Races across the NHL are heating up. A quick graze of the NHL standings and nightly scoreboards indicates close battles in every single division, leading to some enticingly entertaining hockey action to feast on seemingly each night. No exception for today's NHL betting board where 13 games await our betting pleasure.

Good luck and enjoy the games!

Updated 2023-24 Saturday Record (Complete Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks):

Gold: 3-2-0
Silver: 4-1-0
Bronze: 2-3-0
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article): 6-9-0
Overall Record: 15-15-0

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Gold Selection

Detroit Red Wings @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Red Wings ML (-150)

There's no denying the energy around this Detroit Red Wings squad changed significantly over the past few weeks. Aside from the obvious injection of positive vibes that winning brings (the Wings currently sit tied for third in the Atlantic Division), Patty Kane's decision to join Detroit over such Stanley Cup threats as the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, and even Florida Panthers has clearly provided a boost to Derek Lalonde's men.

Kane's winning caliber and elite offensive skill set add an entirely new wrinkle to this Red Wings' attack, and even without him in the lineup until later next week, this is a Detroit club that I will be backing heavily over the next couple of weeks. That starts tonight against Montreal.

Before Kane even enters the fold fully, the Wings have already been getting points and against impressive opposition, including wins against the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils over the past week and change.

I'm going to keep this one very simple: Montreal is heading in the completely opposite direction with only three wins in its last nine and it struggles mightily against the Wings when it comes to recent meetings. The Habs own only four victories in their last 12 games against Detroit overall, and despite being on the road tonight, I'm loving this spot for Detroit and it's eighth-best power-play to keep it rolling against a team that's registered the second-most penalties in the NHL so far this season in Montreal.

Detroit gets it done in a big way, good for my Gold Pick of the evening.

Silver Selection

Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Ducks – Pick: Avalanche ML (-240)

First off, make sure you shop around for the best odds here. Obviously the -240 isn't very enticing, but the Avalanche absolutely own this Ducks squad right now, a team that is on an ugly eight-game losing skid and playing some really bad hockey at both ends of the rink. As mentioned, the odds here aren't pretty, so toss this bad boy into your favorite parlay of the evening and thank me later.

All you really need to know, aside from the fact the Ducks have allowed 38 goals over this current losing streak, is the Avalanche are playing great hockey as of late and carry a sparkling 9-1-0 record over their last 10 against Anaheim into this one.

This might be the shortest breakdown I've ever put together, but I really don't think you need to hear much more to back the Avs and add them into a juicy little parlay. This nasty streak the Ducks are on will come to an end sooner than later, but they're proving once again that they're just not ready for the postseason yet, whereas Colorado clearly has legit Cup aspirations.

Just one other fun fact for the head top should you be, perhaps, considering the puck line in this spot: eight of the nine Avs victories against the Ducks over their last 10 meetings have all been by two-or-more goals.

Bronze Selection

Auston Matthews Over 1.5 Anytime Points (+155)

It's been a couple weeks since I spoke about Auston Matthews, and that might actually be the same amount of time since Matthews actually put the puck in the back of the net. Straight up and down, Matthews needs to be a lot better if this Maple Leafs team wants to be taken seriously in an Eastern Conference full of killers.

I've said it before and I will again: This team runs through No. 34 and it will go as far as he carries it. Right now, he's allowing his teammates in William Nylander and Mitch Marner to shoulder the offensive load and even though the Leafs are very much alive in the Atlantic Division, the club has only a handful of regulation wins and are struggling to find consistency closing out games against good teams. Enter the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, and despite losses in three of four games, this is still the Boston Bruins, and the Leafs will need Matthews at his absolute best should they want to come out on top in this tilt that should have playoff-like atmosphere from the opening puck drop.

Matthews is fresh off a two-point performance earlier this week and has 23 (14 goals, nine assists) total under his belt so far this season, but he has to get better in the clutch and start doing what he does best once again – scoring goals.

This should be a great matchup that elevates both teams’ games. That angle sparks a big evening from Matthews, one in which he registered two or more points for my Bronze Pick of the night.

Side Bets

Sidney Crosby Anytime Assist (-110)

Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Flames – Pick: Flames ML (-120)

Buffalo Sabres @ Carolina Hurricanes – Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)

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