NHL Best Bets & Picks: Hurricanes vs Flames & Islanders vs Sharks – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a busy Saturday on tap, with 11 games scheduled. There are a pair of ABC matinee games from Boston and New Jersey, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs square off at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network. We're going to focus on a couple of 10 p.m. ET puck drops.
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.
Carolina Hurricanes 
at Calgary Flames 
The Hurricanes (40-16-6) continue their road trip against the Flames (24-30-7) at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
These teams met back on Nov. 30, and the Canes picked up a 1-0 win in overtime as major favorites (-245) as the Under (6.5) cashed. That was the second consecutive OTW for Carolina in this series, and the fourth game to be decided in overtime in the past nine meeting since Dec. 9, 2021. The Under has cashed in three in a row, six of the past seven, and eight of the previous 10 installments in this series since Dec. 14, 2019, too.
Carolina didn't do much at the NHL trade deadline on Friday, after making huge splashes in the market in the previous couple of seasons. The Canes did gran Nicolas Deslauriers from the Philadelphia Flyers, hoping to add a little sandpaper for a postseason run, but Caniacs were mostly underwhelmed by the efforts of the team to acquire help.
Meanwhile, Calgary shipped off Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche, while the Flames received Victor Olofsson and the rights to an unsigned draft pick Max Curran, as well as a conditional 2028 first-round pick. On the surface, it looks like Calgary could really win this trade down the stretch.
Carolina doubled up the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Friday behind Frederik Andersen, so it's expected super rookie Brandon Bussi (25-3-1, 2.29 GAA, .903 SV%, 2 SO) will get the nod against the Flames. For Calgary, Devin Cooley (7-7-4, 2.27 GAA, .923 SV%) is expected to start for the home side.
The Hurricanes have won seven of the past eight games, while going 12-1-2 in the past 15 outings, and 16-2-3 across the previous 21 contests.
Let's back Carolina to cover on the puck line, and we'll go Under on the total.
- Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+145 at Bet365 and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
- Under 6 (-118 at BetMGM Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
New York Islanders 
at San Jose Sharks 
The Islanders (35-23-5) and Sharks (30-25-5) lock horns at SAP Center in San Jose at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
New York made one of the bigger splashes at the deadline, landing Brayden Schenn to bolster its blue line. The Isles are 18-13-3 on the road this season, while the Sharks are 17-10-4 at home.
The Sharks parted with Timothy Liljegren at the deadline, as he is headed for Washington. The biggest thing San Jose was able to do was extend Alex Nedeljkovic, keeping the one-two punch of Ned and Yaroslav Askarov in the crease.
San Jose suffered a 3-2 loss in overtime against the St. Louis Blues behind the aforementioned Nedeljkovic. Still, San Jose is 3-0-1 in the past four games.
New York lost 5-3 on the road against the Los Angeles Kings, and it is 0-for-2 on the current four-game road trip. The Over has cashed in four of the past five games for the Isles, too.
Ilya Sorokin (21-14-2, 2.61 GAA, .911 SV%, 5 SO) is projected to start for the Isles, while Askarov (19-16-2, 3.57 GAA, .887 SV%) is expected to get the nod for the home side.
New York has won four in a row in this series, including a 4-3 victory on Oct. 21, 2025 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. as the Over (6.5) cashed. The Over is 4-1 in the past five meetings, and 6-2 across the previous eight installments.
Mathew Barzal has managed four goals and 12 points with a plus-4 rating in the past nine games to help the Islanders, while Tony DeAngelo has picked up five assists in the past five outings.
For the Sharks, it's no surprise that Macklin Celebrini is hot, going for three goals and seven points in the past three games, and Michael Misa has three goals and five points in the past five contests.
Let's back the Islanders to maintain their mastery of the Sharks, and we'll go Over on the total.
- Sharks ML (+118 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 6 (-118 at BetMGM)
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Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+2244 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+145) at Flames
- Under 5.5 (+110) - Hurricanes at Flames
- Over 6.5 (+102) - Sharks vs. Islanders
- Sharks ML (+114) vs. Islanders
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+424 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+145) at Flames
- Sharks ML (+114) vs. Islanders
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+324 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (+110) - Hurricanes at Flames
- Over 6.5 (+102) - Sharks vs. Islanders
