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Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (12/2)

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The NHL season is underway! Let’s highlight a few key games for today, Saturday, Dec. 2.

Saturday’s NHL Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Detroit Red Wings (-155) at Montreal Canadiens (+130) | O/U 6.5 (-108/-112)

The Red Wings look great to start the season at 12-7-3 and have won four of their last five. The offense has improved this season thanks to the arrival of Alex DeBrincat, who leads the team in goals and points. It also looks like Dylan Larkin is set to return to the ice.

The Canadiens are still a rebuilding team, but they are showing a lot of promise for the future. They could be even better if the team weren’t missing some of its starters. The record looks good for how they were last season, but most of the wins have come against other below-average teams.

They do have a couple of wins against good teams, one of which is Detroit. The Habs have been able to play teams tight and can keep scores low. The Red Wings have also been playing some lower-score games recently, so the under looks great here.

Pick: Under 6.5 (-112)

Colorado Avalanche (-230) at Anaheim Ducks (+190) | O/U 6.5 (-105/-115)

The Avalanche are playing some incredible hockey at the moment, winning seven of their last nine. It’s not just one side of the ice where they’re excelling; they’ve scored 5+ goals in four of their last seven wins and have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last seven victories.

The Ducks went on a nice stretch over a month ago and had some quality wins, but it’s been all downhill, and they haven’t gotten a point in eight straight contests. Neither side of the puck is doing well; they are allowing 4.75 goals per game over the last eight and are scoring just 2.00 goals per game in that span.

If the Avs weren’t playing well on both sides, you could see the Ducks possibly getting the upset against the backup goalie, but not the way Anaheim has been playing.

Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (-105)

Vancouver Canucks (+105) at Calgary Flames (-125) | O/U 6.5 (-108/-112)

The Canucks have cooled off since the start of the season. They were at one point in the top five in both points scored and allowed, but they’ve dropped off in defense, and the offense is now below four goals per game. It’s a case of guys not being able to keep up with the pace they were on;  Elias Pettersson has five points in his last ten games, and Andrei Kuzmenko has just three. Luckily, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser have recently kept up their point-per-game pace.

The Flames are starting to get hot after a rough start to the season. The offense has been efficient recently, but big credit goes to the defense and goaltending. They are allowing under 30 shots per game, Jacob Markstrom carries a 2.96 GAA in his last six, and Daniel Vladar has a 2.26 GAA in his last three.

The good goaltending on each side should have you eyeing the under.

Pick: Under 6.5 (-112)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:

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