It's here. The final Saturday on the NHL betting board has arrived and what a season it's been. Even though the playoffs are only days away, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is still very much blurry, as the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers are all still vying for the final two spots – with all of those clubs in action today, it's about to get really spicy in here.

In terms of this season and our Saturday picks, another big 5-1 week last time around has our overall record sitting pretty as we enter the final week of breaking down our top-three picks of the day and three side bets. Check out the complete record breakdown below along with three NHL betting angles to consider this fine Saturday.

Thanks for riding along for another season, our fifth providing picks here at Dobber Hockey. We hope you've been able to put a little bit more loot in the 'ol pocketbook. Thirteen games await us today, including a number of matinee and early-evening tilts. With that in mind, we're focusing on the evening slate of action to provide more time for research, as the final few days of the NHL schedule can be tricky to handicap.

One final time this season: Good luck and let's get this paper.

*

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

Gold: 13-5-0
Silver: 11-7-0
Bronze: 10-8-0
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article) : 31-23-0
Overall Record: 65-43-0

*

Gold Selection
Detroit Red Wings @ Toronto Maple Leafs – Pick: Auston Matthews Anytime Goal (-150)

Much like the following two player props we breakdown below, Auston Matthews' sensational season has been well documented. Every hockey fan and NHL bettor out there knows that Matthews is chasing 70 goals to become only the eighth player in league history to pop a 70-piece, and now we're seeing that impact his odds. However, Papi is on a torrid seven-game goal streak and is sitting on 68 for the season, but perhaps more importantly, the Leafs are scoring goals in bunches and are also a clearly motivated group to get Matthews to this special milestone.

Matthews is the best goalscorer in the game and right now it's not even close. Factor in Toronto's 7-3-0 head-to-head record against the Red Wings over their last 10 regular-season meetings and this is shaping up to be the perfect spot for another big night for 34 on home ice.

In 23 regular-season meetings with Detroit, Matthews has 16 goals and 15 assists, so he's clearly been more than comfortable facing off against the Winged Wheel. This one feels almost too good to be true, but we're hammering anyway. Matthews anytime goal for our last Gold Pick of the 2023-24 NHL campaign.

Silver Selection
Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins – Pick: Sidney Crosby Anytime Assist (-110)

Back to the O.G., baby! Our favorite player prop on the NHL betting board each week: a Sidney Crosby anytime assist. This prop has hit for us more than any other wager, but when we look at it a little closer, there really shouldn't be much doubt when it comes to picking the right spot to back the best player of this generation to do his thing offensively. Creating excellent scoring chances and opportunities for his teammates to shine, Crosby is still one of the top playmakers in the game today and he's still getting it done offensively at an elite level.

The accolades and stats speak for themselves, but an 89-plus-point (41 goals, 48 assists) season at 36 years old is just straight up impressive. When the stakes get high, Crosby takes his game to the next level and regularly puts the entire team on his back, which has been exactly how this Penguins group has been getting wins over the past few weeks. Pittsburgh has been resurrected by 87 and are now knocking on the doorstep for another playoff push while posting a 7-0-3 record since March 24.

Sid has 17 assists in his last 18 games and also has unreal numbers against the Bruins in his career to the tune of 19 goals and 53 assists in only 58 regular-season games. The Pens have a lot on the line in this one and with another shot at a Cup run in his sights, it's Captain Canada's time to shine once again.

Bronze Selection
Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers – Pick: Connor McDavid Anytime Assist

Even though Tampa Bay Lightning talisman Nikita Kucherov could also hit 100 apples this season (he's currently sitting on 98), seemingly everyone is talking about McJesus and his 99 assists.

We get it, only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr have ever hit triple digits in helpers before and as much as McDavid would never admit it, hitting a milestone along with that kind of hockey royalty is something that he most definitely cares about. With that in mind, we're expecting an offensive outburst from the best player on the planet, something that he's done with regularity against the Canucks in his career.

McDavid has more points against Vancouver than any other team he's faced in his already storied NHL career, tallying a spectacular 23 goals and 41 assists in just 40 regular-season meetings. The head-to-head history, the major record on the line, and a motivated McDavid who is apparently healthy and ready to rock are more than enough to have us ready to back McDavid heavily in this spot. McDavid anytime assist for our Bronze Pick of the evening.

According to the latest reports, 97 is still a game-time decision to be in the Oilers lineup tonight. If he is, jump all over this, as he's primed for a big night.

Side Bets
Boston Bruins @ Pittsburgh Penguins – Pick: Penguins ML (+105)
Detroit Red Wings @ Toronto Maple Leafs – Pick: Maple Leafs ML (-180)
Anaheim Ducks @ L.A. Kings – Pick: Over 5.5 (-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.