It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
With Jets fans all cheering, and goalies endearing, the pressure is near! It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
There’ll be Stars lighting Dallas, Avs storming with malice, and Devils with fire in their eyes. Leafs chasing redemption, and ‘Canes causing tension, with overtime thrillers that rise.
From the middle of April, all the way through June, we’ll be in for a treat. The NHL Playoffs are right on our doorstep, and we’re starting Day 1 with a pair of best bets for your betting pleasure.
Note: While parlaying these picks isn't our official recommendation, we've put together an easy way to do so above.
NHL Playoffs Game 1 Best Bets, Saturday April 19
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Blues vs. Jets
We start with our President’s Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets.
When the season started, no one thought this could happen, and yet, here we are. They were the best regular-season team in the NHL. Last season’s Jennings and Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck, is the favorite to win the Vezina again this year and has already secured the Jennings for a second consecutive season.
Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele lit up the scoreboard, each averaging over a point per game, but they will be missing electric forward Nikolaj Ehlers after a freak accident in the final game of the season. However, there may be reinforcements with Gabe Vilardi returning soon.
Winnipeg’s opponents in the St. Louis Blues snuck into the playoffs due to a late-season surge and now are one of the more dangerous teams in the Spring Classic.
St. Louis went haywire after the 4 Nations Face-Off, rallying behind a “Jobu” statue from the movie Major League. Since Jobu’s appearance, the Blues went 19-4-3, including setting a franchise-record 12-game winning streak.
Their depth showed out in massive ways. While Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou led the charge, they got huge production out of Dylan Holloway, Pavel Buchnevich, Brayden Schenn, and Jake Neighbours.
However, within that time of dominance in the Gateway City, the Jets and Blues faced off twice, with Winnipeg securing both wins, one in a shootout.
I really like the Jets this year, and while I’m entering this postseason wary due to their history, something feels different. This team seems more together than ever, and they’re pushing the pace.
In the final month of the season, Winnipeg drove play at a fourth-best rate with a 55.9 xGF%. Compare that to the Blues’ ninth-worst pace at 46.41%.
St. Louis definitely slowed down as the season wore on. It kept winning games, but the offensive drives were lacking. If this team wants to make a big run, it needs to lean on its defense; it just may be hard getting a few past Hellebuyck, who, conversely, hasn’t slowed down one iota.
I’m leaning on the Jets to secure a regulation dub amid a white out.
Pick: Winnipeg Jets 60 Minute ML (-115)
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Avalanche vs. Stars
Afterwards, we head to Dallas, Texas, where the Stars host the Colorado Avalanche.
Talk about two current polar opposites.
Dallas is lucky that it had a few unstoppable stretches during the season, because had it not, the Stars would probably be playing on the road.
From the end of March to the beginning of April, they managed a seven-game win streak, and before that, they picked up former Avalanche superstar Mikko Rantanen. Since the end of that streak, it’s been a rapid downhill trek for Dallas, with seven straight losses, including two in overtime.
Not only that, the Stars were ranked among the worst even-strength teams in the league during the final month of the season. They were fifth worst in expected goals with a 45.07 xGF%, and second worst defensively with a 3.14 xGA/60.
That’s not the way you want to head into the playoffs, especially against an experienced Colorado group, which is loaded with star power.
The wins may not have mounted in the final month, as Colorado finished the season with a 5-4-1 record. But opposed to its counterparts, the Avs’ numbers are infinitely better than the Stars’.
I was convinced that Nathan MacKinnon was going to win the Art Ross trophy, but he slowed down, while Nikita Kucherov picked up steam. Defenseman Cale Makar has also been on a never-ending heater, ending the season with seven points in his last five games.
Perhaps fortunes could change for the Stars now that the season has concluded. They had a solid home record, but in their past four home games, they fell victim to defeat in four consecutive home games.
I’m taking the puck line and backing the Avs on the road. Let’s kick off the first night with a bang.
Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+196)
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