NHL Weekend Picks: Ottawa and Pittsburgh Should Provide Fireworks

Schedule Breakdown

Let us do this first in terms of game allotment. 

• Friday – 2
• Saturday – 14
• Sunday – 5

Thankfully, that Saturday is one colossal slate. 

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

• Ottawa (Friday, Saturday)
• Vancouver (Friday, Saturday)
• Colorado (Friday, Saturday)
• Los Angeles (Saturday, Sunday)
• Chicago (Saturday, Sunday)
• San Jose (Saturday, Sunday)
• Philadelphia (Saturday, Sunday)
• Winnipeg (Saturday, Sunday)
• Vegas (Saturday, Sunday)
• Arizona (Saturday, Sunday)

Again, this is easy to follow, and the latest Sunday game (in Arizona) starts at 8 p.m. ET. That is not too bad. 

Saturday Is The Big Day And Night, BUT…

The biggest thing to look forward to is Saturday. But, Friday features two likely high-scoring games. 

Ottawa and Pittsburgh do not preach defense when playing against each other. The last game featured nine goals combined earlier this week and ended with a Brady Tkachuk goal in overtime. There is an expectation of similar fireworks this time around. 

Then, there is Colorado and Vancouver. The unique part is most betting sites have this Over at 6.5. Toss the records out the window as both teams attempt to outscore one another. Vancouver may be the closest thing to pond hockey in the NHL. 

Oh yes. There is Saturday with 14 games on the schedule. Anaheim and Buffalo get us started at lunchtime on the East Coast. So, while those in the West enjoy their eggs, pancakes, or cereal, this is a good warm-up for a day and night full of puck. 

If there is even better news, there is this. That Calgary and Tampa Bay game could be quite the good one. Tampa Bay will have a day of rest after what happened in Edmonton. Dallas finally returns home to face a reeling Arizona team that has lost nine of ten games. Could the Stars finally get back in the win column with authority? 

Saturday has three more traditional rivalry games too. Montreal and Toronto play each other, and then Chicago and St. Louis. Do not sleep on contests like Edmonton and Vancouver. Consider Vancouver will be on a back-to-back with “Hockey Night In Canada.” 

More About Wagering For The Weekend

Hockey bettors are in a solid position again for Sunday after those several late Saturday night options. Sunday features a matinee as New Jersey returns home against a Pittsburgh team that will allow some goals. Quite a few teams also play on the back end of back-to-backs against each other. 

Los Angeles and Chicago on Sunday could be another wild game. The Kings and Blackhawks are averaging well over three goals a game lately. Again, taking advantage of the schedule can benefit props, totals, and more. 

Vegas could be a fun team for Sunday. They have won 15 times on the road this season and play an equally unrested team in Arizona. If there is one time to risk a Puckline, this may be that time. 

Some Quick Points To Be Mindful Of

• Pick on Overs with Vancouver until they can stop anyone.
• Ride the Erik Karlsson wave this weekend.
• Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin versus Ottawa Friday. Enough said.
• Alex Ovechkin'skin goal props for Saturday should be on high alert.
• Does Philadelphia continue going backward this weekend?
• Expect another big game from Tage Thompson on Saturday afternoon against Anaheim.
• Seven of the 10 teams playing Sunday have played three games in four nights. Goal rates figure to be higher.

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 the solid weekend lines and TSN for the easy-to-follow segmented schedule.