The start of this season has been one of the more unpredictable in recent memory – which is usually a bettor's worst nightmare. Take your pick of crooked storylines, there's no shortage of trends across the NHL that few hockey pundits could have predicted coming into the 2023-24 campaign.

Whether that be the upstart Vancouver Canucks' torrid pace, the dumpster fire raging with the Edmonton Oilers, or the Boston Bruins once again off to a historically good October by sitting atop the increasingly-tough Atlantic Division.

However, this tumultuous beginning doesn't mean we can't make some loot. Let's dig into the numbers and unearth some picks for us to build this NHL betting bankroll.

At first glance, the 12-game slate on tap today is a tricky one to handicap. Although, with a closer gaze, there are a few juicy matchups and player prop spots we break down below that should leave us with a few bucks in the pocketbook.

Let's keep things short and sweet this week, shall we? Good luck and enjoy the action.

*

2023-24 Saturday Record – (Complete Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks on X)

Gold: 1-2
Silver: 2-1
Bronze: 2-1
Side Bets (Located at the bottom of the article each week) : 4-5

*

Gold Selection
Sidney Crosby Anytime Assist (+100)

There are few players the NHL has ever seen as consistently good as Sidney Crosby.

Say what you will about this Pittsburgh Penguins club overall and the window for winning in Pittsburgh clearly about to slam shut, Sid can still get it done at an elite level and impact the game on a nightly basis. Something he's been doing once again early on this season by putting up seven goals, seven assists, and nearly 19 minutes of ice time per night, all while winning over 60% of his draws.

On a side note, Crosby is also one of the players that seemingly always hits for me when I wager on a player prop. Sure, that's obviously a gut-feel-type thing and nothing actually tangible, but when you dig into Sid's numbers against this Buffalo Sabres squad, you're going to want to seriously consider a bet on the captain in this spot. Not only do the Sabres have the tendency to be involved in a lot of high-scoring games on the road (four of their last five road games went over the total), but Crosby has absolutely owned Buffalo over the course of his storied career.

The future shoo-in Hall-of-Famer boasts impressive numbers across 56 regular-season games against the Sabres to the tune of 27 goals and 53 assists for an even 80-piece of points. Pittsburgh is also playing a lot better at both ends of the rink as of late, winning three in a row in an attempt to climb out of the Metro Division basement after a 3-6-0 start. Sure, Tristan Jarry going down and Magnus Hellberg stepping into the cage is not an ideal scenario for this club's immediate success, but with Sid leading the charge up front along with Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, and the recently hot Reilly Smith, this offensive is clicking.

Seventeen goals over their last three for the Penguins and Sid's career track record against Buffalo are more than enough for me to feel comfortable in this spot getting plus money for a Crosby apple. Let's hammer it for my Gold Pick of the evening.

Silver Selection
Adrian Kempe Anytime Goal (+130)

If you haven't watched much West Coast hockey or been paying attention to what the L.A. Kings have working offensively, you're slipping.

The Kings are quickly building the reputation as one of the most lethal and balanced offensive groups in the NHL, finishing in sixth in league scoring last year and currently sitting third this season. One of the main reasons for their elite offensive attack is the stepping out of one of the most underrated scorers in the entire Western Conference in Adrian Kempe.

His shot and skating ability are the two pillars of his game that have led the smooth-skating Swede to 82 goals over his last two-plus seasons. Furthermore, much like Crosby above and the player I'll speak about below for yet another player prop, Kempe has strong numbers against his Saturday opponent. The 27-year-old has six goals in 11 career regular-season games against the Philadelphia Flyers and I expect him to continue his scoring ways tonight with a Kings team absolutely rolling right now.

On the other hand, the Flyers are a group that's fallen back to earth of late following a hot start to the season and right now, I am going to be fading them in all ways possible. Starting with this angle for a big individual performance that will include Kempe lighting the lamp at least once.

Bronze Selection
Auston Matthews Anytime Goal (-115)

Another week, another look at the best goalscorer on the planet to keep doing what he does best.

We hammered Matthews last week for an anytime goal and he provided in a big way, something he's been doing since entering the NHL and once again this season by leading the league with 13 tallies (nine of which are even-strength, also the league lead).

At first glance, this could potentially be a tough spot for a Maple Leafs club on the second night of a back-to-back having just played 60 minutes, OT, and a shootout against the Calgary Flames on Friday night. Not to mention the fact that the red-hot Vancouver Canucks roll into town on a five-game heater – nonetheless, just like Kempe and Crosby, it's Matthews' career track record against Vancouver that has me loving this angle. We know Matthews has the elite goal-scoring ability and offensive talent to change the game at any moment, but he seems to have a tendency to do that with regularity against this Canucks crew.

In 21 career regular-season games, Matthews flaunts an impressive 18 goals and four assists, including four game-winning goals. No. 34 has only scored more times in his career against the Montreal Canadiens (26) and Ottawa Senators (23), two division rivals they clearly play against on much more frequent basis.

Like I said earlier, we're keeping this week short, sweet, and to the point. Matthews to have another big game with at least one goal is my Bronze Pick of the evening.

Side Bets

Vancouver Canucks @ Toronto Maple Leafs – Pick: Over 6.5 (-132)

Arizona Coyotes @ Nashville Predators – Pick: Coyotes ML (+122)

St. Louis Blues @ Colorado Avalanche – Pick: Avalanche PL -1.5 (+104)

Flip Livingstone is an NHL betting and fantasy hockey writer and podcast host with experience at outlets such as theScore NHL, Narcity Media, Postmedia, and Hockey Night in Canada. You can follow him on X @Flips_Picks.