Category: NHL

The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are back at it for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

The pregame narrative: Los Angeles was 30 seconds away from putting Edmonton in a 3-1 stranglehold on Sunday before Evan Bouchard‘s game-tying goal led to an Oilers overtime win. I’m betting on the defencemen to produce again alongside L.A.’s Quinton Byfield.

Check out my Oilers vs. Kings prop picks for Game 5 of this first-round matchup.

Oilers vs. Kings prop picks

Best Bet: Bouchard to record a point (-143)

Watching Bouchard play hockey is a rollercoaster.

Edmonton’s defenceman is the epitome of a risk/reward player, and his mere presence has led to a boatload of chances on both ends of the ice.

I’m sure head coach Kris Knoblauch wishes Bouchard were more responsible defensively, but that’s just not how he rolls.

And when a player scores four goals in two pivotal games, you kind of have to bite your tongue.

Bouchard was held pointless in Game 2, but has multiple points in his other three outings. Playing top-pairing minutes and running point on a power play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, he should have ample chances to strike again.

He has 39 points in 29 playoff games dating back to last season, cashing this bet 21 times. That 72.4% hit rate far exceeds the 58.85% implied probability of this wager.

Key stat: Bouchard has 18 points in his last nine playoff games against L.A.

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Quick picks

Byfield 1+ points (-124): Bouchard and the Oilers managed to outscore their problems at home, but I think the Kings are due for an offensive outburst on Tuesday.

Calvin Pickard has been better than Stuart Skinner in goal for Edmonton, but that’s not saying much.

Pickard has a 3.29 GAA and .889 SV% this series. And as mentioned, the Oilers’ defencemen aren’t doing him any favours.

Byfield found the stat sheet in Games 1 and 2 and had six shots on Sunday.

His line with Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere has generated a team-high 58 chances at 5-on-5.

Oilers vs. Kings prop picks made at 12:36 p.m. ET 04/29/2025.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have another chance to eliminate the Ottawa Senators and win the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday.

The pregame narrative: Ottawa avoided a sweep on Saturday night but is still on the brink of elimination as the series shifts back to Toronto. Morgan Rielly has been solid for the Maple Leafs, and Brady Tkachuk has points in three straight for the Senators. I’m betting on both to produce.

Check out my Senators vs. Maple Leafs prop picks for Game 5 of the opening round.

Senators vs. Maple Leafs picks

Best bet: Tkachuk to register a point (-129)

Tkachuk was held pointless in the series opener, but it wasn’t for lack of effort.

The Senators’ captain fired five pucks on net and generated a game-high 11 chances in the loss. Tkachuk doesn’t kill penalties and saw just under 17 minutes of ice time as his team made a conga line to the penalty box.

Things have gone much better for Tkachuk and Ottawa since, even though Toronto has walked away with wins in two of the past three games.

• Game 2: One goal, five shots, 20:18 TOI
• Game 3: One goal, four shots, 17:19 TOI
• Game 4: One assist, one shot, 21:24 TOI

If the Sens want any chance of pulling off a historic comeback, Tkachuk will need to be front and centre.

Anthony Stolarz has been great for the Maple Leafs in net but just turned in his worst game of the series, allowing four goals on 21 shots.

That could be cause for concern, as the netminder is reaching uncharted territory in terms of workload. He’ll be making his 39th appearance of the season after never playing more than 28 games in previous years.

Toronto is also allowing the sixth-most chances on a 60-minute basis this postseason (64.31), according to Natural Stat Trick.

Most of those aren’t from high-danger areas, but throwing pucks on the net tends to lead to greasy goals in the postseason.

Key stat: Tkachuk leads all Senators in shots (15) and chances (32) this series.

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Game 5 prop prediction

Rielly over 1.5 shots (+110): Rielly has turned up the heat in the postseason, as is tradition.

The longest-tenured Maple Leafs has three points (two goals) in four games, and is third in average TOI (22:35). I’m happy to back Rielly to record a point at +128, but I think this is a safer option.

The rearguard has cleared this line in three of four games and is coming off a four-shot outing on Saturday.

His 21 shot attempts are fourth among all Maple Leafs skaters. Only nine of those have found the net, but Craig Berube’s coaching staff has placed a clear emphasis on firing pucks from the point.

Rielly should stick to that game plan on Tuesday.

Maple Leafs vs. Senators prop picks made at 2:03 p.m. ET 04/28/2025.

I’ve got one goalscorer pick for both of Monday’s NHL playoff games.

The pregame narrative: The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars series is tied at 2-2, while the Tampa Bay Lightning can level things up with the Florida Panthers in Game 4. Look for Nathan MacKinnon and Brayden Point to make noise.

Check out my NHL anytime goal picks for April 28.

NHL anytime goal picks

Best Bet: MacKinnon to score (+123)

I was debating rolling with Artturi Lehkonen here but decided not to overthink things.

MacKinnon is the best player on the ice and a top-three player in the league. He’s scored four goals already this series, cashing this wager three times, and is at the top of the leaderboard in several offensive categories, according to Natural Stat Trick:

• 1st in shots (23)
• 5th in chances (35)
• 12th in scoring chances (15)

On the road, the power forward will draw Dallas’ toughest defensive matchups. But MacKinnon is second among all forwards in ice time, so head coach Jared Bednar will surely find ways to get him out in favourable situations.

And it’s not like the Stars have built a brick wall on defence.

Dallas is allowing the third-most shots (31.22) and the fourth-most high-danger chances (12.53) on a 60-minute basis this postseason.

Key stat: Mackinnon has cashed this wager in four of his last five playoff games against the Stars.

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NHL prop predictions

Point to score (+165): Tampa Bay was in serious trouble hitting the road down 0-2, but the team responded with a 5-1 win on Saturday.

Point scored in that game, notching his second of the playoffs and 44th of the year (in 80 regular season/playoff games).

Only three players — William Nylander, Alex Ovechkin and Leon Draisaitl — have scored more than that.

His line with Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov has generated a 61.9% Corsi rate at 5-on-5 this series and is constantly a threat to score.

Point is also a mainstay on the power play, which is just 1-of-13 so far. Tampa had the fifth-best man advantage during the regular season (25.9%) and is bound for some positive regression with Florida taking boatloads of penalties.

NHL anytime goal picks made at 12:09 p.m. ET on 04/28/2025.

There’ll be plenty of star power on the ice for Game 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.

The pregame narrative: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are pacing the Avs in shots in this series. Both are solid candidates to top their props at plus-money odds. Thirdly, Artturi Lehkonen is a tremendous value to register a point.

Check out my Avalanche vs. Stars picks for Game 5 of the opening round.

Avalanche vs. Stars picks

Best Bet: MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (+130)

Few players can take over a game like MacKinnon.

The forward’s combination of size, speed and skill makes him one of the most dominating forces in the game.

He’s flexing his offensive prowess against one of the NHL’s stingiest defensive squads in Dallas. MacKinnon leads the Avs in:

• Goals: 4
• Points: 5
• Shots: 24

The latter is truly impressive — MacKinnon led all skaters by five shots entering Sunday’s NHL action.

Dallas is really struggling to contain him and the Avalanche as a whole in this series. Colorado leads the playoffs in shots per game (34.5)

The Stars, as a result, are also ceding the third-most expected goals per 60 in the playoffs per Natural Stat Trick (13.86).

It doesn’t seem like Dallas will be able to contain MacKinnon, and betting him to top his shot prop seems like the right play.

Key stat: MacKinnon has five-plus shots in five of his last eight games.

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Game 5 prop predictions

Makar over 3.5 shots (+125): A lot of the same reasoning that goes into backing MacKinnon applies here.

Makar is another Avalanche star who isn’t struggling to put pucks on goal. He’s second on the Avs with shots, topping this prop in two of four games during this series.

He, like the rest of the team, should continue peppering Jake Oettinger with shots. Dallas, after all, did cede the ninth-most shots per game in the regular season (29.0).

Makar has taken at least nine shot attempts in all four games of this series. He’ll continue to put a steady stream of pucks towards the goal and be a great pick to cash this wager at plus-money odds.

Lehkonen to record a point (-112): Lastly, Lehkonen is a great target in this market.

The Avalanche winger found the score sheet in the first couple of games of this series, but has been pointless since. Despite not scoring any points, his Game 4 effort was highly encouraging.

Lehkonen finished the contest with six shots on goal.

His deployment in Colorado’s lineup is what makes this wager intriguing. Lehkonen skates on the team’s first line and top power-play unit. He skates with MacKinnon on both units, which is prime point-scoring positioning.

Lehkonen had five points in three games against Dallas in the regular season.

Avalanche vs. Stars prop picks made at 3:46 p.m. ET on 04/27/2025.

The Edmonton Oilers aim to even up their series against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4.

The pregame narrative: Edmonton’s goaltending is still a mess, but I’m backing the Oilers to win on Sunday. Goals are being scored at a furious pace, and that makes the over my play on the total. Thirdly, I’m betting on a point from defenceman Evan Bouchard.

Check out my Kings vs. Oilers playoff SGP predictions for Game 4 on April 27.

Kings vs. Oilers predictions

Parlay: Oilers ML | Over 6.5 goals | Bouchard anytime point (+320)

Oilers ML (-139): It doesn’t matter who’s in net for Edmonton. Goals will be scored.

Calvin Pickard was by no means excellent in Game 4, allowing four goals in a 7-4 victory. But the Oilers aren’t the only team with goaltending woes in this series.

Darcy Kuemper has been brutal for the most part, too. The Los Angeles netminder allowed five goals in Games 1 and 3 and owns an .859 save percentage this postseason.

The Kings have been a strong fade all year long on the road. They had the worst away record of any Western Conference playoff squad in the regular season (17-19-5).

Bet on Connor McDavid and company to claw back into the series with a win.

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NHL SGP legs

Over 6.5 goals (+104): It’s hard to justify an under in this series.

• Edmonton has the worst postseason save percentage (.820)

• Los Angeles has the third-worst postseason save percentage (.839)

That kind of goaltending is going to lead to offensive explosions when you have talents like McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala on the ice.

The over on this total has cashed in seven of eight playoff games between these two since 2024.

Bouchard anytime point (-162): Bouchard has been offensively effective for the Oilers.

The defenceman has five points through three games of this series and is coming off a two-goal effort in Game 4.

Bouchard’s deployment is what makes him a great pick to score a point. He had a 68.7% offensive zone start percentage in the regular season, meaning most of his shifts began in the opposing team’s end.

Additionally, he quarterbacks Edmonton’s top power-play unit. The Oilers’ PP is clicking at an impressive 28.6% clip during the playoffs.

Both of Bouchard’s goals in Game 3 came on the power play.

Expect him to produce in a game that should have plenty of offence.

Kings vs. Oilers predictions made at 2:34 p.m. ET 04/27/2025.