Category: NHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers’ second-round series shifts to Sunrise on Friday.

The pregame narrative: The Maple Leafs are in uncharted waters in the “Core Four” era, taking a 2-0 lead with them on the road after a pair of nail-biting wins. Florida is heavily favoured to win Game 3 and hopes to get better goaltending from a struggling Sergei Bobrovsky.

Check out my Panthers vs. Maple Leafs best bets for Game 3 of the second round, featuring Brad Marchand and Max Pacioretty.

Maple Leafs vs. Panthers best bets

Best Bet: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-136)

Florida will throw its best shot at Toronto on Friday, guaranteed. After all, the Panthers are reigning Stanley Cup champs for a reason.

But I believe this Maple Leafs group is different, and I’m happy to bank a goal with them on the road.

Toronto has covered this line in all but one of its playoff games. The team has bought in defensively, blocking a whopping 25 shots and throwing 41 hits in Wednesday’s Game 2 win.

And throughout the entire postseason, the Leafs are giving up the fourth-fewest 5v5 shots per 60 (22.71), according to Natural Stat Trick.

I am most bullish on this play, though, because of the goaltending.

Joseph Woll was clutch when it mattered in Game 2 and has posted a 2.33 GAA and .940 SV% in three regular-season starts against Florida.

Bobrovsky, meanwhile, has allowed 18 goals in his last five starts with an .850 SV%. The netminder has proven to be streaky in his career, and Toronto’s offence is firing on all cylinders.

Will the Panthers win this game? Maybe. But I don’t think it will be in a blowout.

Key stat: Toronto has covered a +1.5 puck line in 18 of its last 20 games (3-1 vs. Florida in that span), winning 16 of those games outright.

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Game 3 picks

Marchand to record a point (+110): Marchand has new threads, but he’s still the same old playoff menace.

• The former Boston Bruin has seven points this postseason (one goal, six assists).

• He’s cleared this line in four straight games (six total points), with three points against the Maple Leafs.

Marchand’s line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen has dominated this matchup. They own a series-best 83.31% xG rate and have a 66.67% Corsi rate.

This seems like a great price to buy in on a historic Leaf-killer.

Pacioretty to record a point (+145): Pacioretty has been on a rampage since his promotion to the second line with William Nylander and John Tavares.

• He’s registered six points (two goals) in three games, going 3-0 against this line.
  
• Pacioretty has generated 16.69 chances per 60 since the move, second among all Maple Leafs skaters.

The veteran winger should keep getting run after coming in the clutch. He scored the series-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators and added another goal against the Panthers on Wednesday.

Nylander and Tavares hold -200 and -143 odds, respectively, to register a point in Game 3. They’re both on the top power play, unlike Pacioretty, but that still seems like a wild discrepancy for a guy creating plenty of chances.

Panthers vs. Maple Leafs best bets made at 3:11 p.m. ET 05/08/2025.

Leon Draisaitl and Andrei Svechnikov are my picks to score during Thursday’s NHL playoff action.

Today’s NHL narrative: The Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes won their respective Game 1s on the road. Both teams now have a chance to send the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals on the road down 0-2.

Check out the best NHL anytime goal picks for May 8.

NHL anytime goal picks

Best Bet: Svechnikov to score (+200)

Svechnikov has kicked things into overdrive this playoff with five goals, already equaling a quarter of his regular-season production.

The Russian winger is firing pucks at will, and his line with Jackson Blake and Sebastian Aho has been flat-out dominating.

• The Blake-Aho-Svechnikov line played 14:34 together in Game 1, generating 30 chances and an 85.71% Corsi rate.

• This postseason, Svechnikov is leading all skaters in 5-on-5 chances per 60 (28.57).

Washington has been a mess defensively despite beating the Montreal Canadiens in five games. The Caps are allowing the second-most chances (71.73) and fifth-most shots (29.71) on a 60-minute basis.

Playing on a red-hot line and getting top power-play minutes, Svechnikov seems like a great value to score tonight.

Key stat: Svechnikov ranks fifth in expected goals per 60 (1.54) this postseason.

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NHL prop predictions

Draisaitl to score (+125): What can I say about Draisaitl that hasn’t already been said?

The German winger is a scoring machine, potting a league-best 52 goals during the regular season. He’s found the net in four of seven playoff games and is up to 45 career postseason goals in 81 games.

That 0.556 goals/game rate is the eighth-best all-time, and second among active players behind Nathan MacKinnon (0.579).

Draisaitl scored in Game 1, and his line with Connor McDavid and Corey Perry dominated play, generating a 71.43% Corsi rate.

Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill has also been shaky, sporting a 3.01 GAA and .876 SV% this postseason.

NHL anytime goal picks made at 12:27 p.m. ET on 05/08/2025.

The Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights meet for Game 2 on Thursday night.

The pregame narrative: Edmonton became the first team in NHL history with five consecutive playoff comeback wins on Tuesday and now has a chance to send the series home with a 2-0 lead.

Check out my Oilers vs. Golden Knights prop picks on Evan Bouchard and Corey Perry for Game 2 on May 8.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights picks

Best bet: Bouchard to record an assist (+100)

Where would the Oilers be without Bouchard?

The defenceman has been eating massive minutes for Edmonton and consistently contributing with four goals and five assists in seven games.

He had a pair of apples in Game 1 against Vegas while logging a team-high 26:27 of ice time and is a good bet to find the score sheet again.

Bouchard is -167 to record a point, which I think is playable. He has 41 points in his last 32 postseason games, clearing that mark in 22 of those contests. That 68% hit rate exceeds the 61% implied probability of the wager.

But I’ll instead opt for him to record an assist, which comes in at even odds.

Bouchard is running point on a lethal power play that features Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That unit is 5-for-9 since Game 2 of the opening round.

The rearguard leads all Oilers with 39 chances (i.e., shot attempts), so there are always plenty of opportunities for tip-ins and rebounds.

Key stat: Bouchard has 31 assists in 32 playoff games since the start of last season.

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Game 2 prop prediction

Perry to record a point (+125): I backed Perry on this market in Game 1 at +125, and he came through, scoring the Oilers’ first goal of the series.

McDavid and Draisaitl assisted on that play, which is why I’m going back to the 39-year-old tonight.

• The Draisaitl-McDavid-Perry line logged 42:49 of ice time together against L.A. and out-chanced the opposition 62-to-29 (68.13% Corsi rate).

• They had 9:22 of ice time together in Game 1 and out-chanced the Golden Knights 10-to-4 (71.43% Corsi rate).

Perry doesn’t log big minutes — he’s averaging 13:39 TOI this postseason — but when he’s on the ice, it’s with two of the best players of all time.

That’s good enough to justify a bet in my books.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights prop picks made at 11:15 a.m. ET 05/08/2025.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers meet for Game 2 on Wednesday night.

The pregame narrative: All eyes will be on Sam Bennett as the Panthers look to level the series. The forward had a contentious collision with Anthony Stolarz, causing Toronto’s netminder to leave the game and exit the arena on a stretcher.

Check out my Panthers vs. Maple Leafs best bets for Game 2 of the second round, featuring Bennett and Auston Matthews.

Game 2 Boost: Maple Leafs to win & over 2.5 team total, Tavares to score. Bet now!

Panthers vs. Maple Leafs best bets

Best Bet: Bennett to record a point (-118)

Bennett is the ultimate agitator and has mastered the “accidentally-on-purpose” brand of hockey.

His incident with Stolarz marked the third consecutive postseason where Bennett took an opposing player out of the series without facing supplemental discipline:

Whether or not he intended to injure Stolarz or simply get in his kitchen is up for debate, and I’ll leave it at that.

What I do know is that Bennett isn’t just on the Panthers to create havoc.

The forward can hurt the opposition on the score sheet and has been Florida’s most productive player this postseason (team ranks in parentheses):

• 6 points (1st)
• 24 shots (1st)
• 37 chances (1st)
• 2.78 xG (1st)
• 8 high-danger chances (2nd)

Bennett scored a goal and had seven shots in Game 1. He has every opportunity to stay hot playing on the top power play and riding with Matthew Tkachuk on the second line.

Key stat: Bennett is 14-6 against this line in his last 20 playoff games (5-1 this postseason).

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Game 2 picks

Maple Leafs over 2.5 goals (-127): Toronto’s offence exploded in the series opener, netting three goals in the first period en route to a 5-4 win.

Do I expect that to happen again? No. But this total should still be well within reach.

The Maple Leafs are 6-1 against this line during the postseason. Two of those games were won 3-2 in overtime against the Ottawa Senators, but a win’s a win.

Toronto’s “Core Four” is finally showing up in the postseason, and Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t been great after stonewalling the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first two games of the postseason.

In four games since, he has allowed 14 goals on 86 shots (.837 SV%, 1-3 vs. this line).

I’m also expecting a tight whistle after Monday’s extracurriculars, meaning both teams should see plenty of power-play looks.

Matthews over 3.5 shots (-114): Matthews isn’t scoring like he used to, and you could chalk that up to lingering injury, bad luck, or just poor play.

Toronto’s captain posted a career-low 33 goals with a 12.6% shooting percentage this season. He has two goals (one on a practically empty net) with a 7.7 SH% in the playoffs.

But he’s still generating a boatload of chances, which is what I’m keying in on.

Matthews had five shots in the series opener. He’s had at least three shots in six of seven playoff games so far and is 3-4 vs. this line.

He’s leading the team with 54 chances (i.e., shot attempts) in the playoffs, 15 more than second-place William Nylander.

Panthers vs. Maple Leafs best bets made at 10:05 a.m. ET 05/07/2025.