This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
LOVE this board tonight. As a pure hockey fan, there are some tasty matchups. I'm especially looking at Oilers-Lightning, Capitals-Flyers, and Panthers-Canucks to be some good TV. But as a sports bettor, I also love tonight's slate for some delicious opportunities to cash in on the fun. Here are the best NHL bets and player props tonight to feast on!
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Senators ML (-118 on DraftKings)
The Blues just fired Craig Berube and have looked god awful of late. The Sens have won 3 of their last 5, and if they could've notched a few PPGs in those 2 losses things might've been different. Sometimes a team comes out firing after their coach gets canned, and maybe that's what the Blues will do, but I'm not betting on it tonight.
Oilers ML (-170 on FanDuel)
The Oilers could make it 9 straight wins tonight. The Bolts have been sputtering a bit of late, and have lost 5 of their last 6 on the road. Connor McDavid's got 25 points in his last 10 games too, so I like the Oilers as a confident favorite again tonight.
Panthers ML (-118 on FanDuel)
I love the Cats to bounceback from their 4-0 shutout loss to the Kraken on Tuesday. The Canucks have won 3 straight and are 11-3-1 at home this season overall, but the Panthers haven't lost 2 in a row on the road since the first week of the season.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Connor Bedard over 2.5 shots on goal (-150 on DraftKings)
The rookie phenom is living up to his lofty expectations. He's leading both the Blackhawks and all rookies league-wide in points with 24. He's hit 3+ shots in 7 of his last 10 games. The Kraken have been inconsistent, and give up the 4th-most goals against in the league, so Bedard should have his chances tonight.
Auston Matthews over 1.5 points (+130 on DraftKings)
I like Matthews with the plus money in this spot. He's notched 2+ points in 4 of his last 6 games and is coming off a 4-point night against the Rangers on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets are a juicy matchup for him, especially on home ice.
Alex Ovechkin over 0.5 points (-140 on DraftKings)
Sure this is a bit of a homer bet since I'm a Caps fan and I hate the Flyers. Ovi's definitely had an uncharacteristic year so far. He's on a serious goal drought now spanning 10 games, but it's only a matter of time for the greatest goalscorer of all time, and he's still leading the Caps in points with 16. He's got 12 points in his last 10 games versus the Flyers too.
