This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Stanley Cup Best Bets Tonight: Expert NHL Picks for Thursday, May 16
Despite all the drama in the Bruins-Panthers series and the starpower in the Stars-Avalanche series, I think these are the two best series in the second round so far.
The Rangers-Hurricanes games are classic playoff hockey, with tons of physicality, chippiness, trash talk, and some dramatic overtime games. The Canucks-Oilers game is a classic case of a bona fide underdog smacking a massive favorite right in the mouth and making it a competitive series despite low expectations.
The Hurricanes have won two straight games to stave off elimination after falling down 3-0, and are trying to force Game 7 as they hope to become the first team since the 2014 Kings to win a series despite a 3-0 deficit.
The Canucks have a major opportunity to take a 3-2 series lead with Game 5 taking place in Vancouver tonight. Rick Tocchet has been putting on a coaching clinic and has last change in this one, so how will Edmonton's Chris Knoblauch jumpstart his once-notorious offense despite that?
Lots of storylines, lots of drama, and of course, lots of opportunities to get in on the action. I am rolling with some emotional picks for this slate, because at the end of the day, emotion impacts the playoffs almost as much as the stats do. So here are the best NHL bets and player props tonight!
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Rangers ML (+140 on ESPN BET)
Winning three games in a row in the second round of the playoffs is tough, and that's exactly what the Hurricanes need to do in order to avoid elimination tonight. It's been a pretty close series with one overtime game and a double OT game, both going to the Rangers. All three of the Rangers wins in this series came by one goal, and the Canes locked it down to win Game 5 4-1.
The momentum seems to be swinging towards Carolina, especially as the series shifts back to PNC Arena in Raleigh tonight. But I love the Rags as a road underdog when many are expecting them to flop and let the Canes force a Game 7. The Rangers haven't scored a power-play goal since going 2-7 in Game 2, but I think that changes tonight. They've been elite on the PK too, and Igor Shesterkin is due to steal a game.
Oilers ML (-142 on FanDuel)
The Oilers came into this series as an overwhelming favorite, only to head back to Vancouver for Game 5 tied at 2-2. No one expected the Canucks to be competitive, let alone to win two of the first four games especially with third-string goalie Arturs Silovs in net.
The Oilers have been pressing though and just letting the Canucks hang around in every game, and haven't had the quintessential, dominant performance that we've come to expect from this team. All of that contributes to this line coming down below -200, so I'm just taking it out of principle since there's still some reasonable value for our investment.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Chris Kreider over 0.5 points (-135 on DraftKings)
Kreider had points in the first three games of this series and has blanked in the last two. He's on the top line with Mika Zibanejad who's been hot all postseason too, leading the Rangers in points so far. He was blanked in Game 5 too, so I like this line to get back on track as their team tries to avoid dropping its third straight game to win the series.
Kreider can even create opportunities on the penalty kill too for a Rangers PK unit that has been lethal in these playoffs. He's played in big games many times in his long career and has always stepped up. I like him to dip into his bag for a big performance tonight too.
Zach Hyman over 3.5 shots on goal (-120 on DraftKings)
When you're in a bind in a tough spot, you stick to your big guns. Hyman's been a massive shots on goal gun all season long and throughout these playoffs. He'd gone over 3.5 shots on goal in four straight games before just notching three in Game 4. Overall he's hit this over in six of nine playoffs games, and the Oilers have been dominating the shots on goal category in the last three games.
The Canucks have just been hanging around, and I think the Oilers are due for a breakout game. Hyman's offensive firepower and prowess around the net in high-danger areas will propel that, especially since Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard have all been so dangerous in creating scoring opportunities in the last few games.
