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This is Daily Dangles, a column featuring our top expert’s NHL picks, predictions, and best bets.
Every day, one of our experts will provide you with some of the sharpest, high-value betting analysis on what the NHL schedule offers us.
For Saturday, October 10, Greg Liodice has us covered.
NHL Picks, Predictions Tonight
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Flyers vs Bruins Pick
The Bruins are fresh off a dominating win against the Mammoth on Thursday, and now they face a vulnerable Philadelphia Flyers roster.
Flyers fans had a lot to like last season, but after losing their first five games, they're starting to sweat.
Rasmus Ristolainen missed Thursday’s game with an undisclosed injury, and if he misses this afternoon’s game, it could be even more trouble for the Flyers.
Boston, on the other hand, is humming. It got past the two 4-1 losses to both the Senators and the Wild, and there’s enough reason for me to believe that there’s more to come.
Obviously, it’s a small sample size, but this team has been elite at generating offensive chances. The Bruins are ranked sixth thus far in expected goals and even though the defense hasn’t shaped up, the goaltending is good enough to bail them out.
I anticipate Jeremy Swayman will get the nod once again for the B’s, though it’s unconfirmed that he’s starting. But even if coach Marco Sturm decided to roll with Michael DiPietro instead, I still like the B’s.
Philadelphia has one of the worst defenses in the league right now, ranking last in expected goals against. Its goaltending tandem featuring Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll is really strong, but if you continuously get hung out to dry by the D, it’s going to be a long season.
I’ll take Boston at home today.
Pick: Bruins Moneyline (-140)
Oilers vs Sharks Pick
I think I’m going to make this short and sweet.
If you’ve followed my work and know how I approach picks, you’ll know that this is a relatively cut-and-dry pick.
I love my Oilers overs, and until I’m consistently proven wrong, I’m going to continue loving them. But today’s game feels extra special.
It’ll be the first time that former long-time Oiler Darnell Nurse gets to play his old squad, but not only that, we get to see Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini against Tristan Jarry.
Someday the Oilers will get quality goaltending. But Jarry has been a total disaster since coming into town, and I expect the Sharks to light him up.
That also goes without saying that Edmonton’s offense remains one of the league’s best.
The Oilers have gotten off to slow starts, but have bounced back and run up the scoreboard. So let’s ride with the over.
Pick: Over 6.5 (-118)
Mammoth vs Sabres Pick
The Buffalo Sabres are going to be as good as their goaltending allows them to be.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was once deemed the future of goaltending in Buffalo, has had a disastrous start to the season. The most shots he’s faced in the three games he’s played was 22, and yet he has allowed at least three goals in all three of those games.
For a team that is looking to build on the most successful season in over a decade, that’s not going to get you anywhere. And rightfully so, Buffalo is looking to acquire Connor Hellebuyck.
Today will be a tall task for Buffalo, as it takes on the Utah Mammoth, who’s possibly one of the more exciting teams in the NHL.
Utah, with the young core it has, brought on veterans Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck to help guide its young studs.
And based on the first five games, it’s working.
The Mammoth currently have the best expected goals rate in the NHL, but the Sabres have one of the better defenses. So it ultimately comes down to goaltending on this one.
I’m attacking this in several ways. Two single bets, and then a tenth of a unit on a parlay. I’m banking on Luukkonen to start, but if it’s Colten Ellis instead, we may have to adjust.
Either way, I like the under to hit here. With Luukkonen’s struggles, this is a reach, but he has shown to be capable of playing quality hockey in his career. The Sabres’ defense is strong, and he should have all the help possible. If it’s Ellis in net, the under just got easier.
Secondly, I like the Mammoth to come away with the victory and to bounce back after getting crushed by Boston 6-1. I truly think the Mammoth are the biggest dark horse in hockey, and it shows with their exceptional 5-on-5 play.
Picks:
Blue Jackets vs Blues Pick
I have serious reason to be concerned about the Columbus Blue Jackets' short-term future.
After only playing in three games, the Jackets have a defensive depth problem. Dante Fabbro, Damon Severson, and Ivan Provorov are all out with injury.
There’s some solid depth here with Emil Andrae and Denton Mateychuk, but when you’re missing three key cogs in the lineup, it’s not ideal.
But what do I know? The Jackets are the third-best 5-on-5 defensive team in the league, so apparently something has to be working.
Columbus has Jet Greaves going in between the pipes, and Greaves has established himself as a legitimate netminder. Last season he ended up with a top-10 GSAx and had a .908 SV%.
St. Louis, on the other hand, has a weird outlook. I love the young talent it has, and love the moves it made in the offseason by acquiring Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael.
But I wonder if Jordan Binnington gets the start tonight. Binnington is apparently only good on international ice, because in the NHL, it’s been a downward trajectory since he helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.
But it’s been a rough go for the Blues in the first four games of the season, going 1-2-1, and the offense has been truly mediocre.
I tend to value the Jackets, though, in this matchup. They may be coming off a back-to-back, but Columbus went 9-5-2 on the backend of back-to-backs last season, so I’ll ride with them.
Pick: Blue Jackets Moneyline (+105)
