To say the NHL is buzzing right now would be an egregious understatement. It's a young man's game and with three of the top-five scorers barely at the legal drinking age, it's go-time for run-and-gun offensive play resulting in nightly high-paced, frenetic-style matchups that are sure to be on full display once again this evening. Tap into our top-three picks and side bets below that are also catching some action. Good luck and let's get this paper.

Updated 2025-26 Saturday Record (Daily Record Tracked/Posted @Flips_Picks):

Gold: 2-2
Silver: 2-2
Bronze: 4-0
Side Bets: 3-7

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Gold Selection
Colorado Avalanche @ Nashville Predators – Pick: Nathan MacKinnon Anytime Assist

Remember when most NHL pundits predicted a down year for this Colorado group? Rantanen this, top-heavy that, what about the goaltending? Hogwash, all of it. This team is straight up deadly offensively and with Scott Wedgewood playing absolutely out of his mind right now while rocking the fifth-best goals-against average (2.23) and seventh best save percentage (.913), the sky's the limit for the Avalanche. That's really bad news for a group like the Nashville Predators who are a complete dumpster fire of a hockey team. The Preds have scored the least goals in the NHL this season while currently sitting one point adrift from dead last in the league and we haven't even touched on MacK Daddy yet.

Nathan MacKinnon is the best player in the NHL right now, and when you have that kind of offensive potency up front balanced by what Cale Makar brings on the backend, you have a deadly mix of top-notch speed, elite skating, and precision passing and shooting that is giving opposing defenses fits. MacKinnon heads into Saturday's action with a 36-piece in points, best in the business and he has solid numbers in his career against Nashville, as MacKinnon owns 19 goals and 27 assists across 38 regular-season games. The Nova Scotia product has eight apples in his previous five starts and we expect that number to grow against a Nashville squad that's clearly been getting outworked in basically all aspects of the game on a nightly basis. Don't overthink this one. MacKinnon anytime assist, lock it in.

Silver Selection
Edmonton Oilers @ Florida Panthers – Pick: Connor McDavid 2+ Points

If MacKinnon is the best player in the game right now then slot McJesus into the number two hole as the most dangerous body on blades – and boy, does he ever need to be right now. The Edmonton Oilers are once again playing pull-your-hair-out-type puck over a prolonged stretch of fall season hockey and if not for the dynamic duo of Leon Draisaitl and No. 97, Edmonton would likely be cozying up to their Alberta rival Calgary Flames in the cellar of the Western Conference.

McDavid is up to 32 points on the year but interestingly enough, he heads into this evening's meeting with the Florida Panthers coming off a pointless night, which is really going to pump our odds up to well over a 2-1 situation. The value here is obviously enticing, but what's even more so is how 97 responds following poor performances, as McDavid has a tendency to show up in the clutch and produce when his team needs him most. Factor in that he has 27 points in 14 career regular-season games against the Florida Panthers and that the Cats have largely been a disappointment this year. We love this spot for both the Oilers and McDavid to have a big night. 

Bronze Selection
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Maple Leafs ML (+128)

There's definitely no sugarcoating the current situation in the two biggest Canadian hockey markets. Both the Habs and Leafs are down bad: injuries to key pieces, extremely poor defensive play, and erratic special teams performances have Montreal and Toronto floundering in the Atlantic Division basement. Sure, only six points separates second spot from last and there is a lot of runway left on the 2025-26 season, but these two clubs are just looking downright anemic at both ends of the ice right now.

Toronto's amassed a measly 4-4-2 record over its last 10, but its recent dominance over the Canadiens has to be noted in this spot as the Buds own a 9-1-0 record against Montreal over their previous 10 meetings while outscoring the Habs 13-4 across their most-recent three tilts. One of the lone bright spots over the past couple of weeks for the Leafs is the return of Joseph Woll, as the often-sidelined netminder has been solid since rejoining the team from a personal matter, earning a 1-1-1 record to go along with a respectable 2.57 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.

Woll has also been lights out in his career against Montreal, flaunting three wins, a 1.67 goals-against average and .942 save percentage in three regular-season starts. Couple that with the fact the Leafs can still score with the best of them, as they are currently third in the NHL in goals for. The Habs have been getting pumped with crooked number scoring of late, so this one is shaping up to be an excellent spot for Toronto to get back in the win column. Let's not overthink this one. Maple Leafs on the moneyline for our bronze selection. 

Side Bets
Colorado Avalanche @ Nashville Predators – Pick: Over 6.5 (+112)
New York Rangers @ Utah Mammoth – Pick: Rangers ML (+106)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Anaheim Ducks – Pick: Golden Knights ML (-128)

Flip Livingstone is an NHL betting expert, fantasy writer, and daily podcast host with the Locked On Fantasy Hockey pod. He also has experience at outlets such as theScore NHL, Postmedia, and Hockey Night in Canada. You can follow him @Flips_Picks.