This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks and Parlays: Expert NHL Bets Tonight (April 24, 2024)
There are three games on the National Hockey League playoff slate for Wednesday night, with two games from the Western Conference. We have an ESPN doubleheader, starting with Game 3 of the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET, with the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars playing Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET. TBS will be your place for Game 2 of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. Let's get started!
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Best NHL Picks Tonight
Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs
This best-of-seven Eastern Conference series shifts to the center of the hockey universe for Game 3. The Maple Leafs seized home-ice advantage with a 3-2 road victory in Game 2, and that snapped an eight-game losing streak overall against the Bruins.
We've seen this movie before from Toronto. It gains a split on the road, grabbing home-ice advantage, etc. But this team has a lot of funky spirits surrounding the team. Strange things occur, and it's usually not good. The hockey Gods haven't smiled upon this franchise since 1967, it's most recent Stanley Cup win. There were six teams in the league then. The Leafs have won just one playoff series since 2004, and that was last season against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It has lost four straight playoff series against the Bruins in the past 11 years.
So, are you betting on the Leafs finally, somehow turning things around, or backing the more rock-solid Bruins, with a recent history of winning? If you like the Leafs, good luck with that.
- Bruins ML (-105 at FanDuel)
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Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars
The defending Stanley Cup winners showed their championship mettle in Game 1, going on the road and posting a 4-3 victory against the Dallas Stars, seizing home-ice advantage in the process. That has hockey fans in the Metroplex wringing their hands like Toronto Maple Leafs fans, looking for the bounce back.
Mark Stone returned from LTIR in Game 1, and he immediately struck for a power-play goal. Is the way his injury status shady? A little. But it's within the rules, as the NHL sets them out. Any team can do it. VGK took advantage of a loophole, and it is what it is. With Stone, they're an even more rock-solid team. Pun TOTALLY intended, by the way.
Vegas fired out to a 2-0 lead, and a 3-1 lead, in the first period, and the game was never tied, nor did VGK trail, at any point. I kinda like what I saw from the Golden Knights, as Logan Thompson stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced, getting the nod instead of last season's Stanley Cup hero Adin Hill. The Golden Knights are deep, and they have recent championship experience to tap into.
- Golden Knights ML (+140 at BetMGM)
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Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers
The Kings and Oilers had a wild Game 1. Zach Hyman opened the scoring at 6:52 to get the crowd at Rogers Place at full throat. The Oilers lead 2-0 after one period, and Edmonton took a 4-0 lead at 8:24 of the second period. The Kings made it interesting, slicing the lead to 4-2 after 40 minutes.
However, undisciplined play led to a pair of early third-period penalties, as Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman scored goals. The latter made the hats fly, while Connor McDavid picked up his fifth assist of the night on that goal.
Edmonton has won three in a row in the series, and the winning side has scored four or more goals in eight of the past 10 meetings. It's rather surprising you can find a flat 6 for the total. Take advantage, and go Over, until these teams show they each can get back to solid defending and goaltending. If you're a little more adventurous, FanDuel offers plus-money for Over 6.5.
- Over 6 (-115 at DraftKings)
NHL Parlays Tonight
3-Way Big Parlay (+851 at FanDuel)
- Bruins ML (-105) at Maple Leafs
- Golden Knights ML (+132) at Stars
- Over 6.5 (+110) - Kings at Oilers
2-Way Western Conference Parlay (+387 at FanDuel)
- Golden Knights ML (+132) at Stars
- Over 6.5 (+110) - Kings at Oilers
2-Way Underdog Parlay (+352 at FanDuel)
- Bruins ML (-105) at Maple Leafs
- Golden Knights ML (+132) at Stars