Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs will continue Sunday with a trio of Game 3 contests, leading to a plethora of betting opportunities. Read on for our NHL best bets for Sunday based on the best NHL odds.
The Toronto Maple Leafs head on the road to Florida down 2-0 to the Panthers. The Leafs squandered an early 2-0 lead in Game 2, surrendering three straight goals en route to a 3-2 loss. Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did his best impression of a brick wall, stopping 35 of 37 shots.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils are hoping some home cooking will turn their series around. Down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes, the high-octane Devils from the regular season have completely disappeared, and they've been outscored 11-2 through two games. Jesperi Kotkaniemi lit the lamp twice and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves during the Hurricanes' 6-1 decimation of the Devil s on Friday night.
Lastly, the Seattle Kraken head into the friendly confines of Climate Pledge Arena with a chance to take a 2-1 lead over the Dallas Stars. Stars winger Joe Pavelski, one of the most prolific scorers in postseason history, continued his reign of terror in Game 2 while notching his fifth marker of the series during a 4-2 Dallas victory. Pavelski ranks 20th all-time in playoff goals with 69 (third among active players).
Here are our NHL best bets for Sunday (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out our Conn Smythe Trophy odds.
Sunday's NHL schedule and odds
- Carolina Hurricanes (+115) vs. New Jersey Devils (-135)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (-130) vs. Florida Panthers (+110)
- Dallas Stars (-140) vs. Seattle Kraken (+120)
Sunday's NHL best bets
- Player Prop: Joe Pavelski Over 0.5 goals (+180 via FanDuel) vs. Kraken ????
- Player Prop: Jamie Oleksiak Over 2.5 blocked shots (+125 via DraftKings) vs. Stars????
- Player Prop: John Tavares Over 3.5 shots (+106 via FanDuel) vs. Panthers ????
- Moneyline: Maple Leafs (-130 via DraftKings) vs. Panthers ????
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Sunday's NHL player prop picks
Let's back someone with a scorching stick. Pavelski exploded for four goals in Game 1 against the Kraken after returning from an opening-round concussion, and he followed that up with another twine-tickler in Game 2.
He closed out the regular season with 10 goals over his final 13 games, and Pavelski has lit the lamp five times across three playoff contests. Ride him until the wheels fall off.
With most sportsbooks listing Pavelski as an anytime goalscorer at around +170, FanDuel offers the best value with its +180.
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Oleksiak has been making a habit of flinging his body into oncoming pucks.
He leads the postseason with 31 blocked shots and 3.4 blocks per game, all while plying his trade on the Kraken's No. 1 penalty-killing unit. The hulking defenseman blocked three shots in Game 2, and he's now turned away three-plus shots in six of nine playoff games this far.
Most sportsbooks aren't offering odds for blocked shots, so your best bet can be found through DraftKings at +125.
Tavares has opened up a shooting gallery this postseason. The Maple Leafs captain has launched 10 shots through two games against the Florida Panthers, and he's averaging 3.75 shots per contest during the playoffs. Tavares has also topped the four-shot plateau in five of eight games.
He needs to be a key contributor if the Leafs hope to claw their way back into this series, and the forward will receive his opportunities while playing top-six minutes and getting time on the No. 1 power-play unit. With all that in mind, I'm expecting at least four shots on goal Sunday night.
Some of our best sports betting apps are listing this bet at -100, so there's tremendous value to gobbling this up at +106 through FanDuel.
Check out our Stanley Cup odds and Conn Smythe Trophy odds.
Sunday's NHL game picks
This is a critical game for the Leafs after dropping two straight contests at home. Despite the doom and gloom that comes with a 2-0 series deficit, Toronto actually played effectively in Game 2 while outpacing Florida at five-on-five in Corsi for percentage, expected goals for, expected goals against, and expected goals for percentage. Unfortunately for the Leafs, Bobrovsky hopped into a DeLorean, revved that bad boy up to 88 miles per hour, and traveled back in time to find the form that won him a pair of Vezina Trophies.
I'm expecting a desperate Leafs team to get a bit of puck luck on Sunday night. There isn't much of a discrepancy between sportsbooks, with DraftKings, bet365, and Caesars Sportsbook all listing Toronto as the -130 favorite.
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NHL best bets made 5/7/2023 at 9 a.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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