NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Boston Bruins (+140) at Buffalo Sabres (-170)
Total 5.5 (Over, -125)
Sabres lead series 3-1
7:30 p.m. ET
It is going to be a frenzied atmosphere at KeyBank Center in Buffalo as the Sabres look to deliver the knockout punch, eliminate the Bruins and advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 19 years. The Sabres have a commanding 3-1 series lead after erupting for four first-period goals in Game 4 and cruised to a 6-1 win. Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman was pulled shortly after giving up Buffalo’s sixth goal and blasted his teammates as he got to the bench and headed down the tunnel. The Sabres have outscored the Bruins 9-2 in winning Games 3 and 4.
It will be interesting to see how the Bruins respond. Do they come out like a team that plays the game like they want to steal your lunch money and extend the series, or do they play like a team that already has its offseason travel plans booked? I expect Buffalo to put the Bruins away tonight, and with that, I will be on the Sabres’ team total Over 3.5 (+105) instead of laying the heavy money line price (-170).
I will also be on a handful of Buffalo player props. Defenseman Owen Power has an assist in all four games in the series and in six consecutive games dating to the final two games of the regular season. Bowen Byram scored in each of the last three games (twice the Sabres’ first goal of the game) and has cashed his shots-on-goal prop (Over 1.5) in all four games. Tage Thompson’s 19 shots on goal through four games lead the series, and he has had four shots on goal or more versus Boston in five of the last six games on home ice.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Owen Power Over ½ assist (+215) – ½ unit
Bowen Byram Over 1.5 shots on goal (-125) – ½ unit
Bowen Byram anytime goal (+625) – .05 units
Bowen Byram first Sabres goal (+1900) – .05 units
Buffalo Sabres Team Total Over 3.5 (+105) – 1 unit
Tage Thompson Over 3.5 shots on goal (-140) – ¾ units
Tage Thompson Over 4.5 shots on goal (+160) – ¼ unit
Minnesota Wild (+105) at Dallas Stars (-130)
Total 5.5 (Over, -125)
Series tied 2-2
8 p.m. ET
Deuces are wild in this first-round matchup between the Stars and Wild. The series is deadlocked at two, and we have had two overtime games, including a game that needed two overtimes to decide a winner. The series now returns to Dallas for a pivotal Game 5.
The Stars have won four of their last five Game 5s when the series was tied at 2-2. The Wild should get a boost for tonight’s game with the return of Mats Zuccarello, who has missed the past three games because of injury. The Wild forward had three assists in Game 1 and has had at least one assist in five of the past seven games versus Dallas. He has had an assist in six of his last seven games overall.
Sticking with the player props, the Wild’s Matt Boldy leads the Wild with 21 shots on goal. He has had at least one first-period shot on goal versus Dallas in 11 straight and 15 of the last 16 head-to-head meetings. Joel Eriksson-Ek has had at least one first-period shot on goal versus the Stars in seven straight and eight of the last 10, while the Stars’ Jason Robertson has had at least two first-period shots on goal versus the Wild in back-to-back games and five of the last seven meetings. Not only has Robertson been able to generate shots against the Wild, but he has also been a goal-scoring machine with 18 goals in 23 games. Wyatt Johnston has three goals in the series, and twice they have been the last goal of the game (OT winner and empty net). Wild defenseman Brock Faber has opened the scoring for Minnesota twice in the series.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Jason Robertson anytime goal (+140) – 1.5 units
First-period parlay: Jason Robertson Over 1.5 SOG/Joel Eriksson-Ek 1+ SOG/Matt Boldy 1+ SOG (+327) – ½ unit
Mats Zuccarello Over ½ assist (+125) – ¼ unit
Wyatt Johnston/Jason Robertson/Matt Duchene/Brock Faber/Matt Boldy/Joel Eriksson-EK point parlay (+800) – ¼ unit
Dallas/Minnesota/Edmonton/Anaheim all teams to score 2+ goals (+124) – 1 unit
Brock Faber to score the Wild’s first goal (+1700) – .05 units
Brock Faber anytime goal (+700) – .05 units
Wyatt Johnston anytime goal (+140) – .10 units
Wyatt Johnston last goal of the game (+1000) – .05 units
Anaheim Ducks (+140) at Edmonton Oilers (-170)
Total 7 (Under, -115)
Ducks lead series 3-1
10 p.m. ET
After their 4-3 overtime loss on Sunday, the Oilers must win three games in a row or their season will come to an end. Keeping the puck out of the net has been an issue for both teams, and with that, the “Both teams to score 3 goals” prop has cashed in all four games, as well as the first-period Over 1.5 goals.
Strictly on the value, I will play the Ducks on the money line. Edmonton has done nothing in this series to be a -170 favorite. Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe leads all players in scoring with eight points (one goal, seven assists) and has had multi-assist games twice in this series. Cutter Gauthier, who led the Ducks in the regular season with 41 goals and is tied with Ryan Poehling for the series lead with three goals, is on my card for tonight. So is Poehling, who also has the Ducks’ last goal of the game in both Anaheim victories. Gauthier has had four shots on goal or more in each of the last three games (5, 4, 4).
Leo Carlsson has cashed the Over (3.5) shots-on-goal (4, 4, 4, 10) in all four games of the series, and he is still available at “plus money.” Sign me up. On the Edmonton side, the value is with both Kasperi Kapanen (leads the team with four goals) and his linemate Vasily Podkolzin (one goal, three assists), along with defenseman Jake Walman (four assists).
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Jackson LaCombe Over ½ assist (+100) – 1.5 units
Jackson LaCombe 2+ assists (+475) – .10 units
Jackson LaCombe anytime goal (+700) – .05 units
Cutter Gauthier anytime goal (+172) – ¼ unit
Cutter Gauthier Over 3.5 shots on goal (-135) – ½ unit
Leo Carlsson Over 3.5 shots on goal (+125) – ½ unit
Ryan Poehling anytime goal (+475) – .10 units
Ryan Poehling last goal of the game (+3000) – .05 units
Kasperi Kapanen anytime goal (+330) – ¼ unit
Kasperi Kapanen Over ½ assist (+250) – ¼ unit
Jake Walman Over ½ point (+195) – ¼ unit
Vasily Podkolzin anytime goal (+340) – ¼ unit
Vasily Podkolzin Over ½ assist (+220) – ¼ unit
Pizza Money parlays
Owen Power assist, Mats Zuccarello point, Jackson LaCombe assist (+954)
All for 3+ shots in regulation — Connor McDavid, Tage Thompson, Matt Boldy, Jason Robertson, Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson (+539)
