NHL’s best go head to head – Weekend preview
The weekend NHL betting schedule delivers two top-notch matchups on Saturday night, as the top two teams in the East (Boston and Washington) and the top two teams in the West (San Jose and Detroit) collide.
In the Eastern Conference the Bruins continue to hold a big lead over the second-place Capitals, who despite leading the Southeast Division by 12 points are still nine points back of Boston. The Bruins went up against the Islanders on Thursday night riding a three-game winning streak. Boston recorded their third straight win on Tuesday after knocking off rivals Montreal 3-1. Zdeno Chara netted a pair of goals in the win, while Tim Thomas made 34 saves between the pipes.
The Capitals last took to the ice on Wednesday when they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh. Alexander Ovechkin outshone both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with two goals and an assist, while Nicklas Backstrom racked up three assists.
Washington and Boston have met up only once so far this season in Washington back in December. The Caps were a +105 underdog on the NHL odds but upset the Bruins 3-1. Ovechkin and Backstrom each had a goal and an assist and Brent Johnson was strong in nets making 33 saves.
In the Western Conference the Red Wings are slowly gaining on the Sharks, only three points back of top spot. The Sharks rolled into Calgary on Thursday night on a three-game winning streak after crushing Tampa Bay 7-1 on Tuesday. Joe Thornton had two goals and an assist, while Milan Michalek also had three points with a goal and two assists.
The Red Wings are in the middle of a six-game road trip and stopped in Los Angeles on Thursday night. Detroit clipped Anaheim on Wednesday night after scoring two goals in only 35 seconds in the third period. Daniel Cleary scored the game-tying goal and Johan Franzen potted the winner 35 seconds later.
The Sharks and Red Wings have clashed twice already this season with each winning at home. San Jose finished off October with a 4-2 win over Detroit as a -150 favorite. In mid-December the Red Wings struck back and blasted San Jose 6-0 as a -145 favorite. Ty Conklin made 24 saves in the shutout, while Pavel Datsyuk had two goals and two assists.
