Happy Hockey Day to all of our betting friends north of the border. Yet another loaded board of NHL betting action awaits! Given how poorly our picks went last week, we're beyond fired up to get after it in a very big way this evening. Only one selection hit for us just seven days ago, but we're running it back on a few of our favorites' angles and players in good spots. Tap into our three top picks with breakdowns and of course, top-three side bets at the bottom of the article. Good luck and let's get this paper.

Complete 2024-25 Saturday Record (Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks):

Gold: 6-6
Silver: 8-4
Bronze: 5-7
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article): 21-14
2024-25 Combined Saturday Record: 40-31

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Gold Selection
Edmonton Oilers @ Vancouver Canucks – Pick: Oilers ML (-170)

Before we get to two juicy back-to-back anytime goal selections, let's get this out of the way early: we took the Leafs against the Canucks last week and got dusted. However, everything else we pointed out about Vancouver then still actually holds true … and then some. The Canucks are actually not a good team, statistically or otherwise. Off-ice distractions, injuries to key pieces, and locker room squabbling have clearly taken their toll on this club's ability to play consistent hockey at both ends of the rink. Aside from the 60 minutes against Toronto, the Canucks are in shambles, following up last Saturday's strong showing by getting pumped at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets and L.A. Kings this week while allowing 13 goals combined and really struggling to generate scoring chances.

What we're really trying to get at here is when you look at the other side of the ice in tonight's matchup and you have an Edmonton group that's racked up 15 goals over its most-recent three tilts against Rick Tocchet's team, this is shaping up to be a long night for a rag-tag group of rearguards on Vancouver's blue line. Last week it was pointed out that the Canucks were poised to continue to slide as a team that's really just not very deep at any one position aside from up the middle where Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller have been, for the most part, underwhelming – we're sticking to our guns this week and are just not buying when this Vancouver group is selling. Without Quinn Hughes on the ice, Vancouver has been a team to exploit and unless the perennial Norris threat has a big multi-point-type game, this one could get out of hand early against a confident and surging Edmonton side looking for its ninth win in the its last 10.

Connor McDavid and the boys take care of business and continue to leave the Canucks in the Pacific Division dust.

Silver Selection
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals – Pick: Ovechkin Anytime Goal (+120)

If this one doesn't get the hockey pulses flowing then it really is time to choose another sport to invest in. Sidney Crosby versus Alex Ovechkin, Sid and Ovi, 87 going toe-to-toe with 8, however we serve it up when these two faces of the game go off against one another it should come as no surprise when there's fireworks.

The Pittsburgh Penguins might be a heavy underdogs in this one, but coming off a big win on Friday night in which Alex Nedeljkovic became the first goaltender in NHL history to score a goal and register an assist, Crosby and the boys will be a motivated bunch coming into this one that should lead to an uptick in pace of play. That's when Ovechkin is at his best, when the games get intense and there's a lot on the line. Aside from closing in on Gretzky's once-untouchable goal number, there is plenty at stake for the Caps, as Washington is looking to continue to push its lead at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and flex its muscle in the second half as a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.

As for Ovi and us backing him in this situation, he's popped two goals in his last three games, he owns 42 tallies in 77 career regular-season games against the Pens, and he regularly elevates his game and scores clutch goals in big moments. Such is the case Saturday evening at home against one of the greatest of all-time on hockey's busiest night. Much like below, the juices will be flowing tonight for the greatest goal scorer of all-time and we like him to pop another and push just a little bit closer to breaking one of the greatest records in sports.

Bronze Selection
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Auston Matthews Anytime Goal (-105)

Potentially the second-best goal man ever when it's all said and done, Matthews has returned from injury and back to goal-scoring form with seven goals in his last seven games. More importantly, Matthews has regained his elite-level speed, looking like he has that pep back in his step and stride that make him very difficult to knock off pucks and even harder to deal with along the boards and around the front of the net.

It has to be noted how well the Montreal Canadiens have been playing, as the Habs have looked like a completely different team over the past few weeks while climbing right back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Marty St. Louis' men will surely be a motivated group tonight on home ice against their bitter longtime rival, but we still like Matthews here, as he's looking dangerous with the puck on his tap once again and has owned the Habs over his career to the tune of 27 goals and 18 assists for 45 points in 35 career regular-season games. Enough said.

Side Bets
Columbus Blue Jackets @ New York Rangers – Pick: Rangers ML(-190)
Edmonton Oilers @ Vancouver Canucks – Pick: McDavid 2+ Points (-104)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Maple Leafs ML (-146)

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.