 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Utah Hockey Club at New York Rangers

The Utah Hockey Club has been a fun team to watch so far. Utah has racked up five goals in each of its first two games, both victories. That includes a 5-4 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Connor Ingram might get a break after allowing six goals in the first two games and working overtime on Thursday night.

Igor Shesterkin pitched a shutout in the team's opener at Pittsburgh, a 6-0 win, which pushed at most shops. Chris Kreider picked up where he left off in the playoffs, posting a pair of goals, including a shorthanded marker. Five different Blueshirts lit the lamp.

Let's go high here.

Over 6.0 Goals (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

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Chicago Blackhawks at Edmonton Oilers

The Blackhawks have gotten off to a bit of an uneven start, going 0-1-1 in two games so far, with their only point coming in a 2-1 overtime loss at Winnipeg on Friday. Now, Chicago plays a back-to-back.

Last season, the Blackhawks were just 1-9-0 in 10 games when playing on no rest. They were also 2-8-0 on the puck line in those 10 games on no rest while posting a minus-15 goal differential in the 10-game span.

The Oilers are going to be super angry after getting embarrassed 6-0 in the season opener against the Jets. Look for Edmonton to take its frustration out on Chicago.

Oilers -1.5 (-128 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks

The Ducks are the last team to make their regular-season debut, as they finally get on the ice to take on the Sharks (0-0-1). San Jose had a 4-1 lead against the St. Louis Blues in the opener but allowed four unanswered goals, including the game-winning tally in overtime, to blow it 5-4.

The Sharks still picked up a point and some good things did happen. Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, had his first goal of the season while adding an assist. Big free-agent signing Tyler Toffoli also had a goal and an assist. Mackenzie Blackwood was tasked with making 35 saves, but he knuckled under in the third period and overtime.

The over has cashed in seven of the past nine meetings in this series and in five straight battles at SAP Center. Let's go high, and feel confident in doing so.