Intelligent Hockey: Best bets for Saturday’s NHL action

Six of the seven Canadian teams are playing this Saturday, and given the tumult in Edmonton lately, maybe the Oilers need a breather.

Since the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are already essentially eliminated, I wanted to focus on the matchups that have postseason implications.

Here are some of my best bets for Saturday’s NHL action.

Winnipeg Jets at Nashville Predators Saturday, February 12 – 7 PM ET

I suspect Winnipeg Jets interim coach Dave Lowry is envious. The Nashville Predators’ hallmark is bullying, punch-you-in-the-mouth hockey. In a finesse league, the Predators relish a power game fuelled by ugly goals. Lowry decidedly wants his Jets to adopt this grinding identity, and in Winnipeg’s 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night, there were signs of Lowry’s influence.

But one thing that differentiates the Predators from impersonators is how they blend skill into their bad-boy persona. While their first line of Mikael Granlund, Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg can gash their opponents, I think Saturday’s matchup could be altered by the stick of superstar defenceman Roman Josi.

Josi is well known for his puck-handling and skating, and he can create a path to the net in a way few players in the league can. But Josi’s impact extends beyond electrifying solo rushes. Nashville also features him on faceoffs in important ways that Winnipeg will need to be hyper aware of.

In the Dallas game on Wednesday night, Nashville ran a set play for Josi where he interchanged with his defensive partner and powered the puck into the crease. It led to a scrum in front of the net, and a Nashville goal punched in by Yakov Trenin.

In another set play off an offensive zone draw, the Predators won the faceoff and