This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Expert Picks and Player Props for Friday, April 5
It's another beautiful board of NHL action again tonight, y'all! Out of the six games, five of them feature meaningful matchups with tons of playoff positioning at stake. The Flyers, Capitals and Red Wings are all separated by just one point, with the Flyers sitting at 83 points and the other two at 82. The Flyers are currently sitting in the third spot in the Metro while the Islanders, who don't play tonight, are in the final Wild Card spot in the East with their own 83 points. The Caps and Red Wings could both get back into the mix, so they'll be gunning for any point they can get. We've got a big tilt out West, too. The Avalanche take on the Oilers in what could be a Western Conference Final preview. The Rangers, Hurricanes and Golden Knights are all Cup contenders in their own right and will be hoping to continue their respective hot streaks tonight as well.
Get your popcorn ready, and take a look at the best NHL bets and player props tonight too!
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Avalanche, Oilers over 6.5 (-124 on FanDuel)
I'll keep this simple. This game features the following players: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There are a combined 456 points from just these four players. It would be ignorant not to give the over a squeeze here.
Golden Knights, Coyotes under 6.5 (-134 on FanDuel)
Seven of the last 10 meetings between these teams have gone under 6.5 total goals, including the last three times they played in Arizona where they face off tonight. The Golden Knights have held six of their last 10 opponents to two goals or less, and have only given up five total goals in their last three games. Vegas is heating up just in time for the playoffs, and I think it rolls easily in this one and shut down the home team.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Karel Vejmelka over 28.5 saves (-115 on DraftKings)
This is tailing the Golden Knights, Coyotes under 6.5 play above and I am expecting a barrage of shots on Vejmelka tonight. Vegas has peppered 34+ shots on goal in seven straight matchups with Arizona, so there should be saves to be had even if the Yotes give up a few.
Jake Guentzel over 3.5 shots on goal (+124 on DraftKings)
It's Friday so let's get a little frisky with a plus-money play! Jake loves playing the Caps. He has points in nine straight dating back to his time with the Pens, and notched three apples in his Canes debut in this matchup on March 22. He had five shots on goal against the Caps in January when he was still a Penguin, and four shots on goal in the most recent game as a Hurricane. The Caps are sputtering during a four-game losing streak and both teams are on a back-to-back, except the Canes didn't have to travel last night like the Caps did. Jake should get plenty of chances tonight again.
