This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Picks: NHL Best Bets for Thursday, April 18
The NHL regular season comes to a close tonight. All Eastern Conference teams are wrapped up, so we just have a handful of Western Conference matchups in our 6-game slate this evening. Two of those teams are playing for something. The Golden Knights and Kings are separated by just one standings point and the outcome of their respective games will decide who gets the third spot in the Pacific and who gets the second Wild Card spot. There's not much to be desired with either outcome though, as the Stars and Oilers are waiting on the other side of tonight's results. But still, these teams will be playing playoff-style hockey, so we'll focus on these two games and look at the best NHL bets and player props tonight for them.
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Best NHL Bets Tonight
Kings -1.5 PL (-134 on FanDuel)
Last year the Blackhawks motto was "Tank For Bedard" and this year they seemed to try to "Tank For Cellebrini" as they've dropped five in a row down the stretch and 12 of their last 20. And while they may not actually get the first overall pick in this summer's draft - which will likely be the Hobey Baker winner MackLin Celebrini out of Boston University - they've still looked awful in this 5-game losing skid, with losses by 2+ in every game. The Kings will want this one more than the Blackhawks do, especially on home ice getting primed for the playoffs. They've lost just four of their last 15 home games, and have won by 2+ in eight of their 11 wins in those last 15.
Ducks, Golden Knights over 6.5 (+106 on FanDuel)
Believe it or not, the Ducks have beaten the Golden Knights both times they've played this season, outsourcing Vegas 9-4. Both contests were in November and December, and this is a very different Golden Knights team. They've rattled off three wins in a row and have put up 14 goals in the process. They had a 3-game losing streak just before that though and allowed 16 goals in those losses. The Ducks don't have anything to play for besides pride, but they've still scored 3+ in four of their last six games too, so I think both teams put up a handful in this one.
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Best NHL Player Props Tonight
William Karlsson over 0.5 points (-145 on DraftKings)
Wild Bill has scored at least one point in six of his last 10 meetings with the Ducks and has points in 12 of his last 20 overall too. He's gotten on the scoresheet in nine of his last 11 as well, and in three of his last four home games. We're betting the total goals to be over 6.5, so I like Karlsson to have his hand in the pot at least once for his team tonight.
Viktor Arvidsson over 3.5 shots on goal (+100 on DraftKings)
Arvidsson missed most of the season on the IR but has been a model of consistency since jumping back into the lineup on February 15. He's got 12 points in his last 17 games, and has hit over 3.5 shots in eight of those games. He's been heating up lately too. He's hit 4+ shots in three straight and in five of his last eight. He always raises his game in the Spring when things matter most, so I think he'll be in full-flight playoff mode in the regular season finale.
