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NHL Player Props & Best Bets Today: Expect Plenty of Goals in Philadelphia

Gray Bryan

Updated on March 2, 2024 at 4:06 PM EST • Read time: 3 minutes and 61 seconds. Find more on Twitter and Google News.

NHL best bets
NHL best bets

We have selected our top NHL prop picks and best bets based on the top NHL odds for the 13 games scheduled throughout the day on Saturday.

The NHL has seen a lot of afternoon games on Saturday, but the action is not over yet as we head into the evening.

The New York Rangers will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six showdown at 7 p.m., while the Pittsburgh Penguins will take on the Calgary Flames at 10 p.m. to wrap up the schedule.

These are our top NHL prop picks and best bets for Saturday, based on odds from our top NHL betting sites. Confidence levels are rated on a 1-to-5-star scale.

Saturday’s NHL best bets

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Saturday’s NHL schedule and odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Saturday’s NHL player props

Alexis Lafreniere Over 2.5 shots on goal vs. Maple Leafs (-125 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After being selected as the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, Alexis Lafreniere is having a breakthrough season with the New York Rangers. In 60 games, he has accumulated 36 points and taken 161 shots, showing significant improvement compared to his earlier seasons in the league.

Lafreniere has shown a consistent aggressive approach in shooting the puck this season, particularly in his recent performances. He has recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in six consecutive games and in 12 of his last 13 games. In total, he has reached this mark in 35 out of 60 games played, equating to a 58.33% success rate.

The primary concern for Toronto this season has been their defensive play. In their last two games, the Leafs gave up 32 shots each, and Lafreniere has shown a knack for finding the back of the net.

Tage Thompson Over 3.5 shots on goal vs. Golden Knights (+105 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We will once again rely on Tage Thompson to deliver at home against the Golden Knights. Despite ending his streak of at least four shots on goal in seven consecutive games on Thursday night, he still managed to tally a total of five shots, with three on goal, while playing on the road.

In 27 home games, Thompson has taken 101 shots (average of 3.74) compared to 79 shots in 23 road games (average of 3.43). In his past 11 games, he has exceeded 3.5 shots on goal in nine games, with five of those occurring at home.

The Golden Knights are experiencing a decrease in depth and have been giving up a high number of shots recently. In their last five games, Vegas has been allowing an average of 35.4 shots against per game.

Thompson has exceeded 3.5 shots in 52% of his games this season, making plus odds a valuable opportunity, especially when playing at home. Consider increasing the stakes by betting on Thompson to have over 4.5 or over 5.5 shots on goal.

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Saturday’s NHL game picks

Senators vs. Flyers Over 6.5 (-106 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both the Senators and Flyers are facing challenges following their losses on Friday night. Ottawa managed to tie the game after falling behind 3-0 against the Coyotes, only to ultimately lose 5-3. Meanwhile, Philadelphia also struggled, giving up five unanswered goals to the Capitals in a 5-2 defeat.

The Flyers opted to start their top goalie on Friday, giving AHL call-up Felix Sandstrom the chance to make his season debut tonight. Sandstrom has a record of 11-6-2 with a 3.23 GAA and .882 SV% in 20 AHL games this season. Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg unexpectedly started on Friday for the other team, as Joonas Korpisalo was a late scratch due to illness.

In any case, the Senators have given up 15 goals in their most recent three games, while the Flyers have seen three consecutive contests go over 6.5 goals. As a result, this game in Philadelphia is likely to be high-scoring and back-and-forth.

Bruins ML vs. Islanders (-125 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

The Bruins have been struggling lately due to their limited depth, going 4-3-5 since the All-Star break. However, they ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the Golden Knights on Thursday night.

Boston continues to hold a strong 35-12-14 record for the season, with a home record of 16-5-9. On the other hand, the Islanders have managed a 25-20-14 record, largely due to the extra point earned in losses.

The Islanders have a home record of 13-8-9 and have dropped their last four games at UBS Arena, in addition to their loss at MetLife Stadium where they were considered the “home” team.

The Bruins have proven to be the superior team compared to the Isles, with better xGF percentages both this season (50.01% vs. 49.17%) and in the last 10 games (50.77% vs. 48.89%). Boston’s performance warrants them being favored more heavily than -125 on Long Island.

The best NHL bets were placed at 12:50 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Here are our best NHL betting sites:

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Written By:
Gray Bryan
Gray Bryan is a contributing writer at UnderscoregReview.com, covering hockey and baseball. He is the lead NHL writer and editor at the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, where he also co-hosts the Hockey Gambling Podcast. Ryan covers the Philadelphia Flyers for Broad Street Hockey and co-founded Sons of Penn. His past stops include NBC Sports Regional Networks and NHL.com.