Check out our NHL Game 2 best bets from our crew of hockey experts for Wednesday, April 19.
After Game 1 matchups earlier this week, we now enter the Game 2 clashes for the 2022-23 NHL postseason.
Below, check out our hockey crew's top picks, including plays for Kings vs. Oilers and Panthers vs. Bruins, for tonight's Stanley Cup Playoffs games.
Panthers vs. Bruins Player Prop
Grant White: The Boston Bruins made short work of their series opener against the Florida Panthers. As usual, the Bruins got production out of most of their lineup, but it was the usual suspects doing most of the heavy lifting.
Charlie McAvoy, who has been a stalwart on the Bruins' blueline, was among those who played a key role in Game 1. The former first-round pick does it all, averaging north of 2:00 on the power play and penalty kill. That's part of what makes his metrics look so impressive, as McAvoy has been a primary offensive contributor despite a robust defensive role.
McAvoy ranks third on the team in Scoring Chances and second in High-danger Chances while starting 54.0% of shifts in the attacking zone. More importantly, his solid production correlates with output, as the B's rearguard has totaled seven points over his past eight games.
The Bruins consistently deploy McAvoy with their top scorers, giving him plenty of opportunities to work his way onto the scoresheet. On that basis, we're betting McAvoy goes over his 0.5 points prop at +108.
Panthers vs. Bruins Player Prop
Greg Liodice: Carter Verhaeghe has been one of the more efficient players in the league whom no one seems to acknowledge. As he’s gained more experience in the league, he’s become a prominent goal scorer, with 42 goals this year – 18 more than his total last year.
Throughout the season, Verhaeghe averaged 3.3 shots, although he didn’t garner many in the final four games. He’s very capable of generating a ton of scoring chances, placing second on the Panthers in High-danger Chances created.
The Boston Bruins have one of the more formidable defenses in the league, and their defense has helped them secure the most regular season wins of all time. Shots won’t come easy for Florida, which is why I think FanDuel has Verhaeghe at Over 3.5 Shots on Goal at +130.
While this season was a disappointing one for the Panthers (by their standards), they still ranked seventh in Expected Goals.
Florida is no easy out — no matter how good the Bruins are. The Panthers managed to keep it fairly close in Game 1, and even though Verhaeghe has been limited in the shot department recently, I think +130 at Over 3.5 Shots on Goal is great value for one of Florida’s premier goal scorers.
Pick: Carter Verhaeghe Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+130) |
Wild vs. Stars Moneyline
Nicholas Martin: The Stars will look to avoid dropping both home games and avoid a two-game series deficit Wednesday against the Wild. I do think they will avoid that awful predicament often enough that we have value at -150 on the moneyline.
The Stars started slowly in Game 1, but by the end of the game it was clear they were settled into a good rhythm. Ryan Hartman's eventual overtime winner came against the run of play, and I like a lot of what the Stars were showing by that point.
Dallas led by 1.15 Expected Goals when it was all said and done, which I think is a fair number given the game play.
Solving Filip Gustavsson is always going to be tough, but the Stars have an incredible netminder themselves with Jake Oettinger.
Even a similar performance to Game 1 would often have the Stars finding a result, but I expect them to bring a more urgent game early in this one and find the win.
Pick: Dallas Stars ML (-150) |
Kings vs. Oilers Puck Line
Ryan Dadoun: The Oilers came close to taking Game 1, holding a 3-1 lead after Leon Draisaitl netted his second goal of the night at 8:46 of the third period. In the end though, the Kings rallied and won the opener in overtime.
Now the pressure is on Edmonton. Losing Game 1, even at home, is far from a fatal blow, but if the Oilers find themselves down 2-0 with the series heading to Los Angeles, then the odds of them turning this around take a massive hit.
Edmonton knows what’s at stake, and I’m betting that the Oilers rise to the occasion. In particular, I’ll be looking for Connor McDavid to step up after being held off the scoresheet on Monday. The last time McDavid went back-to-back games without a point was Oct. 22-24, and he recorded at least a point in 14 of 16 playoff contests last year, so no team has had much success containing him for long.
Evander Kane is another key player to watch. He registered an assist in Game 1, but he played a far bigger role in Edmonton’s 2022 series against Los Angeles, providing seven goals and nine points in seven appearances. Then there’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, who set career highs with 104 and 83 points, respectively.
The talent is there for Edmonton to bounce back in a big way, and I’m backing the Oilers on the Puck Line at -1.5 +120.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers Puck Line -1.5 (+120) |
