We're humming right along here at Dobber Hockey as our Saturday picks keep hitting with another positive week in the books and our eyes locked on today's absolutely loaded 15-game NHL betting board. Once again, the kid-in-a-candy-store vibes are pulsating and we need to throw the gambling blinders on and hone in our favourite spots to stack a little bit of cash before hockey goes haywire ahead of the holiday window. This week is a tough board, which is exactly why we're keeping things short, sweet, and simple.

Good luck and enjoy the action!

Complete 2024-25 Saturday Record (Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks):
Gold: 3-3
Silver: 6-0
Bronze: 3-3
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article): 12-6
2024-25 Combined Saturday Record: 24-12

Gold Selection
Vancouver Canucks @ Ottawa Senators – Pick: Over 6.5

First and foremost, Kevin Lankinen deserves a lot of love as a major reason why the Vancouver Canucks are still lurking about in the tightening Pacific Division but let's be honest, he's not the guy that's going to carry this team to the promised land and he's starting to show his true form as a longtime backup. The Canucks have been involved in a ton of high-scoring affairs of late, with Lankinen allowing 18 combined goals over their last five games while rocking an .868 save percentage and seemingly struggling to see pucks cleanly.

As for the Ottawa Senators, this is a group that one night looks sensational (pun intended) and the next awful, resulting in a number of crooked-number totals over the past few weeks, leaving the Sens wanting more while sitting only one point up on the hapless Montreal Canadiens. Straight up, this one has high-scoring written all over it and we wouldn't be surprised if it goes over the total in a hurry. The last three games between the Canucks and Senators have been run-and-gun from puck drop, as Ottawa and Vancouver combined for 24 goals over the last 180 minutes of hockey. In fact, the last seven times these two clubs met the total went over the number.

If you're building a mega parlay and want to drop the number down to 5.5 for a measly odd then have at it, but expect goals aplenty in the Nation's Capital this evening.

Silver Selection
Vegas Golden Knights @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Golden Knights ML

The heat is on in La Belle Province with temperatures rising most rapidly under head coach Martin St. Louis' seat as the Canadiens' expected step this season has looked much more like a slip. The Habs have struggled of late at both ends of the ice and have only three wins in the month of November while rocking the second-worst goal differential in the Atlantic Division at minus-17 so far this campaign. A hot start from Sam Montembeault and strong production from Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have not been enough to get the Canadiens out of the Atlantic's basement. With the Golden Knights rolling into town a confident bunch, things aren't getting any easier for a Habs squad that's dropped seven of its last 10 against Vegas.

Like we said off the top, things this week are short, sweet, and hopefully, also profitable. Don't overthink this one. Even with the Habs coming off two consecutive wins, Vegas is clearly the superior side. Until we see a prolonged run of sustained play at both ends of the rink from Montreal, they will be a team to continually fade.

Bronze Selection
St. Louis Blues @ New York Islanders – Pick: Under 6.5 

Much like our Gold Selection standing out as a high-scoring affair, Blues-Islanders is screaming snoozer. The Islanders are a team that perennially hangs its hat in the defensive end while also getting it done offensively by committee. They can really struggle to score goals and currently sit near the bottom of the league in goals for with only 49 through 20 games. As for the Blues, they also have issues in the offensive end and have scored only three more times than the Isles in 21 games.

Similarly to teasing the number down in the Canucks-Senators matchup to play it a bit safe, this could be the ideal scenario to do the same and consider teasing it up a bit to 7.5 and slap it into a juicy parlay. Whatever number the total sits at, this is a spot we're loving the under. With two teams struggling to score that have actually been pretty good defensively, it's shaping up to be one of those goalie battle-type scenarios.

Side Bets
Minnesota Wild @ Calgary Flames – Pick: Under 6.5
New Jersey Devils @ Washington Capitals – Pick: Devils ML
Buffalo Sabres @ San Jose Sharks – Pick: Over 6.5

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.