NHL Picks: Lots of Betting Options This Weekend After Time Off

The NHL heads into the weekend with a ton of Saturday afternoon games and a Sunday with an all-afternoon schedule. 

Schedule Breakdown

Let us do this by the number of games each day. 

• Friday – 4
• Saturday – 14
• Sunday – 4

Thankfully, Saturday welcomes teams that were off most of the last week. It will finally feel like a regular NHL schedule. 

Who plays back-to-back this weekend? Here are those teams below. 

• Seattle (Thursday, Friday)
• New York Rangers (Friday, Saturday)
• Arizona (Friday, Saturday)
• Chicago (Friday, Saturday)
• Pittsburgh (Friday, Saturday)
• Columbus (Friday, Saturday)
• Montreal (Saturday, Sunday)
• Washington (Saturday, Sunday)
• Philadelphia (Saturday, Sunday)
• Edmonton (Saturday, Sunday)

Again, this is easy to follow, and the Sunday games begin at 12:30 p.m. ET, which is good. 

The Big Weekend

The takeaway from this weekend is that teams that have barely played for what feels like 10-14 days will be returning. Buffalo gets back on the ice, and players like Tage Thompson and Toronto's Auston Matthews might play Saturday. 

Montreal takes on Edmonton and Philadelphia this weekend. It will be intriguing to see how the Canadiens fare against an Edmonton team that was rolling before the extended All-Star break. It is a hectic time after a 14-game slate on Saturday. Watch to see which players are injured or healthy. 

Boston gets back in action with a game against Washington. Then, there is a clash between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. New York just acquired Vladimir Tarasenko on Thursday afternoon. It is not quite ready to concede the Metropolitan Division.     

Alas, the Saturday slate is a unique one. There are plenty of afternoon games, including a nationally broadcast doubleheader in the United States. The even better news is that there are two late-night games on Saturday, too. Betting-wise, one of the missing aspects the past couple of weeks has been the need for those late games with matchups that often produce unexpected results. 

Vancouver plays Detroit at Noon ET, which is a lot like having lunch and then seeing six games start at 1 p.m. Don't forget Ottawa and Edmonton. The Oilers came off a game against Philadelphia where they scored just once. 

Sunday Afternoon's Interesting Schedule

Hockey bettors are in for a good Sunday afternoon after those Saturday night options. Again, Edmonton and Montreal figure to be a weird tilt. Both teams play early Saturday afternoon as well. Goaltending and defense may take a break here. Seattle plays its third game in four days at Philadelphia as the Kraken try to lick their wounds from a nasty East Coast road trip.

Washington entertains San Jose as there figure to be plenty of scouts on hand to watch Timo Meier and the Sharks. Meier, San Jose, and its top line are dangerous whenever they are on the ice. Finally, Vegas plays home to Anaheim to round out the Sunday schedule before some other game takes center stage. 

Some Quick Points To Consider

• Watch how Calgary plays against Buffalo. Will Buffalo be rusty? Will Tage Thompson play?
• Does the Rangers and Hurricanes game live up to the hype?
• Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin versus Los Angeles Saturday could feature plenty of scoring.
• Alex Ovechkin's goal props for Saturday should be elevated.
• Mark Scheifele and the Jets get an unrested Chicago team and a 10 p.m. ET start time.
• Minnesota has lost six of eight facing a New Jersey team without Jack Hughes.
• Best picks include Winnipeg Over 3.5 goals, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh Over 6.5 goals, and Arizona Over 2.5 goals.

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

Thanks to BetMGM for solid weekend lines, TSN, and ESPN.com for the easy-to-follow schedules.