The 2024 NHL All-Star Game captains had their pick of top talent, and Saturday will be the time to see who built the best team. The All-Star Game is in Toronto for the ninth time, and first since 2020, and fans are sure to be on Auston Matthews' side. Teams were drafted for the first time since the 2015 All-Star Game, and as one of the four captains, the Toronto star's top two picks are Maple Leafs, and so is his co-captain. Team Matthews will face the side selected by the Hughes brothers -- Vancouver's Quinn and New Jersey's Jack -- in the second 20-minute semifinal. First up is the semifinal between teams led by Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton's Connor McDavid, and the semifinal winners will then face off for the title.
Saturday's 2024 NHL All-Star Game is at Scotiabank Arena, and face-off for the first game is set for 3 p.m. ET. The latest NHL All-Star Game 2024 odds list Team MacKinnon as a slight -120 favorite (risk $120 to win $100) in its matchup with Team McDavid (-105). Team Matthews also is favored at -125 against Team Hughes (+100). Team Matthews is the +250 favorite to win it all, followed by Team Hughes (+265), Team MacKinnon (+280) and Team McDavid (+285). Before making any 2024 NHL All-Star Game picks, be sure to see the NHL predictions from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
Severance is a well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. He went an amazing 175-123-3 in 2023, earning profits on both goal totals and spread picks. He heads into All-Star Weekend on an 18-6 run on puck-line plays, bringing a profit of $744 for $100 players. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Severance has set his sights on the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the latest NHL odds and trends for All-Star Weekend:
- Team MacKinnon vs. Team McDavid money line: MacKinnon -120, McDavid -105
- Team Mathews vs. Team Hughes money line: Matthews -125, Hughes +100
- MAC: Sidney Crosby is averaging 0.59 goals per game, his highest since 2010-11.
- MCD: Sam Reinhart's 37 goals are already his most in a 10-year career.
- MAT: The four Maple Leafs have combined for 90 goals and 122 assists.
- HUG: Co-captain Quinn Hughes leads the NHL in plus-minus at plus-34.
- NHL All-Star Game picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Team McDavid can win it all
McDavid went against conventional wisdom and snapped up the top goaltender with his No. 1 pick. Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck has the best goals-against average (2.20) and save percentage (.924) in the league aside from Adin Hill (1.94, .936), who has missed 33 games. McDavid is fourth in the league in assists (47), and he is joined by teammate Leon Draisaitl, who has 57 points as the Oilers are on the brink of a record-tying 17th straight victory. Florida's Sam Reinhart (37 goals) and Boston's David Pastrnak (72 points) add to the potent attack. See which team to back here.
Why Team Hughes can win it all
Jack Hughes is injured and will not play in the games, but brother and co-captain Quinn Hughes will, and they should have a hungry young team. Team Hughes had the top pick in the draft and went with Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, the NHL's points leader with 85. Quinn Hughes leads the league's defensemen in assists with 50, behind only MacKinnon and Kucherov overall. Team Hughes also grabbed hungry young players like Brady Tkachuk (41 points) and Jesper Bratt (51), so they might try harder than the veterans. See which team to back here.
Why Team Matthews can win it all
Home ice and the familiarity among Leafs players should help in a game like this. So should having the NHL's top scorer in Matthews (40 goals). Defenseman Morgan Rielly is his assistant captain and has 33 assists this season, while wingers William Nylander and Mitch Marner both have 47 points for Toronto. The goalie tandem of the Stars' Jake Oettinger and the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin might be the best duo among the teams. Matthews has other playmakers, including Nashville's Filip Forsberg (51 points) and the Islanders' Mathew Barzal (38 assists). See which team to back here.
How to make 2024 NHL All-Star Game picks
Severance is not picking Team MacKinnon, even though the captain and his Colorado teammate Cale Makar have the Avalanche sitting atop the West. They are joined by a resurgent Sidney Crosby, but Severance thinks other teams will be hungrier.
Instead, Severance believes one crucial X-factor will help another division win it all, making them a must-back. He's sharing who it is over at SportsLine.
So who wins the NHL All-Star Game 2024?, and what crucial X-factor makes one team a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to get Severance's overall champion, all from the NHL handicapper who is 175-123-3 in his past 301 NHL picks.
