Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, January 31

Expert NHL picks for Canadiens vs Sabres, Stars vs Mammoth & more. Get sharp bets, parlay ideas & odds today to boost your edge and bankroll.

January 31, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Saturday, January 31

By:

Daniel Dobish

January 31, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Canadiens vs Sabres, Stars vs Mammoth & More – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of 14 games on Saturday. We also have an NHL Network game between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. ET.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Saturday's NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! 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.

Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres

The Canadiens (30-17-7) and Sabres (31-17-5) meet at KeyBank Center at 7 p.m. ET, and this game can be viewed or streamed on NHL Network.

Both of these teams are playing good hockey this season, looking to get back into the playoffs. This season, the Sabres hold a 2-1 series edge, with the victor by at least two goals in all three meetings. The underdog is 5-2 in the past seven meetings in this series, too, while the Under and Over have alternated in each of the past six meetings, with the Under (6.5) cashing in the most recent meeting in Montreal on Jan. 22, a 4-2 win by Buffalo.

In that win nine days ago, Jason Zucker and Beck Malenstyn (SHG) scored first-period goals, and Zach Benson added an early second-period goal, giving Buffalo a 3-0 lead. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki pulled Montreal back to within 3-2, but an empty-net goal with 44 seconds left by Peyton Krebs put a bow on the scoring.

Montreal steams in with confidence after a 7-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, while going 4-2-0 in the past six games. The Over is 5-2 in the past seven outings.

Buffalo has won five in a row, and it is 20-3-1 in the past 24 outings. But, the Sabres are down to a goaltending duo of Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon, with Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen injured. I feel that, eventually, Ellis and Lyon will run out of steam. But, the Sabres have won the past two in the series. Let's take Buffalo, and go high on the total.

Sabres ML (-130 at Bet365, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Over 6.5 (-115 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

Columbus Blue Jackets at St. Louis Blues

The Blue Jackets (26-20-7) and the Blues (20-25-9) meet at Enterprise Center in St. Louis at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Columbus has won five in a row in this series, outscoring St. Louis 17-9, including three wins as an underdog in the span. The Under has hit in three of the past four meetings, too.

The Jackets are coming off a 4-2 win in Chicago on Friday in the NHL's standalone game, pushing against the total at most shops. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 22 shots in the victory, while Charlie Coyle stayed red-hot with a hat trick and four points, giving him at least one goal (six total) in a three-game scoring streak.

The Blues held off the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night, winning 5-4 as short 'dogs (+125), as the Over (5.5) cashed. Still, St. Louis is 1-4-1 in the past six games. The offense has picked up the pace lately, though, averaging 4.0 goals per game (GPG) in the past three outing, while allowing 4.3 GPG. The Over has cashed in all three games.

The Blue Jackets have hit the Over at a 2-0-1 pace in the past three outings, averaging 5.7 GPG, while allowing 3.4 GPG. Jet Greaves (16-12-6, 2.69 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to be in between the pipes. The Blue Jackets are 2-0-1 in the past three games when playing on no rest, while the Under is 2-1 in the span.

Let's back the Blues, and we'll go Over on the total.

Blues ML (-115 at Fanatics Sportsbook)
Over 6 (-124 at BetRivers Sportsbook)

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Dallas Stars at Utah Mammoth

The Stars (31-14-9) and Mammoth (28-22-4) lock horns at Delta Center in Salt Lake City at 9 p.m. ET. The home team has won each of the first two meetings this season, with Utah winning 2-1 in the most recent meeting in SLC on Jan. 15 as Under (6) cashed.

Dallas has won three in a row, while the offense is averaging 4.0 GPG. The Stars are also allowing 3.0 GPG, so the Over is 2-1 in those three games.

Utah is back from a road trip east of the Mississippi River, going 2-2-0 in the trip. It is coming off a stunning collapse at Carolina, falling 5-4 on Thursday night, as the Mammoth allowed three goals in an 89-second span from 18:01 of the third period, turning a 4-2 lead into a 5-4 loss. It will be interesting to see if there is any kind of hangover, and facing a top-tier Stars team won't be good for a bounce back.

Let's back the Stars, and we'll go high on the total, based on the trends for both teams.