NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Colorado Avalanche (-166) at Los Angeles Kings (+138)
Total 5.5 (Over, -118)
Avalanche lead Series 3-0
4:40 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles Kings are on the brink of elimination, and with that, the end of the 20-year career for their captain, Anze Kopitar, who announced prior to the season that this would be his final season. Can the Kings use the motivation of wanting to extend the series and not letting this be Kopitar’s last game be enough to get them a victory today?
LA has scored just four goals through three games, and three of those have come on the power play. Their lone goal at even strength wasn’t even scored directly using a stick. A Joel Edmundson point shot went off the leg of Kings forward Trevor Moore and past Scott Wedgewood.
While the Kings struggled to score, it’s not like Colorado has lit up the scoresheet either, scoring just eight goals through three games, and while game three on paper looked like the Avs offense woke up, two of the goals went in off a Kings player’s skate and one was scored into an empty net.
The Kings have held Nathan MacKinnon (1 assist), Cale Makar (one goal), and Martin Necas (one assist) pretty much in check. MacKinnon has had just seven shots on goal through three games (he had 15 games this season with seven or more shots) and was held without a shot on goal in game three. It was just the second time this season he was held without a shot on goal. In the game that followed after being held without a shot, he finished with a goal and two assists, along with six shots on goal.
Betting player props for goals in this series is like throwing darts and hoping you hit a bullseye. One player who has been consistently cashing his shots on goal prop is Trevor Moore. Moore has had two shots of goal or more in all three games of the series, five straight overall, and eight of his last 10. With Josh Manson injured in game two and out for tonight’s game, I would expect defenseman Sam Malinski’s role to be elevated. The Avs defenseman has registered two shots on goal or more in six straight and 12 of his last 13 games. I don’t envision tonight going to overtime, so I will parlay both Moore and Malinski for 2+ shots in goal in regulation (available at FanDuel)
With this game being a potential series clincher, I will go with my standard plays of playing both teams to win by at least two goals, both teams to score, and empty net goal (available at BetMGM) and just for an empty net goal to be scored (available at BetMGM).
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Colorado Avalanche -1.5 goals (+146) – .50 units
Los Angeles Kings -1.5 goals (+310) – .50 units
Empty net goal (+125) – 1 unit
Colorado Avalanche empty net goal (+225) – .50
Los Angeles Kings empty net goal (+425) – .50
3rd period Over 2 goals (-115) – 1 unit
Moore/Malinski 2+ shots on goal in regulation (-112) – 3 units
Tampa Bay Lightning (-115) at Montreal Canadiens (-105)
Total 5.5 (Over, -130)
Canadiens lead Series 2-1
7 p.m. ET
This series has been as close as you can get with all three games being decided in overtime and going back to the regular season, it’s now four of the last five meetings have gone past regulation. So why buck the trend? I will absolutely be playing the regulation draw (best price I found was at BetRivers). What’s most surprising to me is that the Canadiens lead the series, and they have yet to get a goal from either Cole Caufield or Nick Suzuki. The two each have three assists and four shots on goal. Tampa’s Brandon Hagel has goals (four) in all three games of the series.
When it comes to picking a side or total, I will pass. I will get on board with the Canadiens team total at Over 2.5 (-152 at FanDuel). It is heavily juiced, but Montreal has scored three or more goals versus Tampa this season in four of their last six meetings, including two of the three games in this series.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Montreal Canadiens Team Total Over 2.5 (-152) – .50
Lane Hutson Over 1.5 shots on goal (-145) – .50
Brandon Hagel anytime goal (+170) – .25
Regulation Draw (+310) – .05
Edmonton Oilers (-140) at Anaheim Ducks (+115)
Total 7 (Over, -115)
Ducks lead Series 2-1
9:30 p.m. ET
The Anaheim Ducks have no problem in trading goals with the Edmonton Oilers and have outscored Edmonton 16-12 over the three games, and have a surprising two games to one series lead. Anaheim has had 11 different players score goals (five with two goals) in the series, and though the Oilers have nine different players finding the back of the net, it wasn’t until game three that Connor McDavid (one goal, one assist) scored his first goal and first points of the series. T
The Oilers have been carried by their second line of Leon Draisaitl (one goal, five assists), Kasperi Kapanen (three goals, one assist) and Vasily Podkolzin (one goal, three assists), who have scored five of Edmonton’s 12 goals in the series. In fairness to McDavid, it appears that he is trying to manage some type of lower-body injury (suffered in game two). While he had two points, he was a (-4) on the night.
The Ducks’ Jackson LaCombe leads Anaheim with six points (one goal, five assists), and if you were with me on Thursday, you would have cashed his goal prop (+700) and his assist prop (+108). I am back on both of his props today. I was also on both teams to score three goals last game (at plus money), but I do wonder if Edmonton tries to alter their game and sacrifice some offense for defense tonight. We could also see them turn to Tristan Jarry or Calvin Pickard in goal. I am going to play Both Teams to score 2 goals and parlay that with Trevor Moore to record at least two shots on goal in regulation.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Jackson LaCombe Over ½ assist (+106) – 1 unit
Jackson LaCombe anytime goal (+650) – .10
Trevor Moore 2+ shots in regulation/Oilers-Ducks each to score 2+ goals (-147) – 2 units
Vasily Podkolzin anytime goal anytime goal (+360) – .25
Vasily Podkolzin Over ½ assist (+220) – .25
Kasperi Kapanen anytime goal (+485) – .25
Kasperi Kapanen Over ½ assist (+260) – .25
Cutter Gauthier anytime goal (+150) – .25
