The NHL is back in the spotlight on Friday with four games on the slate.
The Rangers can take a commanding 3-0 lead with a win today while the other three series (Jets at Predators, Oilers at Kings, Jets at Avalanche) are all tied 1-1.
The big injury news is in Nashville where Canucks starter Thatcher Demko is out and Casey DeSmith is starting. The Canucks lost Game 2 with DeSmith in net. After a shaky Game 2, the Oilers will stick with Stuart Skinner whose playoff record continues to disappoint.
The breakdown of where to look for the NHL best bets for the night is below.
NHL Picks for Friday, April 26
Gabriel Villardi over 1.5 shots (-160; DraftKings)
I think you can play Villardi a lot of different ways tonight but the simplest and potentially most valuable way will be just to take the over on this 1.5 SOG prop.
The low total means we are getting a shorter number, but with DraftKings posting this at -160 (it’s much shorter at other books) there is still plenty of value in taking this over at that number. Villardi averaged 2.48 shots on net per game this season and is getting good usage through two games on the Jets' first first-line and first-unit power play.
The former King played over 18 minutes in Game 2 and has managed 2.0 shots in each of the first two games. He’s capable of more as well. Villardi managed 3.0 or more shots in five straight games back in February and isn’t the kind of player who looks to pass first (22 goals, 14 assists in 47 games this season).
On top of playing this over, and given the troubles we’ve seen in net from Alexander Georgiev, I also like looking to him as in the alternate shot and anytime goalscorer markets. He’s +240 on Fanduel for an anytime goal and on bet365 (typically the best place to play alternate shots if you have access) he’s +475 (4+ shots) and +850 (5+ shots) respectively.
Devon Toews over 0.5 assists (+150; bet365)
Both goaltenders in this series have been shaky. Connor Hellebuyck, despite having a Vezina-caliber season, has now allowed 11 goals in two games and has to face an Avalanche team on the road tonight that is 31-9 at home this season.
We could certainly look to load up on the bigger names for Colorado but one player that often goes overlooked in props for them is defenseman Devon Toews.
After the Avalanche shipped Bowen Byram out of town Toews became the clear de facto number two defenseman for the Avalanche, which is still a spot that holds a lot of value. He also plays alongside Cale Makar who himself is a goal-scoring threat every night. Toews averaged 0.46 assists per game this season and down the stretch was very productive, landing at least one assist in seven of his last 12 games.
At +150 we’re getting an implied probability of 40%, making this a nice value proposition – especially considering how high-scoring this series has been to date.
Leon Draisaitl Anytime Goal (+155; FanDuel)
The other late-night game has just as much scoring potential as the first. The Kings and Oilers have combined for 20 goals through two games and with neither side featuring a dominant defense or goalie, it feels like we’ll just keep getting more of the same in Game 3.
For the Oilers, there are multiple names we can turn to for goal props, but with the price on former MVP Leon Draisaitl drifting into the +150 range that’s where I would prefer to look first.
Draisaitl has torched the Kings at points in his career and has scored goals in three of the six games he’s played against them in 2023-2024. He was held off the scoresheet somehow in Game 2, but it wasn’t for lack of effort as he did direct eight shots on net in that game.
Cam Talbot did well to hold the Oilers off long enough for their own goalie to self-destruct and lose them the game, but Draisaitl had his number in Game 1 and will likely be looking for some revenge in Game 2.
The number here is what is important as the +155 at FanDuel is bigger than the +140 or worse posted at other books. I also like playing the over 6.5 goal total in this game (+100) and if you are looking to make a same-game parlay for tonight, Draisaitl’s goal prop fits well with that total bet.
Underdog NHL Pick’em for Friday
- 3-way, 7.5x multiplier
Let's keep this one simple.
We went heavy on the props tonight and if you are looking for more upside you can combine those three into a pick’em ticket on Underdog for a 7.5x payout. If you were looking to boost the payout on this even further combining Toews’ assist prop with a goal prop from one of the Avalanche’s super studs like Mikko Rantenen or Cale Makar makes sense as well.
Draisaitl has been skating with Ryan Nugent Hopkins so combining an RNH assist prop with Draisaitl’s goal also will give you a boost.
