The best bets to win from Saturday's NHL slate.

Winner winner, chicken dinner! Last weekend I managed to go a perfect six for six. Everything went as to plan along with the Capitals who seem to be gaining traction as of late. This past week has been a reminder to everyone, stand PAT in the early goings and trust the fantasy studs. John Carlson and John Klingberg seem to have finally woken up and that is music to the ears of all their fantasy owners.  

Time to get down to the nitty gritty.

Record: 11 – 1

Florida @ Washington (7pm ET)

Here come the Caps. Washington have been on a nice little run as they have won four straight coming into this matchup with the Panthers. The secondary scoring has done a ton of damage for the Caps with Marcus Johansson doing his best Alex Ovechkin impersonation with five goals in his last four games. However, the big boys came alive in the last game as Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin combined for six points against the Jets in a 4-3 win. Furthermore, John Carlson chipped in two apples letting the fantasy world know he is in fact still alive and well. The Panthers have gone through a rough streak as they have lost four of their last six games. Those two wins came against the Red Wings and Devils, hardly tough competition. I really don’t see how Florida can get a win here. The Caps are a confident bunch right now and they are playing at the Verizon Center. A healthy Panthers squad would give the Capitals a good run but without stars such as Jonathan Huberdeau I think the Caps get the routine win here.

Key Stat: Panthers are 5-16 in the last 21 meetings in Washington.  

Pick: Washington – Home Team Win – H

Vancouver @ Toronto (7pm ET)

I normally never take the Maple Laughs but the Canucks are just horrid. The Leafs have not played too bad this season and to be honest they could easily be near the top of the Eastern Conference if it were not for a few blown leads and poor goaltending. However, it seems as if Frederik Andersen may be turning a corner as he has put together four solid starts in a row with a .953 SV% over that span. Along with the solid goaltending has been some superb play from the youngsters. Two rookies currently lead the Leafs in scoring and it is William Nylander not Auston Matthews who is atop with eleven points on the year. There is not much to say about the Canucks. The Sedin twins have slowly declined over the years and the Canucks have decided to go down with the ship rather than rebuild for the future. The Maple Laughs will get their third consecutive win tonight and Andersen is definitely a tempting DFS play. Take the Leafs.

Key Stat: Home team is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.

Pick: Toronto – Home Team Win – H

New Jersey @ Tampa Bay (7pm ET)

Only two points separate these teams in the standings. But I think we all know the Bolts are a much better squad on paper and on the ice. So why have the Bolts underperformed thus far? Goaltending is part of the problem as Ben Bishop has been rather shaky this season with a 3.30 GAA and .891 SV%. However, the cream always rises to the top and a few solid games will correct those stats in a hurry. Tonight is one of those games for Bishop and a shutout is definitely not out of the question. The Devils are quite impotent on offense as they are 28^th in the league in scoring with 21 goals on the season. Lucky for them they have Cory Schneider who continues to post elite numbers season after season. The last time these teams met the Devils won 3-1 at home. I think the Bolts will get their revenge tonight and Bishop should be a solid play in DFS. Take the Bolts.

Key Stat: Devils are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings in Tampa Bay.

Pick: Tampa Bay – Home Team Win – H

Philadelphia @ Montreal (7pm ET)

The Canadiens lost last night to Columbus 10-0. No I did not mean 1-0, you read right. Naturally, after losing 10-0 I take the Habs to win tonight against a Flyers squad that has quietly put together a three-game winning streak. Why you ask? It’s simple. His name is Carey Price and he can win games on his own. Don’t believe me? Look at his last game against the Canucks where he made an absurd 42 saves on route to a 3-0 shutout win. Although the Flyers come into this one rather hot and the Canadiens are on the tail end of a back-to-back… I can never bet against Price. Additionally, the Flyers goaltending situation is rather murky between Michael Neuvirth and Steve Mason. I think the Habs will rebound from last night’s pummeling and put more than a few by Neuvirth as he is projected to start. When Carey plays the Canadiens are simply a different animal. Give me the Habs.

Key Stat: Flyers are 0-5 in the last 5 meetings in Montreal.

Pick: Montreal – Home Team Win – H     

Columbus @ St. Louis (8pm ET)

As mentioned earlier, the Blue Jackets absolutely annihilated the Canadiens last night 10-0. After I took a few jabs at Coach Torterella last week the Blue Jackets have responded by scoring 17 goals in their last three games. Sergei Bobrovsky has reminded the fantasy world that he is in fact an elite goalie when healthy by posting two shutouts in his last three games. Columbus seems to be rather balanced on offense as their scoring has come from all four lines. Scoring for the Blues on the other hand has not been balanced or for that matter existent as they have a scored a remarkable five goals in their last five games. The Blues have only two wins in their last eight games but still remain near the top of the Western Conference. Based on recent trends it would make sense to take the Blue Jackets as they are rolling whereas the Blues are reeling. However, I think this is a good spot for St. Louis to turn things around and get a much needed win in front of their home crowd at the Scottrade Center. Not to mention the Blue Jackets are on the tail end of a back-to-back and they should be all scored-out after lighting the lamp 10 times last night. Give me the Blues in a get well game.

Key Stat: Blue Jackets are 10-29-1 in the last 40 meetings in St. Louis

Pick: St. Louis – Home Team Win – H       

Chicago @ Dallas (8pm ET)

The Dallas Stars offense came alive in their last game scoring six goals against the Blues in a 6-2 victory. In that win the three-headed monster of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg combined for nine points. It may be too soon to say this but I think the giants have awoken in Dallas. The Chicago Blackhawks are however a perfect test to see if the offensive juggernaut known as the Dallas Stars are back because Corey Crawford has been lights out as of late. Crawford has posted two shutouts in his last three games and the Blackhawks seem to be back on track as the scoring has also come alive. This will be a fun one to watch as the Stars will need to score many goals in order to get a win here. I expect a high scoring affair and the Stars to pull off the home win behind a strong performance from the aforementioned three-headed monster.

Key Stat: Blackhawks are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings.  

Pick: Dallas – Home Team Win – H

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