NHL Picks

The Winnipeg Jets jumped out to a 1-0 series lead over the St. Louis Blues with a 5-3 win in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. It was a wild 1st period, as 4 goals were scored in the first 20 minutes en route to a high-scoring affair. Monday’s Game 2 could be of the lower-scoring variety. The Jets held the Blues to just 17 shots on goal in Game 1, but goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made just 14 saves for a save percentage of .824. Hellebuyck didn’t look awful, but those numbers are below what he is capable of. He led the NHL with a 2.00 goals-against average during the regular season, and his .926 save percentage ranked 2nd. The Jets also led the league with 2.32 goals allowed per game. With the Winnipeg defensive unit playing strong in front of him, look for Hellebuyck to put together a better performance between the pipes in Game 2.

After giving up 5 goals (1 via an empty net) in Game 1, St. Louis will be looking to tighten things up defensively in Game 2. The Blues don’t have the offensive firepower and forward depth that Winnipeg possesses, and it’s possible that St. Louis could benefit from a low-scoring game. With that in mind, look for Jim Montgomery’s squad to focus on their defensive structure and limiting chances for Winnipeg in this one. After a wild, high-scoring contest in Game 1, Sunday’s Game 2 could be a different story. Look to the under.

Blues vs Jets prediction: Under 5.5 (-140) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

Now you can bet any of our Blues vs Jets predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you earn a welcome bonus worth up to $250 if your first $5 bet wins! 🔗 to join FanDuel right now and learn more.

The Colorado Avalanche opener their Western Conference first-round playoff series Saturday in Dallas with a convincing 5-1 victory over the Stars. Jake Oettinger and the home side held their own in the first period, as the game was scoreless. Colorado opened the scoring at 9:30 of the second period when Artturi Lehkonen notched a goal, followed by a Nathan MacKinnon power-play goal. MacKinnon ended up with two goals and three points, while Mackenzie Blackwood was able to stop 23 of the 24 shots he faced for his first NHL victory in his very first playoff start.

The Stars went 0-5-2 in the final seven games of the regular season, and they carried over that bad juju into the first game of the playoffs. It’s commonplace for the Stars under head coach Pete DeBoer, as Dallas is now 0-7 in its past seven playoff series openers, including six straight losses on home ice. The Stars have lost three in a row against the Avalanche since Jan. 18, and Colorado has outscored Dallas 15-7 in the span. The Avs have won 2 of the past 3 trips to Dallas, too, and 3 of the past 5 meetings. Back the visitors to push Dallas into an 0-2 series abyss.

Avalanche vs Stars prediction: Avalanche ML (-150) at time of publishing. Playable to -165.

Now you can bet any of our Avs vs Stars predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you earn a welcome bonus worth up to $250 if your first $5 bet wins! 🔗 to join FanDuel right now and learn more.

The Edmonton Oilers hit the road to battle the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. These teams are meeting for the fourth consecutive season in the first round, and the Kings are hoping that the fourth time is a charm. They’ve lost the previous three meetings. Edmonton stumbled in late March and early April, that cost them home-ice advantage in the first round. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Stuart Skinner were injured at various times during late March and early April, but the triumvirate is healthy and ready to make some noise in this series.

The Kings not only recorded wins in the past two meetings, but Los Angeles had shutout victories against Edmonton, too. They won 3-0 in L.A. on April 5, but that was a game without McDavid, Draisaitl and Skinner, and those three also were missing in a 5-0 loss in Edmonton April 14 in the penultimate game of the regular season. Calvin Pickard did a decent job done the stretch, but Skinner is the starter now that he is healthy. He allowed just a single goal in two starts since returning from a head injury, including a shutout in the regular-season finale at San Jose. We should have a low-scoring game in Los Angeles in this series opener.

Oilers vs Kings prediction: Under 5.5 (-115) at time of publishing. Playable to -130.

Now you can bet any of our Oilers vs Kings predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you earn a welcome bonus worth up to $250 if your first $5 bet wins! 🔗 to join FanDuel right now and learn more.

The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals are getting ready to kick off Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Capitals come into this series as heavy favourites, and for good reason. They finished with the best record in their conference and were dominant on both ends of the puck. The Canadiens needed all 82 games to qualify, but in the end, they did just enough. These teams are meeting for the first time since 2010, when the Canadiens won the series 4-3.

There is no question that the Capitals are the better team on paper and that will be evident from puck drop. Not only can they create chances offensively, but they have been excellent all season in their own zone. The Canadiens were one of the lowest scoring teams this year and averaged just 25.5 shots per game. Playoff hockey may be more physical, but you still need to be able to generate scoring chances. Logan Thompson is questionable to start this game, but we’ll tackle this game as if he will play. We’ve seen some high-scoring games to start the playoffs, but with the Canadiens being unable to score goals five-on-five and on the power play, this matchup has the makings of a low-scoring affair, so we’ll take the Under here.

Under 6.0 available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.