There really is no better way to celebrate the holiday season than by throwing on a little NHL hockey, mixing up your favourite holiday bevy (or several), and making some Saturday bets to tuck a little Christmas cash in the ol' stockings.

The NHL scheduling elves were hard at work ahead of today’s slate, putting together a juicy-looking board of 14 games before the three-day holiday pause the league observes over Christmas. If you haven't been watching a ton of hockey recently, you really have been missing out. No shortage of stellar storylines in each conference, but most importantly, teams are really starting to establish themselves as true postseason threats. That means NHL bettors are in a great stretch of the campaign to make some loot.

Games immediately following the league's holiday break are usually a bit of a gongshow to handicap, which is why investing a bit heavier into today is likely a good idea instead of coming back in the new year on a heater. Either way, good luck and a big Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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

Gold: 4-3-0
Silver: 4-3-0
Bronze: 3-4-0
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article) : 9-12-0
Overall Record: 20-22-0

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Gold Selection

San Jose Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks – Pick: Quinn Hughes Anytime Assist (-180)

Hands in the air if you had the Vancouver Canucks sitting atop the NHL standings at the Christmas break on your NHL 2023-24 bingo card … yeah, exactly. All bad jokes aside, this team is very much for real and has all the makings of a winner. Vezina level goalie? Check. Balanced offensive attack? Check. Superstar blue-liner? Emphatic double-check with Norris Trophy threat Hughes, an elite playmaker garnering some dark horse love for the Hart Trophy as well.

Aside from the obvious talent and offensive production Hughes brings (nine goals and 33 assists), this Canucks group absolutely owns the San Jose Sharks. Actually, it's downright embarrassing from a Sharks perspective, as Vancouver has completely dusted San Jose over the past five games to the tune of a plus-19 goal differential and 4-1 record. Across that five-game span for the Canucks captain? How about three goals and seven assists for a nice even 10-piece of points against San Jose.

The main area of this matchup to target and love from a betting perspective is the stellar Vancouver power-play unit, quarterbacked by Hughes, that is clicking at the seventh-best percentage in the league going up against a Sharks penalty kill currently sitting at 27th-best in the NHL. Hughes also happens to have 16 of his points on the man advantage, so expect another big night for the young American rearguard.

Silver Selection

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Columbus Blue Jackets – Pick: Over 6.5 (-164)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in trouble. Straight up and down. This goaltending situation is at a tipping point: Two weeks ago you have a young and promising Joseph Woll commanding the crease for a Toronto team rising in the standings, fast forward 14 days, Ilya Samsonov is seeing ghosts, the buds are allowing crooked numbers against, and the soon-to-be 34-year-old Martin Jones has the season in his hands. Everything is totally fine. Right, Auston Matthews?

Following an absolute debacle of a performance against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday that resulted in nine goals against and Matthews calling out his team, Toronto is almost facing a must-win regular-season game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in December. There's really no denying it, the Leafs have to respond and prove to both themselves and their fans that they still have a pulse. Okay, rant done.

A quick recap of these two teams past few games reveals a tendency for both clubs to score and allow goals in bunches, as both the Leafs and Blue Jackets have been involved in multiple high-scoring games over the past 10 days and two of the past three head-to-head have gone over the total.

Martin Jones, an angry Maple Leafs team, a Blue Jackets group cooking offensively – this one has all the makings of yet another barnburner. Buckle up and hammer the over 6.5, my Silver selection of the evening.

Bronze Selection

Detroit Red Wings @ New Jersey Devils – Pick: Patrick Kane Anytime Point (-150)

Two of the most potent offensive groups in the league, two good power-plays, and two teams involved in a ton of high-scoring games of late. Much like the matchup above, this one also feels like one full of fireworks.

Say what you will about the Detroit Red Wings overall, 3-6-1 over their last 10, the addition of Patrick Kane has clearly brought another offensive wrinkle into the mix in the D. While the team might be struggling in the standings, Kane is cooking, putting up seven points in his last three games while fitting right back in with former Chicago Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat.

Kane won it for the Wings in the shootout Friday night against the Philadelphia Flyers after registering two goals and an assist in regulation and he's clearly feeling it right now with his new team. That energy spills over into Saturday going up against a Devils team that's allowed the sixth-most goals-against this season and has the ninth-worst penalty kill.

Side Bets

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Columbus Blue Jackets – Pick: Maple Leafs PL -1.5 (+114)

New York Islanders @ Carolina Hurricanes – Pick: Hurricanes ML (-170)

Sidney Crosby Anytime Assist (-120)

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.