This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Last Thursday of the regular season, and I've got your five best NHL bets for tonight!
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best NHL Bets Tonight
Senators vs Sabres
Neither of these teams is making the playoffs this year, but their respective performances from this season suggest both will be surging for years to come. Their young rosters enjoyed breakout performances by budding stars. Ottawa's Tim Stutzle is on his way to becoming a household name while his supporting cast of Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, and Josh Norris - who suffered a season-ending injury early in the year - make up a bench that can compete with any team on any given night. The Sabres got an elite campaign out of Tage Thompson, and other youngsters Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens complemented a roster ravenous for success. They have nothing but pride to play for tonight and are only separated by 2 points in the standings. The home team has won every matchup so far this season between the two, with the Senators taking both games in Ottawa while the Sabres got a win on home-ice way back during opening weekend. I'm playing the home-ice advantage in this one too.
Sabres ML -140
Hurricanes vs Panthers
The Hurricanes gotta win to clinch the Metro tonight, which would mean the difference between playing the Rangers or either the Panthers or Islanders in the first round. That's a huge difference, even though these Cats have been surging of late en route to clinching their own Wild Card spot. These teams have played 2 shutout games against one another this season, with both teams winning on home ice. The Panthers come in on a better streak than the Canes do. They've won 6 of their last 10 and had won 6 in a row before suffering an OT loss to the Maple Leafs on Monday. Alex Lyon will get the nod in goal tonight and will look to build on his 6-1-1 record over his last 8 starts. The Hurricanes just snapped a 3-game losing skid with a win over the Red Wings on Tuesday, and all 3 of those losses beforehand were on the road. The Panthers play their best hockey at home and over the last calendar month, the Oilers are the only team to average more goals per game overall. I like the home squad in this one.
Panthers ML -110
Maple Leafs vs Rangers
This is totally a tune-up game however you slice it for these clubs. Both have their respective playoff spots locked in. Leafs' goalie Ilya Samsonov who has played a stellar season is not expected to dress tonight, so the Rags will have the upper hand in net. Both teams have won their respective home games in this season series this year, so I'm riding the Madison Square Garden advantage tonight too.
Rangers ML -140
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Jets vs Avalanche
The Avs need a win and a Stars loss to clinch the Central Division, so they have something to play for tonight. Artturi Lehkonen will also be back in the lineup to bolster a top end that already features Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen who've been firing on all cylinders of late. The Jets are locked into the 8th seed in the West so they'll be resting the following players: Mark Scheifele, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, and Nate Schmidt. That's basically their entire respectable roster outside of Kyle Connor. Give me the Avs in a multi-goal win.
Avalanche PL +100
Blues vs Stars
These teams played just last night in St. Louis and the Stars flew away with a 5-2 win. The Stars can also clinch the Central Division with a win tonight - which would be their 6th straight W - and a loss by the Avalanche. The Blues are just playing for pride. They've lost both of their contests against the Stars by 2+ goals so far this season. They just got outshot 37-18 in last night's tilt. There's not a lot of reason to pick them to win this game tonight. But, I think Craig Berube lights a fire under his team's behinds which gives them enough jump to keep it close on the second night of a back-to-back against the same opponent.
Blues PL -110
