2024 NHL All-Star Game prediction, odds, bracket: Picks, best bets from hockey expert on 175-123 roll

The NHL All-Star Game is in Toronto for the first time since 2020, and the fans will have a clear rooting interest in Saturday’s night’s game at Scotiabank Arena. The teams aren’t broken up by divisions at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, with players allocated to the four teams in a Thursday night draft. As one of the captains, Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews will play alongside his three Toronto teammates, and the locals should be fired up as they host a ninth NHL All-Star Game in the hockey-mad city. Matthews’ team will face teams captained by Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and the brothers duo of Quinn Hughes of the Canucks and Jack Hughes of the Devils.

Team MacKinnon faces Team McDavid and Matthews’ team takes on the Hughes lineup in semifinals, then the winners meet for the trophy. Saturday’s 2024 NHL All-Star Game is set for a 3 p.m. ET face-off for the first game. Team MacKinnon is a -120 favorite (risk $120 to win $100) against Team McDavid (-105), and Team Matthews (-125) is favored against Team Hughes (+100) in the latest NHL All-Star Game 2024 odds. Team Matthews is the +250 favorite to hoist the tournament trophy, ahead of 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 Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita 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

Auston Matthews leads the NHL with 40 goals, and he went with the strategy of putting familiar players together. The three other Toronto All-Stars will join the captain, who also added a strong goalie tandem in Jake Oettinger of Dallas and the Rangers‘ Igor Shesterkin. Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is Matthews’ assistant captain, and wingers William Nylander and Mitch Marner have combined for 43 goals and 71 assists this season. The team also has some youth at center, with Arizona’s Clayton Keller (45 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.