Best NHL Bets Today: Expert Picks for Saturday, April 5

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on April 5, 2025

More Home Runs. Fewer Strikeouts.

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Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Saturday, April 5

The National Hockey League has 13 games on the slate for Saturday, with five afternoon games, and eight contests starting at 7 p.m. ET or later. In the evening window, the Winnipeg Jets and Utah Hockey Club are on NHL Network with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

We'll work up a few parlay possibilities. Personally, I am reeling, as I had a seven-leg NHL parlay on FanDuel (+873) on Friday night, and I hit six of the legs. I played the alternate total of Under 7.5 goals in the Hurricanes-Red Wings game, and Alex DeBrincat had an empty-net goal with one second left in regulation to cost me a nice little payday. That was tough to swallow, I have to be honest. Anyway, let's get started.

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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Buffalo Sabres

The Lightning (44-26-5) and the Sabres (32-36-6) meet at KeyBank Center in Buffalo at 7 p.m. ET.

Tampa Bay won a wild 6-5 victory at Amalie Arena on March 6 as a heavy favorite (-230) as the Over (6.5) obviously cashed rather easily. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 33 shots, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was knocked around for six goals on 26 shots. That is the expected goaltender matchup for Saturday night.

Surprisingly, the Sabres are 5-2 in the past seven meetings since Feb. 23, 2023, and the Sabres have covered the puck line as an underdog in six straight in the series since Nov. 28, 2022, including four outright wins as a 'dog.

Tampa Bay suffered a 2-1 loss at Ottawa on Thursday, halting a four-game win streak. The single goal was a shocker, too, as the Lightning had lit the lamp at least four times in each of the previous four outings. Still, the Lightning are averaging 4.8 goals per game (GPG), cashing the Over at a 4-2-1 clip in the past seven.

For Buffalo, it topped the Senators 5-2 last time out on Tuesday, and the offense for the Sabres has been on fire lately. The Sabres are 5-1-0 in the past six games, posting 32 goals in the six-game span, or 5.3 GPG. The Over is 5-1 in the span, too.

Let's back the Sabres catching the goal and a half on home ice, and we'll bank on the Over based on the trends for both sides.

Sabres +1.5 (-148 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Over 6.5 Goals (+100 at Fanatics Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues

The Avalanche (47-26-4) and Blues (42-28-7) meet at Enterprise Center at 7 p.m. ET.

Colorado has 98 points, third in the Central Division, and with five games to play, it's all but likely that it is locked into third place.

St. Louis has managed 91 points, and it is hanging onto the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, two points clear of the Minnesota Wild.

The Blues have won consecutive games in overtime, and they've won 11 in a row, tying a franchise record set in 2018-19. That was the same season the Blues won their only previous Stanley Cup.

This is the fourth meeting of the season, with the Blues winning two of three meetings, as the Under has cashed in each of three encounters.

St. Louis won 2-1 in Denver on March 29, as Jordan Binnington allowed a single goal on 29 shots, with Zack Bolduc scoring a power-play goal, and Pavel Buchnevich netting the game-winning goal midway through the third period.

Let's back the Avalanche, though, as the Blues have to lose at some point, and we'll go low based on the series trends.

Avalanche ML (-130 at ESPN Bet Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (+102 at Fanatics Sportsbook)

Vegas Golden Knights at Calgary Flames

The Golden Knights (45-22-8) and Flames (36-27-12) meet at Scotiabank Saddledome at 10 p.m. ET.

Vegas has won the first two meetings this season, both at T-Mobile Arena, with a 5-0 win on Oct. 28 with a 16-save shutout by Adin Hill, while winning 3-0 on Dec. 29 behind 31 saves from Ilya Samsonov.

Calgary picked up a 4-1 win last time out, but it is just 2-2-1 in the past five outings. The Under is on a 4-0 run for the Flames, averaging 2.5 GPG, while allowing 2.3 GPG in the span.

VGK was stunned 4-0 at home as moderate favorites (-160) at T-Mobile Arena, dropping a second straight game after winning six in a row. The Under has hit in three straight for the Golden Knights.

Based on the series trends, Vegas is a slam-dunk play, and go low, based on the series trends, and results for both teams lately.