This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Parlay Picks: Expert NHL Bets Tonight (May 12, 2024)
There are two more playoff games on tap in the National Hockey League on Sunday evening. The Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins battle in Game 4 at TD Garden in the first game of a doubleheader on TBS. Puck drop for that Eastern Conference game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. In Game 3 out west, the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers shift their series to Alberta, with a puck drop scheduled for approximately 9:30 p.m. ET. Let's get started!
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Best NHL Picks Tonight
Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins
The Panthers roughed up the Bruins in Game 3 at TD Garden to seize back home-ice advantage with a 6-2 win. The Over (5.5) cashed in that one, and it is now 3-0 in this series, while cashing in six consecutive games for Florida.
The Panthers got off to a quick start, as Evan Rodrigues scored an even-strength goal from Gustav Forsling to get things going. Over bettors weren't pleased with just one goal through the first period, nor were they terribly enthusiastic with just three total goals after 40 minutes. Vladimir Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe scored power-play goals late in the second to make it 3-0, getting Over bettors halfway home.
The dam broke in the third, however. Brandon Montour scored the third of four power-play goals on the night for Florida at just 3:09 of the third, and Jakub Lauko and Jake DeBrusk put the Over in the win column with a pair of even-strength goals before the midway point of the final period.
Jeremy Swayman allowed five goals on 32 shots, but with four of the goals coming on the power play, he really isn't to blame as much as undisciplined play. On the flip side, Sway's offense didn't generate much, as Boston had just 17 shots, with Sergei Bobrovsky tasked with just 15 saves.
Rodrigues ended up with two goals, including one on the power play, while taking four shots on goal (SOG). Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad led the team with five SOG, and Tkachuk finished with three helpers. Sam Bennett added an apple, while delivering a team-best seven hits, while Ekblad led the way with four blocked shots, if you're perusing the player props looking for additional action.
The Panthers looked awfully strong in the past two games, but the home crowd will be on the side of the Bruins in Game 4. I don't have a strong opinion on a winner, but you can't get away from the Over at this point. Keep going high on the total until the defense and goaltending starts to show up. It's hard to believe with an average of 7.0 total combined goals per game in this series that the books haven't at least adjusted the total to a flat six. Take advantage.
- Over 5.5 (+110 at BetMGM)
Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers
The Canucks and Oilers are meeting for just the third playoff series in history, which is actually quite surprising. So far, it's been a memorable battle.
Vancouver had an epic comeback in Game 1, erasing a 4-1 deficit to eventually win 5-4 in a game which still stings my betting account. In Game 2, we had a seesaw affair which eventually went to the Oilers, 4-3.
Elias Pettersson and Leon Draisaitl exchanged power-play goals in the first period, and we were still tied after one. Brock Boeser and Mattias Ekholm then exchanged fire 23 seconds apart in the first 1:16 of the second, and we were tied up again. Nikita Zadorov then put Vancouver up 3-2 at 18:17 of the second period, sending the home crowd into hysterics.
However, Arturs Silovs couldn't hold the lead. Connor McDavid scored the game-tying goal at 5:27, and that's how things stood into overtime. The extra session didn't last long. Evan Bouchard untied it at 5:38, with helpers to Draisaitl and McDavid, sending things back to Oil Country tied 1-1 in the series.
Stuart Skinner certainly wasn't sharp, stopping just 16 of 19 shots, but he did enough to steer his team to a high-scoring win. Like the Florida-Boston series, there isn't a strong lean toward one side or the other, but it's hard to get away from the total. We've had the Over cash at a 4-1-1 pace in the four regular-season meetings, and two playoffs games, between these two Canadian rivals. Go high, and feel confident in doing so.
- Over 6.5 (+100 at BetMGM)
NHL Parlays Tonight
2-Way Parlay (+296 at FanDuel)
- Over 5.5 (+100) - Panthers at Bruins
- Over 6.5 (-102) - Canucks at Oilers