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With the NHL returning to play this Saturday – I wanted to share my best bets for the first day of action. There are five games scheduled for Saturday in Toronto and Edmonton.
First off, here’s the NHL schedule for this Saturday:
Rangers (+113) vs. Hurricanes (-125) at 12:00PM ET
Blackhawks (+136) vs. Oilers (-150) at 3:00PM ET
Panthers (+100) vs. Islanders (-110) at 4:00PM ET
Canadiens (+143) vs. Penguins (-158) at 8:00PM ET
Jets (+104) vs. Flames (-115) at 10:30PM ET
You can bet on every NHL playoff game at America’s Bookie or BetOnline.
Rangers vs. Hurricanes Game 1 Predictions
Best Bet: New York Rangers ML (+113)
The Rangers (37-33-5) have owned the Hurricanes (38-30-5) head-to-head.
NYR went 4-0 against Carolina this season – outscoring them 17-9. The Rangers two superstars have had success against the Hurricanes this season as well. Artemi Panarin (95 Points) has nine points and Mika Zibanejad (75 Points) has seven points in the four games against Carolina this season.
As a team, the Rangers rank #5 (3.33 GPG) in goal scored and #23 (3.14 GA/G) in goals allowed, while the Hurricanes rank #11 (3.19 GPG) in scoring and #11 (2.84 GA/G) in goals conceded.
It also looks like Dougie Hamilton will miss the restart, as he’s still unfit. That’s going to really hurt the Hurricanes in this series and I expect the Rangers to cruise to a game 1 victory.
Panthers vs. Islanders Game 1 Predictions
Best Bet: New York Islanders ML (-110)
I’m predicting both New York teams will win their respective game 1 match-ups on Saturday.
The Islanders (35-33-10) play the Panthers (35-34-8) in this play-in round series. NYI went 3-0 in the H2H regular season series – outscoring the Panthers 8-4. The Isles started the season fire and they were 16-3-1 after the first 20 games, but they only won two of their last 13 games before COVID-19.
I expect the break to help out the Islanders. The problem has been goal scoring (2.78 GPG – 22nd), but the offense has had stretches where they played great. It also helps that they’re playing the Panthers in the play-in round, as Florida rank #28 (3.25 GA/G) in goals against.
Florida ranked #6 (3.30 GPG) in goals, but the Islanders play good defense. They only allow 2.79 GA/G (9th) and held Florida to four goals in three games. The Islanders upset the Penguins in last year’s playoffs and that experience will propel them to a game 1 victory on Saturday.
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Blackhawks vs. Oilers Game 1 Predictions
Best Bet: Chicago Blackhawks ML (+136)
The Oilers (37-34-9) meet the Blackhawks (32-38-8) in the play-in round. The Oilers will be playing at home, but they have to stay in the bubble like every other team.
Still, playing at your home rink has to give them a bit of an edge. The Blackhawks have nothing to lose, though and they have an experienced team that has had playoff success.
Brent Seabrook has opted out of the playoffs for Chicago and Corey Crawford’s status for game 1 is uncertain, as he was just allowed to rejoin the team after testing positive for COVID-19.
However, if the Blackhawks want to make any noise in the 2020 NHL playoffs, they need to win this first game. On paper, these teams aren’t separated by much. Edmonton score 3.14 GPG (14th) and allow 3.03 GA/G (15th), while Chicago score 2.97 GPG (18th) and allow 3.06 GA/G (16th).
Chicago didn’t have a lot of success this season, but they did go 2-1 in the H2H regular season series – outscoring the Oilers 10-9. The Blackhawks are definitely a live underdog on Saturday afternoon.
