The NHL gets into the “Madness” with a 13-game Saturday schedule. Thirteen games are on this slate, but our focus lies on the night portion. Does that make a difference? Absolutely.
Friday night, all three home teams won by exactly two goals. This is rare. Nothing goes according to plan 100% of the time. Instead of focusing on the early games, let us spotlight some night contests.
NHL Betting Picks for April 5
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Best Bets
The Columbus Blue Jackets started well on Thursday night. Halfway through the game, Columbus was leading 3-2, had the crowd behind them, and then thud. Elvis Merzlikins gave up five straight goals and wanted to exit. One thing consistent with Columbus is allowing three or more goals. That streak is up to six.
The numbers are leaning toward more goals. Even Toronto has tallied three or more goals in five straight games. Toronto has never resisted going on the offensive. A fifth-ranked power play (26.1%) is going up against a bottom-third penalty kill (75.5% for Columbus). Options get opened up here.
Toronto could easily score four or more goals on Saturday night, but so could Columbus or both. Yes, the Blue Jackets have to outscore their problems. Consequently, the Maple Leafs have shown vulnerability on their penalty kill (78.1%) and will be without defenseman Jake McCabe. Expect some goals!
Pick: Columbus and Toronto Over 6.5 Goals at -110 via FanDuel
Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Picks
The St. Louis Blues are trying to revisit history. St. Louis was hovering around .500 before reeling off 11 straight wins. Utah started their homestand with three disastrous losses but has rebounded with consecutive victories.
This has been more of a rivalry since the Kevin Shattenkirk-Erik Johnson deal. Anyway, Colorado is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games, with several emphatic covers of the spread, including Thursday night in Columbus. The problem with the Avalanche is that sportsbooks agree almost too much. Currently, Colorado is favored on the moneyline at around -135.
The fear of an egg being laid is very real for St. Louis. Dylan Holloway is now out for at least a week with an injury. Jordan Binnington has yielded four goals in his previous four starts. The Blues head on the road after this, and the schedule gets tough with games in Winnipeg and Edmonton. Back the Avalanche to break the Binnington rubber band on Saturday night.
Pick: Colorado in regulation +115 via BetMGM
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens Picks
The most exciting game of the night could be the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens. Montreal is in the playoffs, while Philadelphia has been more entertaining since John Tortorella was fired (15 goals in the last three games). One of those contests was a wild 6-4 home win over Montreal on March 27th.
Philadelphia ranks 19th on the penalty kill at 77.1%, but Samuel Ersson possesses a save percentage of .880 despite a respectable .860 on the penalty kill. Ersson does not make clutch saves too often as the Flyers play a looser and freer style under Brad Shaw.
Again, getting back to Hutson is essential. The rookie defenseman has 57 assists on the season, with 24 on the man advantage. While the over of 0.5 assists has stayed around -140, looking at the assists prop on the man advantage is reasonable.
Hutson has been a great puck distributor, and on the power play, Patrik Laine and Nick Suzuki are scoring forwards. Montreal could wow the crowd on Saturday night while Hutson wows the bettors with more helpers.
Pick: Lane Hutson Over 0.5 Power Play Points at +230 via DraftKings
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