It’s Tuesday and that means we have a big slate of NHL games to sink our teeth into for betting.
The playoffs are only two weeks away now and there are plenty of Eastern Conference teams in action who desperately need wins. The biggest game from a playoff perspective is the Capitals at the Red Wings. Both Detroit and Washington have a game in hand over the Penguins, who are tied for eighth place in the East with Detroit, with Washington just a point back.
The Islanders have a one-point lead on both Detroit and Pittsburgh but play the Rangers at home today. Things are far more settled in the West although the Predators and Kings are both playing and are close in the standings. L.A. comes in having won three in a row and are -280 road favorites vs the Ducks today.
With the playoffs looming, let’s dive into the slate and see what matchups and props offer us the best betting opportunities.
NHL Bets Today - April 9
Panthers / Kings ML parlay (-111; DraftKings)
- Play to: -120
I like the spot for both of these bigger favorites. The Kings have been playing extremely well over the last week or so and are coming off a confidence-inducing drubbing of the Canucks, a team they could very well match up against in the first round. L.A. has a massive advantage 5v5 against the Ducks who don’t have much left in the way of real shooters to hurt the Kings on special teams. The Kings have now won eight in a row in this series and certainly don’t want to have to deal with a momentum-killing loss to a weaker rival right now.
L.A. is playable on the puckline at -110 or better but pairing them with the Panthers makes sense for me as well. Florida is playing one of the worst road teams in the league in Ottawa who are 14-21 straight-up on the road this season. The Panthers dismantled the Senators a week ago in Ottawa 6-0, chasing starter Jonas Korpisalo after just 17 shots on net. They’ve been sitting at home stewing since Saturday after an OT loss to rival Boston and will have the rest advantage on Ottawa who won in OT on the road Sunday night against the failing Capitals.
The number for both these favorites should probably be shorter than they are making them good pairs for a bigger moneyline parlay today.
Matthew Tkachuk anytime goal +185 / two goals +1200 / Hat-trick +8000 (bet365)
How about a little brother-on-brother violence today? Matthew Tkachuk has seen his scoring dip this season but remains just five goals away from 30 on the season, a milestone he’s hit easily the last two seasons. Certainly, the Panthers have bigger things on the horizon but with a weaker team on tap (Brady Tkachuk’s Senators) Tkachuk would certainly look at this as a good chance to pad his goal total, especially if the score gets out of hand again, as it did between these teams last week.
The former Flame has played better of late with four points in his last two outings, including two goals, and he was aggressive with his shot against Boston landing five shots on net. With the playoffs looming I expect we see Tkachuk continue to pick things up and the weak opponent today makes this as good a spot as any to-go goal-chasing with odds of +185 available.
Given Ottawa’s goaltending, I’d also not hesitate to get some exposure to bigger returns for 2+ and 3+ goals either. While the big games haven’t been there as often this season for Tkachuk he’s still managed three multiple-goal games since the start of February (one of which was a hattrick).
Rangers vs. Isles over 5.5 goals (-115; DraftKings)
- Play to: -120
While this game will have somewhat of a playoff atmosphere to it thanks to the position the Islanders find themselves in (clinging on to one of the last playoff spots in the East) I still expect the offenses on both sides to find some success.
The Rangers have been on a tear of late averaging 4.4 goals over their last five games and their fourth-ranked power play has been on fire landing four power-play goals in their last three games (including two against Montreal on Sunday). They’ll take on an Islanders team that ranks dead last in penalty-kill percentage and allowed five goals to the Rangers in a mid-March meeting just recently.
The Islanders are coming off a 2-0 shutout win at home, which is likely what is keeping this number down at 5.5, but they have trended to the overall season (40-32-4 to the over on the year). They are also playing a Rangers team that is 21-18 to the over on the road. When it comes down to it, I think the offenses for both of these teams are in somewhat advantageous spots and that should lead to both teams landing multiple goals and (hopefully) getting us over this smaller 5.5 mark.
Alex Ovechkin 5+ SOG +160 / 6+ SOG +320 / 7+ SOG +600 (bet365)
While Washington may or may not win this battle of struggling teams one thing I don’t expect to happen today is for Alex Ovechkin to go down without a fight. The Capitals captain cooled down against Ottawa in a 3-2 OT loss on Sunday but had landed three goals in his two games before that devastating defeat.
We could go goal hunting with Ovechkin today but I prefer to take a bigger swing and look to his alternate shots on goal lines instead. The Red Wings allow the fifth-most shots on net per game (32.7) and have now allowed 36 or more shots on goal in four straight games. They have been bailed out by solid play from goalie Alex Lyon of late but by going to the SOG props we don’t have to worry about whether or not Lyon stands on his head again.
Ovechkin has also hit the 7+ SOG mark in three of his last 18 games heading into this contest (16.6%) so the implied probability we’re getting at +600 (14.29%) suggests this is a pretty fair line, especially with the heightened advantage of facing the Red Wings today.
Regardless of how you decide to allocate your bets, getting some kind of exposure in your bets to Ovechkin against this poorer defense seems like a good idea.
Colorado Avalanche win in regulation (-125; bet365)
- Play to: -130
The Wild have generally played the Avalanche somewhat tough over the past couple of seasons but Colorado still maintains a solid advantage in the win department and has now won five of the last six meetings between these clubs, four of which came in regulation.
Colorado has also had a bit of a wake-up call over their last two starts, losing by multiple goals to the Oilers and Stars. Those were both road games, however, and they are back home today where they are now a league-leading 29-8 on the season. When it comes down to it, the Wild are pretty much all but done (they are nine points back of Vegas with five games left) and have been in the news lately more for practical jokes than actual hockey.
Given the need Colorado has for a win to gain back some momentum, it’s very likely the jokes end tonight and the Avs win this one going away.
Underdog NHL Pick’em (3-way, 10.8x)
Matthew Tkachuk HIGHER 0.5 goals (scorcher)
See above…
Artemi Panarin HIGHER 0.5 goals (scorcher)
As I mentioned under our NYI vs NYR write-up, I like the spots for both of these offenses. Panarin is also just four goals away from 50 and I can’t see him not making a serious push to get to that milestone so will continue to find ways to back him in the anytime goal market. We’re getting a fair multiplier on Underdog today to add him to our pick’em ticket.
Alex Lyon over 26.5 saves
Lyon has been playing well and as mentioned in our Ovechkin writeup, the Red Wings simply cannot stop allowing shots on net. Washington is in complete desperation mode today so I can’t see them not coming out and testing Lyon early and hopefully pushing him over this very low total.
