Expert NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Saturday, March 23

NHL Best Bets

Is it possible that I’m finally heating up? Luck seems to be turning my way in March and what better way to test it than a loaded Saturday of hockey? Let’s get right into my NHL best bets.

Winnipeg at NY Islanders (-135, 5.5)

The Winnipeg Jets will play their fourth game of a five-game road trip. They’re coming off a loss against the New Jersey Devils. Connor Hellebuyck is set to be back in goal after having the night off against the Devils, and the Islanders have been struggling. 

The Islanders have lost six straight games and seem to have lost their hopes of making the playoffs. Winnipeg is now two points back of the Central Division lead, but this group is a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup. 

With Hellebuyck in goal, the Jets are a very tough team to beat. This season, Hellebuyck is 32-15-3 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average. 

On the other hand, the Islanders have been horrendous in their own end over the past five games. They’ve allowed a minimum of four goals against in each of those five games. This team has had a very disappointing past few weeks. 

Thanks to Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, the Jets offense hasn’t missed a beat this season. In their last 10 games, Connor has tallied five goals and Scheifele has added four of his own. These two should be able to pick apart the Islanders. 

NHL Best Bet: Winnipeg Jets ML -135 (play to -145)

Edmonton at Toronto (+114, 6.5)

There’s certainly no denying this will be the game of the night. Watching Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews go at it is always a treat. The Edmonton Oilers have been on fire as of late. They’re 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. The Maple Leafs have also looked pretty strong, going 6-3-1 in their last 10. 

These are two teams trying to find their best form with the playoffs right around the corner. One thing they can each rely on is their offense. Both the Leafs and Oilers have been averaging north of three goals per game in March. The Oilers are scoring 3.80 goals per game, and the Leafs are tallying 3.00 each contest. 

Matthews, John Tavares and Willy Nylander have been buzzing offensively. The three have combined to score 18 goals in the team’s last 10 games. For Edmonton, McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman have combined for 18 goals in the same span. 

While both teams have gotten better goaltending from Stuart Skinner and Ilya Samsonov, in my opinion, neither of them can be trusted in a game like this. I expect an up-and-down track meet in this game between two of the NHL’s best offensive teams. 

Let me see all the goals. 

NHL Best Bet: Over 6.5 -115 (play to -135)

March Record: 22-16 (+3.34 units)

2023-24 record: 122–127 (-29.62 units)