Looking for value on a Saturday card? Of course we all know about the College Football card as that’s where most bettors turn at this time of year. However, those that are looking to pad their bankrolls with even more profits realize that value can be had on a deep Saturday card of NHL action. With 12 games to choose from on a Saturday that promises to be full of “Puck bucks” let’s take a look at four potential “investment opportunities” as, with 24 NHL teams in action Saturday, there are certainly some intriguing match-ups that have our attention!

OTTAWA @ NY ISLANDERS – Sometimes it doesn’t take much to suddenly spark a club and then everyone simply starts playing better. That is the case with the Ottawa Senators! After some frustrating stretches this season, the Sens have now earned at least a point in four straight games. They used a big 4-1 win versus the Rangers last Saturday to really build some momentum. Their prior two games were losses after regulation but you could see the positive surge coming out of Ottawa and, after the win over the Blueshirts, the Sens responded with another win Thursday in the shootout. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs that night and it was a much needed shootout win for the Sens as they had been struggling in shootouts. We saw a change in this club as soon as they made a goalie switch to Alex Auld and it has improved the defense and overall outlook for this club as everyone has “picked up” their game. The Islanders are in the second night of a back to back here and they allowed 7 goals to the Bruins yesterday! That was the 3rd loss for the Isles in their last five games and they’ve allowed an average of 4.4 goals per game during this rough stretch. Against a highly skilled team like the Senators, some of Ottawa’s shots are undoubtedly going to find the back of the net and the Sens could be worth a look Saturday!

MINNESOTA @ NASHVILLE – This will be just the 2nd back to back situation for Minnesota this season and, in the first one they lost both the front-end and back-end. This time around the Wild did manage to win the front-end but they were helped by playing the hapless Lightning! Tampa Bay has now lost ten of their last twelve games and yet Minnesota did have to rally for the win. Now the Wild face a much tougher test tonight as they’re be dealing with a Nashville team that has a little extra momentum in their favor after winning in overtime down in Atlanta last night! The Predators had lost their prior game despite a huge margin edge of 30 shots on goal! The Preds responded to the 1-0 shootout loss by getting a road win last night. Now the Predators are back home where they are 5-2-1 this season and Nashville has earned a point in three straight games as they enter this Saturday match-up. Also Dan Ellis should be back in goal as he was given the night off Friday. Note that Ellis has a solid 2.22 GAA in his last eight starts and he’ll be ready to go Saturday after being afforded the extra rest as Pekka Rinne got the start on Friday at Atlanta. Predators appear to be offering us some line value at home on Saturday!

CHICAGO @ LOS ANGELES – The Blackhawks certainly have responded well despite the turmoil with the coaching change so early in the season. A loss on Friday but Chicago had previously earned a point in 16 of their 20 games this season! The Hawks outshot the Ducks 15 to 7 in the second period of their game at Anaheim Friday but that was the period where Anaheim scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 final. The Kings are coming into this match-up rested as they’ve been off since Tuesday’s win at Edmonton. However, for Chicago it’s not a true back to back road situation here as they played Anaheim last night and now play in nearby Los Angeles the very next night. That said, we’ll look to ride one of the best teams in the NHL coming off of a loss last night. Yes the Blackhawks have some injury issues with goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and defenseman Aaron Johnson both dealing with recent injuries. However, this is a very deep club and the Kings had lost four of their last five games before their win over the Oilers. Additionally, Los Angeles had allowed 9 goals in regulation of their last two games, both losses, before finally they were able to come up with a better effort at Edmonton. That was thanks in part to goalie Jason LaBarbera but goaltender Erik Ersberg had actually been getting most of the recent work and he’s now struggled in his last two starts. The Blackhawks have the firepower to take advantage of the unsettled goalie situation for the Kings in Los Angeles. Off back to back tight losses to San Jose and Anaheim, the Hawks should take advantage of a step down in class here and could be worth a look at a reasonable price on the road in this match-up.

EDMONTON @ ST LOUIS – Perhaps the under is worth a look in this match-up. St Louis has scored two goals or less in four of its last five games and injuries certainly haven’t helped matters for the Blues. As for the Oilers, they have been held to two goals or less in five of their last eight games. Also, Edmonton is likely to go with Dwayne Roloson in between the pipes for this match-up and he’s compiled a 1.96 GAA in 12 career games against the Blues. As for St Louis, they’ve only allowed eight goals in regulation in their last five games. They’ve got a solid group of goalies and both clubs come into this match-up rested. That means we should see solid play from the defense here as there won’t be tired legs in their own zone struggling to get the puck out of their own end. Each of these two clubs has been squeezing the sticks a little too tight and it’s made goals tough to come by. More of the same should be on tap Saturday and with a total of 5.5 on this game there appears to be solid line value being offered with the under here as, of course, 5 is a key number for NHL totals. In this match-up five goals or less should come as no surprise and the under could be worth a look here!

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