NHL weekend betting preview: Senators will find scoring touch

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We couldn't quite follow up a perfect Wednesday with an unbeaten Thursday, but we did take home a slight profit despite a 2-2 record with our official bets.

We also improved to 7-3 on our last 10 best bets, though our trend of the day was a loser. It was a case of two steps forward, one step back.

Moving forward, there are a ton of games this weekend, so let's have at it.

GOATs and scapegoats

There are a number of GOATs we could pick from the St. Louis Blues-Vegas Golden Knights matchup that soared over the six-goal total, but Zach Sanford takes the cake with his four-goal effort. A player scoring four times when you bet the over is pretty spectacular.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets let us down. They held a 2-0 lead late in the second period before losing 4-3 in overtime. Matiss Kivlenieks allowed three goals on the Buffalo Sabres' final 10 shots of regulation. That one hurt.

Weekend bets

Saturday: Edmonton Oilers

Sooner or later, you'd expect Joel Quenneville to pull the Florida Panthers out of their funk, but until we see signs of a turnaround, let's keep taking advantage of them. The Panthers have now lost five of their last six, including three in a row on home ice, while the Oilers are still playing some very good hockey in the absence of Connor McDavid. Edmonton's on an 11-3 run in road games against Eastern Conference teams and should be targeted on Saturday at plus-money.

Saturday: Dallas Stars

The look-ahead line for this game at Bell Center has the Stars at -115. The Montreal Canadiens will first play Friday night in Pittsburgh, so we could see goalie Charlie Lindgren start Saturday, though with the Habs' playoff hopes hanging by a thread, it's possible Carey Price starts both games. Regardless, Montreal has been struggling on home ice and seems to be running out of steam while being hit hard by the injury bug. The Stars have won eight of their last 11 on the road and should comfortably take care of business Saturday night. Don't hesitate to grab them at such a short price.

Sunday: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have won nine of their last 10 games at Prudential Center, with the New Jersey Devils hardly lighting the lamp in those contests (more on that later). Elvis Merzlikins owns a .947 save percentage in 2020 and should have no problem leading the Jackets to continued dominance over their Metropolitan Division foes.

Best bet

Saturday: Ottawa Senators' team total over 2.5

You might be surprised that the Senators have won eight of their last 10 home games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa has scored at least three goals in 10 of its last 11 contests versus the Leafs in the nation's capital, including 10 goals combined in the two meetings there last season. Toronto's defensive issues don't seem to be improving, and with the Leafs in action on Sunday as well, we could see Jack Campbell start the first game of the back-to-back - a move coach Sheldon Keefe's been making of late. Regardless of the starter, Ottawa's the play.

Trend of the night

The Devils have scored just 12 goals in their last 10 home games against the Blue Jackets. They've scored one goal or fewer in seven of those 10 contests.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins is in top form and the Blue Jackets are conceding very few goals these days, so a play on the Devils' team total under 2.5, as well as under 1.5 - which can likely be had at around +200 - are both in the cards for Sunday's game.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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