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NHL Playoffs Best Bets, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (4/22)

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We have one game with a team up 2-0, and a win could put that series out of hand, There are two series tied at 1-1 and we’ll see who can sway the series.

Saturday's Best NHL Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

New Jersey Devils (+115) at New York Rangers (-138) | O/U 5.5 (-128/+104)

The Rangers have been the most dominant team in their series, outscoring the Devils 10-2 in their two wins. They've been better on defense at even strength and special teams with 4.89 expected goals against, but New Jersey, who finished with the fourth-best penalty kill, has not had an answer.

The Devils’ offense has depth, and they were fourth in goals per game, with nine players having 30 or more points this season. Currently, they have only four players with a point in this series and none with multiple points.

The  New Jersey offense looks lost, and they're going up against one of the better defenses and goaltenders in the league. When you get a team failing at its best attributes, it's tough to correct it.

Pick: Rangers 60 Min. Moneyline (+110)

Colorado Avalanche (-154) at Seattle Kraken (+128) | O/U 5.5 (-134/+110)

The Avalanche had the rebound you expect from a defending champion. They put pressure on the Kraken’s defense and were able to play physically. This allowed them to get offensive possessions and keep the Kraken contained.

The one aspect of Colorado's game that has not translated to the playoff is their power play. They were sixth in power play percentage this season and have yet to convert against a below-average Seattle special teams unit.

Seattle has picked up a win and scored five goals without any top players contributing. Matty Beniers, Jared McCann, Vince Dunn, and Jordan Eberle have all been held without a point and a combined -5 plus/minus. You can only contain these guys for so long, but it also shows how deep they are.

This has a chance to turn into a long series. The Avs’ top lines are playing well, but I believe the Kraken will get it going tonight. I’m siding with a high-scoring game.

Pick: Over 5.5 Goals (-134)

Toronto Maple Leafs (-120) at Tampa Bay Lightning  (+100) | O/U 6.5 (-110/-110)

Given the Maple Leaf's history in the playoffs, many people, including myself, left them for dead against the back-to-back-to-back Wales Trophy-winning Lightning.

Well, they rose from the dead like The Undertaker in a nail-in-the-coffin match. Toronto lit up Andrei Vasilevskiy and he allowed seven goals in a playoff game for just the second time in 106 games. The full-strength attack has been excellent, and they're leading the playoffs with a 61.84% expected goal rate, but it was essential they cleaned up the special teams for Game 2. They did and went from 4-for-8 on the penalty kill to 3-for-3.

The Leafs still lost the home-ice advantage, which you don’t want to do against Tampa Bay. I expect the Bolts to make the necessary adjustments and we will not see that same performance from Vasilevskiy. After offensive explosions from each team, I expect it to be a more modest score in Game 3 and I'm siding with the under.

Pick: Under 6.5 Goals (-110)

Check out our other best bets from Saturday:

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