As we inch anticipatingly closer to the NHL's March 8 trade deadline, hockey fans and NHL bettors can expect the next two-to-three weeks of action to have a frenetic pace – both on and off the ice. Teams usually utilize the trade deadline leadup to get deals done ahead of the cutoff, avoiding the pitfalls of deadline-day deals and getting them out of the way early with more time for players and coaches to acclimatize to new styles and systems.

We're coming off a big 5-1 week last Saturday in terms of picks, pushing our yearly Saturday total to a respectable 40-32-0 (see complete breakdown below). Looking to keep our loot train runnin' for what is sure to be yet another juicy evening of NHL betting action on our favorite day of the week.

Thirteen games on tap this fine Saturday, including four matinee tilts that we will not be laying a wager on. Tap in to all of our betting breakdowns below. Good luck and let's get this paper.

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

Gold: 8-4-0
Silver: 7-5-0
Bronze: 7-5-0
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article): 18-18-0
Overall Record: 40-32-0

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Gold Selection
Anaheim Ducks @ L.A. Kings – Pick: Kings ML (-250)

Last week we bet against the Ducks in this exact same spot. On the road, up against a good club, facing off against a team that's currently cooking. Last time 'round it was the Toronto Maple Leafs at home to lowly Anaheim. This week it's the L.A. Kings' turn to feast on one of the worst groups in the NHL. If not for the deplorable seasons from the rebuilding San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, the Ducks are far-and-away the worst team in the NHL this season at both ends of the ice. Let's fade them heavy down the stretch, shall we?

Aside from the obvious lack of balance up front, talent at every position, and ability to play a complete 200-foot game, Anaheim is really struggling to keep pucks out of its own net right now, allowing a crooked 25 goals-against combined over its last five overall. Sure, two of those matchups were wins, but they came against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, so take that both with a grain of salt.

As for the Kings, a hot start turned awfully sour cost head coach Todd McLellan his job earlier this month, but since then, L.A. has been a much different team – a group resembling that of the one that started the season 20-7-4. There's no denying the Kings have turned it around under Jim Hiller while rolling three effective forward lines and seeing a resurgence from the likes of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Quinton Byfield and others, but can they maintain this pace and make a real push to the Cup? That remains to be seen.

The Kings own a 5-2 record since Jim Hiller took over, but more importantly, they look like a team with new life and a lot more pep in its step on the offensive side of the puck. L.A. struggled mightily during their poor stretch of play to score goals and have since turned it around while averaging more shots on net and getting more production from their power play, which now sits at 12th-best in the NHL.

Head-to-head the clear advantage is also to the Kings, as L.A. flaunts an impressive 8-1-1 record over its last 10 meetings against the Ducks, outsourcing Anaheim by a two-to-one margin over the most-recent three games. The odds here are obviously not worth it with any kind of moneyline bet, so slap this one into your favorite Saturday parlay.

Either way you slice it, the Kings bang out in a very big way for my Gold Pick of the evening.

Silver Selection
Connor McDavid Over 1.5 Anytime Points

This one barely even needs an explanation, that's how good No. 97 is right now. However, if you need a little bit more of a breakdown to get behind the best player on the planet, we got you covered.

First and foremost, this matchup between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers has all the makings of a classic. Sure, the inter-provincial Battle of Alberta angle, but both of these western clubs are fighting for the playoff lives and both are actually playing good hockey of late. Sure, Edmonton has dropped two in a row, but both of these Alberta clubs are pointing in the right direction right now. That should result in yet another thrilling chapter in what is already an intense rivalry.

The other main point of conversation that should dominate the airwaves ahead of tonight's puck drop is just how good McDavid has been overall but also against the Calgary Flames over the course of his career. McJesus not only has 39 points in last 20 games, but he absolutely owns the Flames on his regular-season resume, registering 29 goals and 24 assists for 53 points in 39 meetings – the third-most points against any team he's ever faced, only scoring more against the Winnipeg Jets (54 points in 31 games) and Vancouver Canucks (64 points in 40 games).

Coming into Saturday's matchup, Edmonton has wins in eight of its last 10 against the Flames, so we would also lean to the Oilers in a big bounce-back spot here, but McDavid is the clear play. Hammer the best player on the planet for two or more points against a team he historically dusts for my Silver selection of the night.

Bronze Selection
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Colorado Avalanche – Pick: Over 6.5 (-138)

Say what you will about the Toronto Maple Leafs, their top-heavy lineup, patchwork blue-line, and three-headed monster in the blue paint. The Leafs are playing their best hockey of the season while winning six straight. Losing Morgan Rielly to a heavy-handed suspension truly galvanized Sheldon Keefe's crew over the past week, but the Leafs are still very much battling it out for playoff positioning and there is a lot of hockey left to be played before anyone is ready to call Toronto a true postseason threat. With that said, the Leafs are cooking offensively with everything running through No. 34, while the Colorado Avalanche own a top-10 power-play unit to go along with a lineup that's scored the second-most goals in the league so far.

The last meeting between these two rarely-facing foes – back in January – produced a total of eight goals. A total of 12 consecutive matchups between the Avs and Leafs in Colorado have all gone over the number. Along with the over, we would also lean to the Avalanche here as Toronto is going to be in tough to maintain this pace at the end of a difficult road trip that saw the Leafs in St. Louis, Arizona, and Vegas over the previous six days.

Tease this number down to 5.5 if you have to and add it into a bigger parlay along with the Kings and perhaps, a few side bets we like below. Toronto-Colorado has all the makings of a barnburner, jump on it before the total starts to creep north.

Side Bets

Nashville Predators @ San Jose Sharks – Pick: Predators ML (-225)

Quinton Byfield Anytime Point

Calgary Flames @ Edmonton Oilers – Pick: Over 6.5 (-115)

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.