Intelligent Hockey: Best bets for Saturday's NHL slate

This is the best time of year. Give me world-class hockey with the highest stakes possible for five hours (or six or seven, depending on overtime) and I am in bliss. Saturday ups the ante, giving us an eye-popping 12 hours of hockey and a surefire way for hockey lovers to antagonize their partners who have other interests. From a betting standpoint, we have a two-game sample size to help predict Saturday’s action, and a multitude of angles are worth examining. 

Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals Saturday, May 7 – 1:00 PM ET  Skepticism shrouded the Florida Panthers as they entered the postseason. A high-octane offence fueled by speed in transition might work during the regular season, but could the Panthers adapt to playoff hockey? Two questions persisted: Could Florida win if they couldn’t rely on the rush, and would their goaltending sink them?

Through two games, I think there is reason to be bullish on the Panthers, despite their splitting at home. As the sagacious Mike Kelly of NHL Network highlighted on Twitter, in Game 1 the Panthers were forced to chip and chase due to a congested neutral zone. This is an action they are loathed to do; in the regular season, they were the most resistant team in the league to dump the puck in. 

Game 1 saw the Capitals finish with better expected goals and more high-danger chances. Poor puck management by the Panthers against the Capitals’ 1-3-1 neutral zone formation catalyzed Washington’s upset.

Game 2 brought changes in Florida’s strategy. By using the stretch pass and flying the zone, the Panthers did a much better job creating separation between the Capitals’ defencemen and forwards. All five Florida goals came at 5-on-5, and the Panthers doubled the Capitals in