I’m about to cry. We may be witnessing the last game of the NHL season tonight, which means I will have to deal with extreme heat and no hockey until October. Luckily, this season has been incredible and we swept our last NHL best bet article. So let’s go out with a BANG (or pray that we get a Game 7 on Friday!)
We have a 70-59 record over the last 41 articles of my Betting News NHL best bets articles, with a positive unit size due to plenty of plus money plays cashing. Now it’s time to bring it to the playoffs and continue to find NHL best bets.
We will be breaking down NHL best bets here at Betting News all playoffs long! Each article will look for VALUE, as in straights you can take to build up your bankroll or pieces you can use to beef up your parlays. All bets will be -135 or better odds. And while we will focus on NHL player props, there are times we will take sides and totals. So keep your eyes peeled here as we will drop these throughout the week.
So it’s time to lace them up and get ready to ride with Betzky for my favorite NHL Stanley Cup Finals best bets.
Get the odds for tonight’s matchup along with plenty of other games and leagues at the best online sportsbooks.
1. Brad Marchand + Anton Lundell o1.5 SOG -105 on BetOnline:
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand high fives his teammates after scoring a goal.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
2. Florida Panthers o2.5 Team Total Goals + Goal in the 1st Period -125 on BetOnline:
Florida Panthers players celebrate together after winning the game.
The Florida Panthers can repeat tonight with a win, matching their rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning with two back-to-back Cup wins. In order to do so, they will need to continue doing what has worked all series long. Come out hot.
In each game, they have a goal in the first period. And in three of the five games this series, they have been dominant early on. They understand that a team like the Edmonton Oilers can score at will, so padding the lead early is a huge benefit.
Not only has the team came out hot, they have had three or more goals in every game this series. In fact, there have only been five games in these playoffs they have scored fewer than five times. The Panthers have had the best goals per 60 minutes in the playoffs, besting the high flying Oilers. Over the 21 games they have averaged 3.78 goals per game.
The Oilers have shown they can race. In Game 4 the Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the 1st, only to lose 4-5 in overtime. Not only do I hope we get seven games in this fantastic series, but I am not confident enough to bet on the Florida Panthers side. So instead I will bet on something they have done in every game this series, making it an NHL best bet.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
3. Connor McDavid + Leon Draisaitl 1+ SOG in the 1st Period +105 on BetOnline:
Connor McDavid and the Oilers look to even things up before heading home
This has been one of my favorite plays all playoffs long. Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been so consistent with their shots on goal (SOG). And this is especially true early in games.
In fact, McDavid has had some of the highest averages for SOG all playoff series long. The Oilers saw the benefit in coming out aggressive early in Game 1, taking a quick 1-0 lead. And they also saw how important that was, as the Panthers quickly pushed back taking a 2-1 lead shortly after.
So turning to the top-two forwards for early shots seems like a no-brainer. McDavid has not had less than two SOG in any game in the playoffs this year. He is averaging 6.8 shot attempts per game and is leading the league in ice time for forwards, averaging 23.7 TOI per game. Out of the 20 games McDavid has played in the playoffs, there were only four games where he didn’t have a first period shot.
Draisaitl is not far off. He is averaging 5.8 shot attempts per game through all of the playoffs and has had two or more SOG in all games but three. His first period prowess is a bit more spotty than McDavid’s having only hit in 10 of the 20 games. He is also better at home. However, these two superstars are facing elimination in Florida. They MUST come out putting pressure on the Panthers. They MUST test Bobrovsky early. This has been one of the NHL best bets at plus money all playoffs long and hopefully I will get to ride it two more times.
Get 50% up to $750 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick