This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets and Player Props
Tuesday, April 2
Every day in the NHL matters now. It doesn't matter if the matchups feature two teams battling for playoff position or clubs that are already looking at next year. The regular season is in its home stretch, and we're going to take every chunk of meat off the bone we can. There are some nice angles to play on this evening's board, so let's take a look at the best NHL bets and player props tonight!
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Capitals ML (+114 on FanDuel)
Every game is a must-win for the Caps at this point, but this one especially is. They are still sitting in a Wild Card spot but share the same 82 points as the Red Wings with two games in hand. They could leapfrog the Flyers back into the third slot in the Metro with an outright win tonight, too. The Caps were hot down the stretch, winning six of seven before dropping their last two contests to the Maple Leafs and Bruins. The Sabres have a sliver of hope for a playoff spot, but it's highly unlikely, so they'll be looking to play spoiler. They've got a roster of young guns that can play that role well, but I'm favoring the motivated Caps as a road underdog in this one.
Canucks-Golden Knights over 5.5 (-115 on DraftKings)
Golden Knights' netminder Logan Thompson has only surrendered one goal in each of his last six outings. Absurd, right? The Golden Knights are heating up at the right time overall, too, winning eight of their last 11. They dropped a 3-1 contest to the Canucks just before that 8-3 run, and Vancouver needs to bounce back after losing two of its last three overall. I think a 4-2 or 3-3 OT game is very reasonable here.
Bruins, Predators over 5.5 (-120 on DraftKings)
The Preds have scored 13 goals in their last three games, and have allowed 19. They've lost their last two games as well, so I think they'll come out firing on all cylinders on home ice tonight. Four of the Bruins' previous seven games have hit over 5.5 total goals, so similar to the Canucks-Golden Knights matchup, I think both teams can get some action in this one, too.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Dylan Cozens over 2.5 shots on goal (-105 on DraftKings)
The Caps are prone to giving up a ton of shots. They've surrendered 29+ in six of their last seven. Cozens gets major minutes for the Sabres and just dropped four shots on the Maple Leafs in his last outing. I like the near-plus money odds for him to throw a bunch of rubber at the net again tonight.
Jack Eichel to record 4+ shots on goal (-120 on FanDuel)
Eichel's been a shots-on-goal wagon of late. He's hammered 4+ shots in three straight, eight of 10 and 12 of 15. The Golden Knights have been cruising of late, too, and have a big Pacific Division tilt with the Canucks on home ice. Especially since we're betting on this game to hit the over in total goals, I think Eichs will be a big part of the action.
Sidney Crosby to record 2+ points (+196 on FanDuel)
We don't deserve Sid The Kid. Seriously. The guy's other-worldly. He just locked up a point-per-game season for the 19th time, which tied Wayne Gretzky for most all time. He's got 19 points in his last 15 games and 13 in his last five. He's hit 2+ points in four of his last five games. The Pens are going for broke at this point in their season, so why not hammer some serious plus-money odds for the guy to ball out again.