NHL Best Bets
It’s an absolutely loaded Saturday in the NHL with 11 different games across the board. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning kick off the day at 1 pm, so there is no time to waste for my NHL best bets.
The Western Conference playoff picture is essentially set. The only thing that can change is the seeding, but the Eastern Conference could be chaos as there are six different teams in the running for the second wild card spot.
Let’s get into it.
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh (-115, 6)
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning are going to have quite the battle today. The Penguins look to get points in their eighth straight game. Since March 24th, they have been the fourth-highest-scoring team in the league, averaging 4.14 goals per game.
Dating back a little further to March 1st, the Lightning have been the highest-scoring team in the NHL in that span, scoring 4.21 goals per game over a 14-game segment.
Sidney Crosby’s name has entered the MVP talks as he is essentially single-handedly willing his team back into the playoff picture. In his last ten games, Crosby has tallied seven goals with 11 assists and now has 84 points in 76 games.
Despite how well Crosby has played, Nikita Kucherov is still the guy leading the charge for the MVP talks. Kucherov has 133 points in 75 games and has totally dominated the entire season.
It should be Alex Nedeljkovic against Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal, but both teams’ offensive weapons are firing right now. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust are firing on all cylinders, while Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point buzz for Tampa.
This should be a fun one.
NHL Best Bet: Over 6 -118 (play to -130)
Toronto at Montreal (+164, 6.5)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are only two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division. This is an important game for them to try to create some separation again. Toronto is coming off a loss against Tampa, but now they have to turn the page and handle this Canadiens team that shouldn’t be slept on. Montreal has some talent on their roster. They just haven’t been able to put it together consistently this season.
Toronto has won both previous meetings this year, but both games were one-goal contests. That said, this time of year, you need your best players to step up if you’re the Maple Leafs, especially against a weaker opponent like Montreal. Auston Matthews has eight goals in his last 10 games and now has 63 in 74 games this season. The Leafs are one of the most electrifying offensive teams in the NHL, scoring the third-most goals per game as they’re averaging 3.61 per contest. On the other hand, Montreal has the sixth-worst offense, as they’re just scoring 2.73 goals per game.
Defensively, the Canadiens happen to be a mess as well. They allow 3.37 goals against per game, and their penalty kill is at 76.8%. The Canadiens have given up 13 goals against in their last three games, and it looks like Cayden Primeau will start today. Primeau is skating to a 3.29 goals against average in his last four starts and a .899 save percentage.
Despite losing their most recent game, the Leafs have won three of their last four games and are the perfect candidate for a bounceback tonight.
There should be a ton of Toronto blue in the stands. I expect Matthews to lead the way.
NHL Best Bet: Toronto Maple Leafs to win in regulation -125 (play to -135)
April Record: 6-2 (+3.90 units)
2023-24 record: 135–134 (-24.41 units)
