After a red-hot 5-1 start to my Saturday picks back in October, I hit the IR heavy for a couple weeks of post-wedding celebration recovery. Apologies for the lack of picks from your boy but I am back in a very big way this week to keep this loot train running for everyone.

Straight up, the 2022-23 NHL season has been a bit of a wild ride. Scary injuries, weird suspensions, hot-and-cold starts, you name it and we've likely already witnessed it. Hands in the air if you were one of the few to have predicted the four division leaders would be the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights – that's what I thought.

No one could have anticipated these impressively hot starts, or the cold ones, but now that we are one month into the new campaign things are starting to settle down a bit. Which means it's time to pounce on some advantageous situations and make some bank.

Today's board features 13 games, including two afternoon matinee matchups that will not be making my card. Welcome back, everyone, and good luck this week!

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2022-23 Saturday Record Breakdown (Complete Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks)

Gold: 0-1

Silver: 1-0
Bronze: 1-0

Side bets: 3-0

Total Saturday Record: 5-1-0

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Gold Selection

Trevor Zegras Anytime Point (-170)

If Zegras was playing in any other hockey market aside from Southern California he'd likely already be a superstar in this game. What I am really trying to get at here is it's time to put some respect on this kid's name for the energy, boldness, and overall level of fun he brings to a sport that desperately needs a shot of all three of those things on most nights.

We know he can pull off spectacular movie-like moves (which he almost did once again this week with a near-miss on another Michigan attempt) and his skillset on the offensive side of the puck is truly special, but the bottom line is Zegras can produce – even on a lackluster offensive squad like the Anaheim Ducks. Even though the Ducks currently sit tied for the fourth-least goals scored this season, I like this spot for a bit of an offensive breakout against a Chicago Blackhawks team that, despite a hot start, now has losses in seven of their last 10 games overall.

As for Zegras this season, he's once again been solid, registering seven goals and five assists in nearly 20 minutes of ice time per night while centering the Ducks' top line with the criminally underrated Troy Terry – who is off to another hot start himself.

This is a good spot for the Ducks and for Zegras, who is clearly playing with a lot of confidence in the offensive zone right now. Zegras to cash an anytime point is my Gold Pick of the evening.

Silver Selection

Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs – Pick: Over 6.5 (-125)

If you've been following this article at all over the past five seasons worth of picks, you know I love to hammer at least one OVER/UNDER bet a week. This is that spot for today with two teams that are seemingly involved in high-scoring games almost every night. Well, a quick dig into the numbers actually backs that notion up: five of each of Vancouver's last five games overall and six of its last six on the road have all gone OVER the total. The last time these two teams met also produced a total of 10 goals.

Say what you want to say about the Vancouver Canucks, the fact remains the team can score in bunches, and the same can be said for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both groups have clearly gone through some struggles so far this season, but this tilt just feels like one in which the goal horns get a serious workout. That could also be because the last time these two offensively-talented sides met produced a total of 10 goals last March.

Not only has Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko been struggling this season, the Leafs' situation in the blue paint also cannot be ignored, as rookie goalie Keith Petruzzelli is in line to make his NHL debut tonight with Toronto still dealing with injuries to both starters in Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray. As much as I would like to think Pertuzelli comes in and completely dazzles, the more likely outcome is that he gives up at least a couple softies and this one goes well OVER the total.

Jump on this one before the total creeps up to a crooked seven spot and thank me later.

Bronze Selection

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Penguins ML (-176)

I know, I know. Another week, another bet against the Montreal Canadiens. Sue me. I am just not believing in this Canadiens group until I see some prolonged success at both ends of the ice. However, credit is due to this group that has played noticeably better since Martin St. Louis was instilled behind the Habs' bench last season. The confidence coming up front from such young studs as Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and now even Kirby Dach has produced genuine reason for optimism in Montreal both this season and beyond.

With that said, in come a motivated Pittsburgh Penguins squad fresh off two big road wins to snap an ugly losing streak that nearly derailed their season before it really got going. The Pens looked sharp against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night and that was with backup Casey DeSmith in the cage, so you have to like their chances with their No. 1 netminder in the blue paint in Tristan Jarry on Saturday night.

Despite how bad Pittsburgh was during its seven-game losing streak, Jarry has been fairly solid while posting a 4-3-1 record to go along with a 3.38 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. The other reason I am really feeling the Jarry angle? In five career regular-season games when facing this Montreal squad Jarry owns a 4-1-0 record, 1.80 GAA, .933 SV%, and a shutout to top it all off. Simply put: he likes playing against the bleu, blanc, et rouge.

Trends are usually your friends, people, so let's sprinkle a little wager on the Jarry one to continue tonight on the road in Montreal. Penguins on the moneyline for my Silver selection of the night.

Side Bets

Arizona Coyotes @ New Jersey Devils – Pick: Coyotes PL +1.5 (+110)

Adam Fox Anytime Assist (-135)

St. Louis Blues @ Vegas Golden Knights – Pick: Blues ML (+185)

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Flip Livingstone is a former NHL writer for theScore with past experience at outlets such as Narcity Media, Postmedia, and Hockey Night in Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @Flips_Picks.