This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Best Bets: NHL Picks for Saturday, April 19
The 2024-25 Stanley Cup Playoffs open Saturday with a pair of games from the Western Conference. It requires 16 total victories to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup, and the pursuit begins in Winnipeg and Dallas on Saturday evening.
We'll try and build a bankroll for these Stanley Cup Playoffs with several individual plays, parlay opportunities and an occasional player prop or two here and there, too. Let's get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
St. Louis Blues 
at Winnipeg Jets 
The Blues and Jets meet in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round matchup at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
These Central Division rivals met four times in the regular season, with the Jets winning three of those outings, including a 3-1 win on April 7 in this very same venue. However, the Blues did pick up a 4-1 road win in Winnipeg back on Dec. 3. In fact, the road team went 3-1 in three meetings, with the favorite also going 3-1. And, yes, the Under was 3-1 in those four regular-season matchups, too.
Jordan Binnington (28-22-5, 2.69 GAA, .900 SV%, 3 SO) and Connor Hellebuyck (47-12-3, 2.00 GAA, .925 SV%, 8 SO) are the expected goaltenders. While that isn't odd at all, it is rather interesting that these two met just one time in the four regular-season meetings, and not since Oct. 22 in St. Louis, as backup Joel Hofer started each of the past three games against the Jets.
In the most recent game in April, Morgan Barron and Pavel Buchnevich exchanged goals in the second period after a scoreless first. At 7:05 of the third period, Al Iafallo notched a goal, with an assist to Kyle Connor, and Adam Lowry added the empty-net goal for insurance. That made a winner of Hellebuyck, who stopped 14 of the 15 shots he encountered.
If you're looking at potential player props, Robert Thomas of the Blues is on an extended tear, posting four goals and 25 points with a plus-13 rating and seven power-play points in the past 12 outings, while Buchnevich has lit the lamp five times in the past six games with nine total points. For the Jets, Connor has three goals and six points in the previous five affairs, while Josh Morrissey has managed two goals and six points with a plus-7 in the past four contests.
This is just the third all-time meeting between these franchises in the postseason, and just the second since the Jets came back into existence after moving from Atlanta in 2011. St. Louis has won both previous series, but Winnipeg has not been the top overall seed in those meetings, either.
Of course, winning the Presidents' Trophy is not always a recipe for success. In fact, it's been more of a curse lately. The top overall team from the regular season hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 2012-13, when the Chicago Blackhawks did it. In fact, nine of the past 11 winners of the Presidents' Trophy have been shown the door in the second round or earlier, including the Boston Bruins in 2023. The New York Rangers went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season after winning the Presidents' Trophy, the furthest a team advanced since the Blueshirts also went to the ECF as the top overall seed in 2015.
It's hard to bet against Hellebuyck in this building, as he was 27-3-3 with a 1.63 GAA and .938 SV% with six of his season's eight shutouts at home. However, one of those regulation losses came against the Blues in December, too.
We'll play it safe in this Game 1, as the teams feel each other out, backing the Blues catching the goal and a half. Backing the Jets straight up would cost you nearly two times your potential return.
And the Under was 3-1 in four meetings this season, so that's the route we'll go for the total.
If you want to do a player prop at FanDuel, Buchnevich managed two or more shots on goal in four of the final regular-season games, and six of the final eight. That's not priced out of line.
- Blues +1.5 (-165 at Bet365 Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 Goals (-143 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
- Pavel Buchnevich - 60 Min Player to Record 2+ SOG (-154 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Colorado Avalanche 
at Dallas Stars 
The Avalanche and Stars meet at American Airlines Center for Game 1 of what is expected to be a grueling series.
These teams met last season, with the Stars winning in six games, including an epic 2OT road victory at Ball Arena in Denver to clinch the series.
Things look a little different now, though, as Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood are the new goaltender duo in Big D, and Mikko Rantanen is wearing green and white, rather than the Avalanche colors.
These teams met three times in the regular season, with the Stars winning twice. The Avs were 23-17-1 on the road, while the Stars were an impressive 28-10-3 at home.
It's a little concerning that the Stars were 0-5-2 in the final seven games of the regular season, including a 4-0 whitewashing from the first-place Jets on April 10 when the Stars still had a legitimate shot at the division title. The goaltender duo of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith allowed four or more goals in five in a row to close out the season, while coughing up 34 goals in the final seven outings, or 4.8 GPG.
All slates are blank now, though, as the Stars are as deep as anybody with Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, etc. In fact, Johnston had 10 goals and 16 points in last season's playoffs, and the 21-year-old is primed and ready for another deep postseason run.
I tend to be more into the tried-and-true option, than those with a small past sample size. And, that is why I trust Oettinger in these playoffs over the Blackwood/Wedgewood combination. Back the Stars in Game 1, and we'll lean high on the total, as we could have offensive fireworks early in the series before things grind to a halt.
For a prop, the Avalanche were fifth in the NHL regular season with 29.9 shots on goal, so let's go high on Oettinger's save total on BetMGM.
- Stars ML (+122 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Over 5.5 Goals (-130 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Jake Oettinger - Over 26.5 Saves (-125 at BetMGM)
Best NHL Parlays Today
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+734 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Blues +1.5 (-180) at Jets
- Under 5.5 (-154) - Blues at Jets
- Over 5.5 (-130) - Avalanche at Stars
- Stars ML (+116) vs. Avalanche
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+191 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (-154) - Blues at Jets
- Over 5.5 (-130) - Avalanche at Stars
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+236 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Blues +1.5 (-180) at Jets
- Stars ML (+116) vs. Avalanche
