We hammered a number of favourites last week for less than juicy odds but we're hitting winners right now and building toward another big Saturday of selections on our favourite day for hockey wagering. Connor McDavid in his backyard to take on the Maple Leafs. The red-hot Jets going toe-to-toe with the reigning Cup champs. Sidney Crosby vs. Macklin Celebrini – buckle up hockey heads, today is going to be a juicy one. This week, we're switching things up a little bit and looking to a few matchups with much juicier odds than last Saturday.

Tap into our top three picks with betting breakdowns as well as some spicy side bets below. Good luck and let's get this paper.

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

Gold: 2-3
Silver: 5-0
Bronze: 2-3
Side Bets (Located at Bottom of Article): 11-4
2024-25 Combined Saturday Record: 20-10

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Gold Selection
Buffalo Sabres @ Philadelphia Flyers – Pick: Over 6.5 (+110)

Sometimes a Saturday total really jumps off the page, and this one screams high-scoring between two offensive groups loaded with rising forward talent. Both the Sabres and Flyers have been involved in some crooked-numbered games of late and both have top-six forward groups that are feeling it as these two Eastern Conference foes have combined to score 24 goals over the past three games while looking like two deadly units ready to pop off at any moment.

With Tage Thompson and his 11 goals likely to return to the Sabres' lineup along with starting netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, this is also a spot that we would lean to Buffalo on the moneyline, but the total is just a bit more attractive – especially when analyzing recent head-to-head results. Seven of the last nine meetings between Buffalo and Philly have gone over the number, and with two red-hot forward groups we expect that to happen once again tonight in the City of Brotherly Love.

Silver Selection
Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks – Pick: Canucks PL -1.5 (+106)

Puck line bets don't make regular appearances in our weekly betting breakdowns but this time 'round it's fitting. First and foremost, the Blackhawks are still a really bad team. Despite half-measured offseason additions of Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi to try and sharpen the teeth of Chicago's top-six attack and prop up Connor Bedard's offensive output, it's currently Ryan Donato and Craig Smith on the young phenom's flank. As it stands, the key to the Blackhawks' success is quite simple: This group will only win games if Bedard is producing and currently a four-game pointless streak is just not going to cut it.

All of the Blackhawks's shortcomings are not on Bedard, but the picture we're trying to paint here is a simple one. The Canucks have points in seven of their last 10 overall and they have completely owned Chicago over the last ten head-to-head with an 8-1-1 record – the last four by two or more. This is an excellent spot for Vancouver on home to take two points and we're feeling another dominant performance against the outmatched Hawks.

Bronze Selection
Connor McDavid 2+ Points (+102)

Shout out to Newmarket, Ontario, for producing the second-best hockey player of all-time. All eyes will be on the Northern GTA boy Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena as Hockey Night in Canada descends on Toronto for a juicy tilt that should be high-octane from puck drop. In terms of wagering, this Oilers team is a frustrating one to back, one week looking like dog water and the next like banner chasers. Thankfully, right now it's the latter and number 97 is at the crux of that success as McDavid is cooking with nine points in his last three games.

Back-to-back overtime victories are definitely galvanizing moments for an Edmonton group looking for more consistency, especially in their blue paint with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard struggling to be the goalie the Oilers need. However, Kris Knoblauch has his group pointed back in the right direction with 14 goals combined over their last three contests – that should continue to mean good things for McDavid and backing his scoring props.

The Leafs should be equally fired up after a big come-from-behind W against the surging Washington Capitals in their last game and will also be a rested squad having not played since Wednesday. However, this is Connor McDavid and when he starts to push the puck with the confidence he is right now it usually means long nights for opposing goaltenders. The Oilers' talisman is rocking with 11 goals and 24 assists in 23 career regular-season games against Toronto and we expect him to add to that total tonight for our Bronze Pick of the week.

Side Bets

Quinn Hughes 2+ Assists (+285)
Buffalo Sabres @ Philadelphia Flyers – Pick: Sabres ML (-104)
Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild – Pick: Under 6.5 (-160)

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.