This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Sabres vs Devils & Golden Knights vs Kings – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) returns after the roughly three-week break for the Olympics for the stretch run of the season. Most teams have approximately 25 games remaining before the playoffs begin. Congratulations to Team USA for winning its first gold medal since 1980, and congratulations to Canada for an amazing run in the tournament, as well as to Finland, which placed a solid third for the bronze medal. All nations should be extremely pleased with their teams.
As we emerge from the long layoff, it's a good idea to let teams get back into a rhythm before jumping back in and going hard to the paint with the wagers. Bide your time and wait for some trends to redevelop first.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Wednesday'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.
Buffalo Sabres 
at New Jersey Devils 
The Sabres (32-19-6) and Devils (28-27-2) square off at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. at 7 p.m. ET, as Buffalo resumes its push for a playoff spot. The Sabres are trying to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2011, and currently they sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, eight points back of the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning, whom we'll get to later.
The Devils have a super confident Jack Hughes, who potted the game-winning goal to lift Team USA to that aforementioned gold medal in the Milano-Cortina games, etching his name in Sharpie to the American hockey history books. The 24-year-old was captured in an iconic photograph with a bloodied mouth wrapped in the American flag, and that boy is going to move a lot of Wheaties thanks to his big shot.
New Jersey limped to the break with three consecutive losses, scoring a total of two goals, while getting outscored 10-2. The Devils were also 1-5-0 in the previous six games, allowing at least three goals in six of the previous seven games, while averaging just 1.7 goals per game (GPG) in the past six. The Under has cashed in four in a row, too. Perhaps Jacob Markstrom regained a little bit of confidence in his run to the Quarterfinals with Team Sweden, eventually falling 2-1 in overtime to the eventual champs.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had been injured prior to the break, as he was nursing a lower-body injury. It remains to be seen if he'll be ready, but he was unable to represent Finland in the Olympics, although he is expected to travel with the team for the start of the road trip.
The Sabres finished 0-1-1 in the two games prior to the break, but they're a healthy 21-5-2 across the previous 28 games, with the Over going 3-0 in the past three. However, trends are mostly to be forgotten, as we've had the hiatus, and it's like shaking an Etch-a-Sketch, erasing all recent history from memory.
We'll take the Devils in this one, as there will be a lot of hoopla surrounding Hughes in his first home game since his huge goal. His confidence will be as high as it ever might be, and the Devils should be able to eke out a win over the Sabres as play resumes. We'll also go low on the total, as we could have some rust, as teams slowly get back into the grind.
- Devils ML (-115 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Under 6.5 (-130 at DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Vegas Golden Knights 
at Los Angeles Kings 
The Golden Knights (27-16-14) and Kings (23-19-14) are actually playing for the fourth and final time in the regular season. Vegas is 2-0-1 against Los Angeles this season, with the lone blemish coming on home ice in the opener, 6-5 in a shootout back on Oct. 8.
VGK won the most recent meeting at T-Mobile Arena, 4-1, cashing as a moderate favorite (-140) as the Under (5.5) cashed.
Prior to the break, Vegas had won two in a row, including that 4-1 win on Feb. 5 over the Kings. Again, with a three-week break, what happened, even at the beginning of the month, can mostly be ignored, as we pressed the reset button and got back into NHL game action.
The Kings limped to the finish line with a 1-3-1 record in the five games prior to the break, with the Under going 5-1 in the past six games, and 9-3 in the past 12 outings.
It was the Jordan Binnington show in the Olympics for Team Canada, with former VGK tendy Logan Thompson getting one start against Switzerland and current Vegas goaltender Akira Schmid. It could have been a matchup of Schmid vs. Darcy Kuemper, but the latter didn't get that opportunity and didn't have a huge part in earning a silver medal for his country. It's surprising, as Kuemper was likely the most talented tendy on that Canadian roster, but not according to head coach Jon Cooper, I guess.
Anyway, we'll likely see a matchup of Adin Hill (4-3-3, 3.27 GAA, .869 SV%) and Kuemper (14-11-9, 2.59 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO), and the latter could have a bit of a chip on his shoulder after being passed over in favor of Binnington for Team Canada. Let's back the Kings, and we'll go Under on the total.
- Kings ML (-110 at BetMGM)
- Under 5.5 (-102 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+931 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Devils ML (-115) vs. Sabres
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Devils vs. Sabres
- Under 5.5 (-108) - Kings vs. Golden Knights
- Kings ML (-115) vs. Golden Knights
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+249 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Devils ML (-115) vs. Sabres
- Kings ML (-115) vs. Golden Knights
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+230 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6.5 (-140) - Devils vs. Sabres
- Under 5.5 (-108) - Kings vs. Golden Knights
