The second round of the NHL playoffs is starting to get very spicy. The Hurricanes held off elimination AGAIN yesterday and pushed their series to Game 6 while the Avalanche got some terrible player news with Valeri Nichuskin getting suspended directly before puck drop, dropping their second straight home game to Dallas.

Tonight sees the Oilers try to avoid the same fate as Colorado as they enter off a Game 3 home loss and down 2-1. We also have the Bruins visiting Florida for Game 5.

Boston dropped two at home and is now in danger of being eliminated today. They could also be without Brad Marchand again (questionable), making a comeback seem even more unlikely.

Let’s dive into some NHL best bets for Tuesday.

NHL Picks for Tuesday, May 14

Leon Draisaitl Over 0.5 goals (+130; bet365)

The Oilers fired 45 shots on net in Game 3 but could only beat former third-stringer Arturs Silovs three times. Leon Draisaitl made sure to emphasize after the game that hitting the “post” is not to be confused with a great save, hinting that perhaps he isn’t as impressed with the young goalie as others are.

Either way, I do like betting on Draisaitl to find the back of the net again today, and his goal props have been very fruitful for us so far in these playoffs. Overall, he’s scored in five of eight playoff games posting two multiple-goal games against the Kings. Draisaitl’s usage is also about as good as it gets, making the over on most of his props very appealing as well. He played 29 minutes in Game 3, after being on the ice for 27 minutes in Game 2, and takes the majority of any power play shift.

From a price perspective, Draisaitl is as low as +110 now at some sportsbooks but bet365 still has him listed at +130 which is a solid divergence to take advantage of, especially for a player who has produced so consistently as a shooter for his career and these playoffs. Silovs has impressed but the Canucks will now also be down a defenseman in Carson Soucy (SSPD) giving McDavid and Draisaitl potentially even more room to operate.

I think the +130 on an anytime goal has value but I also like playing for some larger regression from Silovs who seems due for a bit of a down effort soon. The prices for 2+ and 3+ goals are appealing enough given Draisaitl’s ability to score in bunches and if the Oilers do get to Silovs early you know they will be doing all they can to ruin the youngster's confidence by piling in as many as possible late in the game.

Panthers Puckline (-1.5) (+132; FanDuel)

I have seen all I need to see from the Bruins at this point. They got lucky in many respects not to blow a 3-1 lead to Toronto in Round 1, a team that carried the play for much of that series but fell victim to an MVP-like Jeremy Swayman performance. Regression has hit Swayman hard in this series as the Bruins starter has now allowed 12 goals against over his last three starts and couldn’t survive the Panthers' late onslaught last game, which led to a 3-2 Panthers come-from-behind win.

It’s possible the Bruins mix things up in net today, but at this point, I doubt Linus Ullmark will make much of a difference. Florida has carried the play most of this series, dominating the Bruins at 5v5 (55.94 xGF% to 44.06 xGF%) while also receiving good enough goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky to get wins.

It’s possible the Bruins get Brad Marchand back today, as reports have him at early morning skate. But Marchand really hasn’t been a factor in this series. He’s managed just three shots on net and one of his two assists came on an empty net play in Game 1. With this being an elimination game the Bruins will be aggressive if down late, leaving the backdoor wide open for some empty net goals, an angle that makes the puck line appealing for me in this case. With a solid number on Fanduel that’s the route I like taking as we look to Florida to complete another five-game series win.

Carter Verhaeghe anytime goal (+180; bet365)

Verhaeghe shows up when the Panthers need him. His 20 goals are a team playoff record and he co-led the Tampa Bay series in goals scored with Steven Stamkos. Despite the heady playoff stats and the fact he’s now scored in five of nine playoff starts, his goal prop is still unbelievably available as high as +180, and as you probably already guessed, I like taking full advantage.

The Bruins have been beaten 5v5 all series long and now they have a bit of a goaltending dilemma for Game 5 as Jeremy Swayman has seemingly run out of gas at the worst time. As I mentioned above this could also be a spot where the Panthers get multiple cracks at an empty net late. Given Verhaeghe’s role and the fact he already landed one of those empty netters in the Round 1 elimination game against the Lightning, makes this a sweet spot to tail him for a goal once again.

Panthers Same Game Parlay (+800; FanDuel)

  • Verhaeghe anytime goal
  • Verhaeghe 3+ shots on goal
  • Aleksander Barkov 1+ point
  • Panthers -2.5

If you like the idea of the Panthers winning, and potentially winning big due to some late-game empty net action, then combining the alternate puck lines in same game parlays (with Panthers player props) is a good way to play that thesis for maximum upside today.

I already mentioned Verhaeghe’s goal prop above and it’s also available at a solid price on Fanduel where we can pair it with 3+ shots on net, a milestone he’s hit in seven of nine games these playoffs. Further, in any late-game scenario where the Panthers are ahead (or behind), we will see Aleksander Barkov on the ice a ton, which again only enhances his chance of getting a point today. His 1+ point prop is short (-205) but given the run he is on (11 points in five games) likely isn't short enough.

Regardless, it’s hard to see the Panthers scoring 4+ goals and Barkov being left off the scoresheet entirely, so using it as a way to boost this correlated puck line parlay to +800 makes plenty of sense.