This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
There's a smorgasbord of NHL bets on the board tonight. But this part of the season is tough to call. Some teams are surging toward the playoffs, some are folding in for higher draft positions, and some are just stuck in the middle. I've combed through the slate and found your four best NHL bets for tonight. Feast!
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. With Massachusetts launching sports betting earlier this month, hockey fans in MA can take advantage of Massachusetts Sports Betting Promos such as the DraftKings Massachusetts Promo Code, which gets new customers $150 in bonus bets.
Top NHL Bets Tonight
Maple Leafs vs Islanders
The Islanders are coming off a 4-1 win over the Sharks on Saturday to close out a successful California road trip, winning 2 of their 3 games out West. Coast-to-coast road trips can be tough to come back from, especially when your first home opponent is the Maple Leafs. This Toronto team is 4-1-1 in its last 6 games and is buzzing. Mitch Marner has 10 points in his last 5 games to lead the charge. This should be a great game to watch either way.
Maple Leafs ML -120
Kraken vs Stars
6 teams are separated by a total of 4 points for the top spot in the West. The Golden Knights and Kings both sit atop the conference standings with 92 points apiece, but the Stars are right there with 89 of their own. Even with a 7-3 in their last 10 games, the Stars are just 1 point ahead of the Avalanche and Wild for first place in the Central Division. The Kraken are hanging on to the first Wild Card spot in the West with 83 points and have won 6 of their last 10 as well. They're carrying one of the strongest road records in the league into Dallas tonight at 22-9-3. Playoff seeding in the West is a tight race right now, and both of these teams have tons to play for as they meet for the third time in the last 11 days. The Stars won both of the recent contests, one in OT and the other a 5-2 victory. Both games were in Seattle. This contest will pit two of the highest-scoring rookies in the league against one another. Dallas' Wyatt Johnston leads all NHL rookies with 20 goals, but Seattle's Matty Beniers has 19 goals and still leads all rookies in overall points with 49. I like the Kraken to keep this one close.
Kraken PL -170
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Lightning vs Canadiens
The Lightning and Canadiens are playing the fourth of four matchups this season and the second of two meetings at the Bell Centre. The Bolts are 3-0 vs the Habs this season and most recently bested them 5-3 in Tampa just this past Saturday. They also went into Montreal on December 17 and came out with a 5-1 victory. The Lightning have held the Canadiens to two or fewer goals in seven of the last nine games at the Bell Centre and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games there. The Habs have just one win in their last 10 games and are clearly trying to play themselves into a lottery pick in this summer's draft. I'm hammering the Bolts in this one.
Lightning PL -110
Wild vs Devils
The Wild are one of the league's hottest teams since the All-Star break and have pulled themselves to within 1 point of the Central Division lead and 3 points of the Western Conference lead overall. They're 7-1-2 in their last 10 games too. They beat the Devils 3-2 in a shootout win at home back on February 11 to get this run started. After dropping three-straight games, the Deevils rebounded with a strong 5-2 victory over the Lightning in Tampa on Sunday. Both teams are playing great hockey right now, so there should be a playoff atmosphere in the building. Even without star Kirill Kaprizov, I like the Wild to keep this one close.
Wild PL -170