The NHL kicks off on the last Saturday of the 2022-23 regular season.
For the first time in the league’s history, all 32 teams will battle it out on the same day to create a Swedish puck table that may take us from 12:30pm to midnight.
What higher technique to have a good time hockey than by knocking out a couple of underdogs?
The alternative of Penguins vs. Red Wings
(1:00 p.m. EST)
It is a game the Penguins must win, and the betting market often reacts to this sort of desperation.
Just a degree behind the Islanders and Panthers in the wild card race, Pittsburgh must get all the way down to business on the roads in Detroit.
As such, it’s more likely to get the overwhelming majority of betting support on this contest.
This could raise the price on Penguins and offer bettors a very good price on Red Wings.
It won’t seem logical to support a team playing on a leash against one playing all season, but the Penguins have done nothing in the last three months to earn such respect.
Pittsburgh is 20-21-5 since Christmas and has lost games to Detroit, Montreal and Ottawa.
Shaky goal placement and lack of depth make the Penguins a weak favorite on Saturday, even in the event that they have every thing on the line.
Penguins vs. Red Wings prediction
Red Wings (+146, FanDuel)
![Alex Chiasson](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/alexc.jpg?w=1024)
Lightning vs. Senators pick
(7:00 p.m. EST)
The Senators were officially knocked out of the playoffs and the Lightning finished third in the Atlantic division, so it is a pointless match that ought to profit the underdog.
Tampa Bay records one other ugly defeat to the Islanders and Rangers, but since the Lightning are also pretty knocked out and don’t have anything to play for, they might opt to put loads of influential players.
The Lightning’s #1 goal this week will probably be recovery, so it would not be a surprise to see them undergo the moves a bit with Ottawa storming them.
Lightning vs. Lightning Prediction senators
Senators (+130, PointsBet)
Canadiens versus Maple Leafs pick
(7:00 p.m. EST)
Like the Lightning, the Maple Leafs are locked in place in the Atlantic Division (No. 2) and don’t have anything to achieve from this clash with their everlasting rivals.
With a young, up-and-coming team flocking to their constructing, it seems likely Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe will resolve to rest many of his star players on Saturday night to maintain everyone fresh and healthy ahead of the playoffs starting next week Monday.
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The Canadiens have been plagued with injuries and have not played in the playoffs in months, but they at all times play hard and appear to up their game when given the likelihood to play the Maple Leafs.
That is an enormous number for a reason – the Leafs are still higher than the Habs even in the event that they sit down with some of their best players – however it’s nothing short of a wonderful tuning game for Toronto, and this could give Montreal a likelihood to strike a nerve-wracking Hockey Night in Canada .
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs
Canadiens (+300, PointsBet)