Intelligent Hockey: Best bets for Saturday's NHL slate

Nothing is worse than betting regret. Sure, live betting exists. But an opportunity for great value or banking easy money at a digestible price can evaporate very quickly once the game starts.

This week, no more missing out. We are fastening ourselves to consistency and profiting off a few woebegone franchises.

Calgary Flames at Seattle Kraken Saturday, April 9 – 7:00 PM ET  The Seattle Kraken have had an ugly inaugural season. In fairness, the original strategy for a winning team made sense: overcome possible scoring struggles with disciplined play and stingy team defence. Unfortunately, goaltending is a critical part of the team-defence equation, and Seattle’s duo has failed them. But the Kraken have been feisty lately. Since March 1st, they are top-ten in shots percentage and are winning the shot attempts battle. They are 7-8-1 over that span and can boast victories against playoff caliber teams like the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators. In their win on Thursday, Seattle outshot the Chicago Blackhawks 17-3 at 5-on-5 in the first period with the Blackhawks wilting against Seattle’s strong puck support and aggressive defencemen. Sadly, the Kraken’s opponent on Saturday packs a much harder punch.

I consider their game with the Calgary Flames appointment viewing because of the Johnny Gaudreau line. Watching the Gaudreau trio dominate game in and game out boggles my mind, and their numbers highlight how special they are. At 5-on-5, they have a +37 (!) goal differential. They have generated 85 more high-danger chances than their opponents. But the thing that is most remarkable is the versatility of their attack.

On the rush or cycle, they are deadly. But what allows them to be virtually unstoppable is