Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/9)
After a slim two-game slate on the ice last night, the NHL is rolling out a massive 13-game schedule tonight. Below I'll dive into three of these games from a betting perspective and give you my favorite bets for tonight's action.
Tuesday's NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
Toronto Maple Leafs (-115) vs. New Jersey Devils (-105) | 6.5 (-125/+105)
The Maple Leafs are back at it tonight after securing a 3-2 overtime win against the Penguins last night. They'll make the trip down to Newark, where they take on a Devils squad that's five points out of the final Wild Card spot, but they have only four games left on the schedule. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
I think there's a chance that this total splits over to 7.0, and I'll still like the over at that number. If there's anything that will translate on the second night of a back-to-back, it's the Leafs' high-octane offense. They can always rely on Auston Matthews, who just notched his 65th goal last night, to keep them in the game with his skilled offensive play. Toronto enters this game ranked fourth in overall offense, where they're scoring 3.6 goals per game. New Jersey is 11th in scoring, putting up 3.3 goals per contest.
Even with some improvements, the Devils still bring in one of the worst defenses in the league, where they're conceding 3.08 goals per game (25th). As for the Leafs, they're just 17th defensively (2.92 GAA). New Jersey has seen at least seven goals in five of their last six games, which includes a 6-3 barnburner victory in Toronto back on March 26th. Let's play the Over tonight in Jersey.
Bet: Over 6.5 Total Goals (-125)
Carolina Hurricanes (-115) vs. Boston Bruins (-105) | 5.5 (-110/-110)
One of the marquee matchups on the ice tonight pits the Hurricanes against the Bruins for an Eastern Conference showdown. These teams just played on April 4th, and it was the B's who collected a 4-1 road victory. This game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
The April 4th victory for Boston is part of a current four-game win streak, where they've seen five or fewer goals in each of the games. Furthermore, the other head-to-head meeting between these two clubs, which came back on January 24th, was a 3-2 Carolina win, also coming under a 5.5-goal total. These two juggernauts have really tightened things up defensively, and I think goals will be tough to come by tonight. I'm taking the under.
Meanwhile, Carolina has seen five or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, with the lone exception being a 4-2 win over Washington on the second night of a back-to-back. Over the seven-game stretch, the Canes have conceded just 1.6 goals per game, and they've posted three shutouts. Overall, Carolina is third defensively (2.41 GAA), while Boston is fifth (2.56 GAA). Let's not overthink this one, let's play the Under.
Bet: Under 5.5 Total Goals (-110)
Arizona Coyotes (+135) vs. Seattle Kraken (-160) | 6.0 (-105/-115)
Let's head out West to wrap things up, where the Coyotes take on the Kraken in a matchup of two eliminated teams. This Western Conference game is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA.
The Kraken have turned to Philipp Grubauer for three straight games, so I would think we'll see Joey Daccord handle the netminding tonight. If so, I'm pretty confident in this game finishing under the total of 6.0 goals. Daccord has sneakily been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL this season, going 18-16-11 with a 2.42 GAA (4th) and .918 SV% (.3rd). He just faced Arizona back on March 22nd, where he took an overtime loss in a 2-1 affair.
Daccord's electric season has helped keep Seattle inside the top 10 defensively, where they're allowing 2.63 goals per game (8th). On the other hand, these are two bottom-tier offenses. Seattle has been awful offensively, scoring just 2.6 goals per game (28th). Arizona is 17th, netting 3.1 goals per contest. The Kraken have been one of the better "under teams" this season, going 42-34 to the Under. I'll look for that trend to continue tonight in Seattle, let's take the Under.
Bet: Under 6.0 Total Goals (-115)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Tuesday: