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Looking for value on a Saturday card? Of course we all know about the College Basketball card as that’s where most bettors turn at this time of year. However, those that are looking to pad their bankrolls with even more profits realize that value can be had on a deep Saturday card of NHL action. With 12 games to choose from on a Saturday that promises to be full of “Puck bucks” let’s take a look at four potential “investment opportunities” as, with 24 NHL teams in action Saturday, there are certainly some intriguing match-ups that have our attention!
TORONTO @ PHILADELPHIA – You don’t realize just how truly bad Toronto is until you try to make a play on them. On Thursday, we made the ill-advised mistake of recommending an investment on the Maple Leafs.
After all, they were rested, coming off of an embarrassing home loss to the Panthers, and they were catching the Canadiens at the perfect time. Yes, the game was in Montreal but the Leafs have actually been better on the road than at home this season. The Habs were dealing with goal-tending problems because of the Cary Price injury and Montreal had won on the road the night before! Perfect spot for the Maple Leafs to come out fired up on the road and get a big upset win.
Instead, Toronto goes out and gets pummeled. Now, we know the Flyers are going to be laying a hefty price on the money line here so our advice is to consider taking a look at Philadelphia on the puck line in this one. They could pummel the Leafs as, no matter what coach Ron Wilson does, he can not seem to get this team going!
SAN JOSE @ VANCOUVER – This is being written prior to Friday’s Canucks game but we already know that the city of Vancouver is abuzz with excitement with Mats Sundin now in a Canucks uniform. He made his Vancouver debut on Wednesday at Edmonton and we rode the Canucks to a 4 to 2 victory that night. As expected, they rode the positive energy of having a dynamic player making his first appearance with the club! This excitement will take awhile to fade and that certainly is not likely to happen in this spot. The Canucks are hosting a Sharks team that has been at the top of the Western Conference for much of this season. San Jose has not been the same dominant team though now that they were earlier this season.
The Sharks will be in a back to back situation as they are at Edmonton on Friday night and they went into the game having won just four of their last nine games! While their result against the Oilers is unknown at the time of this writing, we do know the Sharks recent results have been “shaky” at best and the Canucks, riding a wave of emotion, are absolutely worth a look as a potential play on Saturday night.
The underdog value the Canucks are providing, while catching the Sharks in a tough back-to-back, should not be ignored. Yes, Vancouver’s scheduling situation is not the greatest as they are also in a back-to-back but at least both games are home games for the Canucks.
DALLAS @ PHOENIX – The Stars early season struggles, overall but particularly on defense, seem to be behind them for them most part. However, this didn’t stop them from getting pummeled by the Red Wings on Thursday. What that should mean Saturday night is a concerted effort from Dallas to get right back on track. Yes, they’re on the road and Phoenix has been solid on home ice this season. But, we also know that the Coyotes barely got by the Lighting on Thursday and Tampa Bay is not exactly among the league’s elite! Now Phoenix will be dealing with a division rival that is very upset about the way they played Thursday. That means the Coyotes will get the best Dallas has to offer and the Stars will be worth a look as a road dog in this one.
The Stars were 11-6-1 in their last 18 before getting pounded by the Red Wings in Detroit. Dallas had also displayed improved defense and goaltending with just 16 goals allowed in their last six games before Detroit lit the lamp six times. Phoenix had lost their last two games by a combined score of 8 to 0 and a win over a poor Lightning club doesn’t mean all is suddenly ‘clicking’ again for the Coyotes. Dallas comes in hungry off the loss!
MINNESOTA @ COLUMBUS – With this being one of just two games on the Saturday card with a total posted of just five goals, it may be enticing to take the over here. However, this match-up easily features two of the league’s most anemic offenses. Both of these clubs are having an awful time in terms of trying to score goals. Minnesota has just 27 tallies in their last 16 games! As for the Jackets, since their 6 goal outburst at Buffalo on November 14th, they’ve had two more games where they’ve exploded for five or more goals! As for the other 22 games they’ve scored a total of just 42 goals. As you can see, both teams struggle just to get to two goals on any given night. That means a lot of 2-1 and 2-0 type games result.
At most, we see a 3-1 type game developing tonight. There’s simply not that much firepower on either side and Minnesota continues to be hindered by all the time that Marian Gaborik misses. Also, the Blue Jackets Rick Nash was not in the lineup Friday against Washington and he and the Jackets Kristian Huselius and Derick Brassard – the three leading scorers – are all injured. Brassard is actually out for the season. Steve Mason has been doing a fantastic job in goal for Columbus and the Wild are well-known for having some of the best defensive numbers in the league. Their goalie tandem of Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding have a lot to do with that. All signs point to the under being worth a look in this one!
