Three first-round series could come to a close on Saturday as the pressure is on all of the home teams to force a Game 7. Read on for our NHL best bets for Saturday based on the best NHL odds.
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has not disappointed. It will continue with three win-or-go-home Game 6s on Saturday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Los Angeles Kings will all look to force a Game 7 in their respective series.
Tampa Bay is looking to string together two wins after spoiling Toronto's party in Game 5, New York has lost three straight after opening the series with a 2-0 lead, and Los Angeles hopes to hold off the Oilers in Game 6.
Here are our best NHL picks (odds via DraftKings and FanDuel; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Saturday's NHL schedule an d odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (-110) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-110)
- New Jersey Devils (+105) vs. New York Rangers (-125)
- Edmonton Oilers (-170) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+145)
Saturday's NHL best bets
- Prop: Timo Meier Over 0.5 goals (+210 via FanDuel) ???
- Prop: William Nylander Over 0.5 goals (+210 via FanDuel) ???
- 1P Total: Maple Leafs vs. Lightning Over 1.5 (-130 via FanDuel) ????
- 3-way ML: Oilers vs. Kings draw (+350 via DraftKings) ??
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Saturday's NHL player prop picks
If you look at the stat sheet it may not seem like Timo M eier has made much of an impact. The New Jersey Devils' deadline addition from the San Jose Sharks has yet to record a point through five playoff games, but it's not for a lack of trying.
Meier has 20 shots on goal, including five in Game 5 on Thursday night. He leads not only the Devils but the entire league with 36 shot attempts at 5-on-5 play, per Natural Stat Trick. His 13 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 also lead the league while he's behind only the Colorado Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon in individual expected goals (2.09).
Look for Meier to find the back of the net in Game 6. FanDuel is hanging a +210 price with Meier to score as low as +135 (Caesars) and +185 (BetRivers)
William Nylander has been one of the most consistent producers for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs. He scored a goal in each of the first two games and also has five assists on the ser ies.
The Swedish forward didn't record a point in Game 5 but he did have four shots on goal. He now leads the Leafs with 1.25 ixG at 5-on-5 play on 11 scoring chances (nine high-danger, which is another team-high).
Nylander may fly under the radar a bit with the spotlight on Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares in Toronto, but +210 is another great offering here by FanDuel.
Check out our Stanley Cup odds and Conn Smythe Trophy odds.
Saturday's NHL game picks
The Lightning and Maple Leafs have again met in the first round and are having a back-and-forth series. It's also been a high-scoring series with both teams finding success in the first period.
In total, there have been 14 first-period goals through five games in this series with the Lightning outscoring the Leafs 8-6 in the opening frame. There have been at least two goals in each of the first five first periods and three or more goals in three of those frames.
Things may tend to tighten up later in the series but FanDuel is offering a great price at -130 with the first period Over 1.5 goals between -140 (DraftKings) and -148 (BetRivers) elsewhere.
I'd also consider a sprinkle on the Over 2.5 goals (+225 via BetRivers) given the fact that it's hit in three of five games thus far.
The Kings and Edmonton Oilers are once again battling in the first round. Los Angeles pushed Edmonton to seven games last year with the Oilers victorious in Games 6 and 7 to take the series. This year, it'll be the Kings looking to force Game 7.
Nevertheless, this should be a closer game than people realize. In fact, both games in Los Angeles have gone to ov ertime in this series and a third game – Game 1 in Edmonton – also went past regulation.
There's some value here at DraftKings with the draw at +333 (BetMGM) and +340 (Caesars) elsewhere.
NHL picks made 4/28/2023 at 5:05 p.m. ET.
Here are our best NHL betting sites:
- FanDuel: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets | Read our FanDuel Review
- Caesars: Earn Up to a $1,250 Bet Credit | Read our Caesars Review
- DraftKings: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets | Read our DraftKings Review
- PointsBet: Earn Five Second-Chance Bets Up to $50 Each | Read our PointsBet Review
- BetMGM: Get a Bonus Bet of Up to $1,000 | Read our BetMGM Review
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