Three of these four NHL playoff series are tied at 1-1 ahead of Friday's action, with just the New York Islanders hosting the Carolina Hurricanes in an 0-2 spot. Sportsbook Review betting analyst Neil Parker shares his top NHL bets based on the odds from our best NHL betting sites.
The winner of Game 3 wasn't a predictor of who would advance to Round 2 last year, with just the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers moving on following a win in the third game of their opening series.
Still, it's hard to argue with taking a 2-1 advantage – or, in the Isle's case, shortening the deficit to 2-1.
The biggest news ahead of Friday's game remains the status of Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron (upper body), but the early lean is that he won't suit up for Game 3 against the Florida Panthers.
Here are our best NHL picks (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday's NHL schedule and odds
(odds via DraftKings)
- Carolina Hurricanes (+110) vs. New York Islanders (-130)
- Boston Bruins (-155) vs. Florida Panthers (+135)
- Dallas Stars (-115) vs. Minnesota Wild (-105)
- Edmonton Oilers (-150) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+130)
Friday's NHL best bets
- Player prop: Sam Reinhart Under 0.5 points (+120 via DraftKings) ??
- Player prop: Wyatt Johnson Over 2.5 shots (+130 via FanDuel) ??
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Friday's NHL player prop picks
The Bruins aren't allowing a six-spot again Friday, and Reinhart was penciled into a third-line role with center Anton Lundell and winger Ryan Lomberg ahead of Game 2. That didn't exactly play out as planned, and Reinhart actually spent more five-on-five ice time flanking No. 1 center Aleksander Barkov during Wednesday's 6-3 win.
Even though the regular-season stats don't present a huge difference between the two centers for Reinhart's offensive production, I still view it as a downgrade to Reinhart's upside if he primarily skates alongside Lundell at even strength in Game 3.
Boston held Florida to a single tally in Game 1, and the Bruins boasted the best defense in the NHL at five-on-five and on the penalty kill, so I'm pegging the Panthers to have a much more difficult time finding the back of the net Friday.
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +120 | +120 | +115 | N/A | +115 |
I value the plus-money odds available, and I'm not too concerned if Reinhart does end up playing meaningful minutes with Barkov because that would also mean the winger is skating against Boston's top players.
As noted, Florida isn't going to have much as much offensive success Friday, and I also like the Panthers to score two times or fewer. FanDuel has the best odds for Florida Under 2.5 goals at +112.
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Make no mistake, there's statistical correction ahead of Johnson's rocketing uptick in shot volume through the first two games of the playoffs. It's a small sample, but his 17.2 shots and 23.0 attempts per 60 minutes are way up from his 7.6 and 13.3 respective marks during the regular season.
Still, there's room for regression to strike but Johnson to still clear this total.
Interestingly, he's paced Big D forwards in five-on-five minutes, and a quick look at his shot map showcases a shooter finding soft spots to generate scoring chances.
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +130 | +130 | +125 | N/A | +115 ?? |
The fact that multiple of our best sports betting sites have Johnson's odds so high in this market caught my attention. I'm attributing it to Minnesota's improved shot metrics on home ice – 29.0 shots and 53.9 attempts allowed per 60 – compared to on the road (32.1 and 61.4, respectively) during the regular season.
Dallas has been the possession driver during the series with a 56.0 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five when adjusted for score and venue, though, so I'm anticipating the Stars to continue pushing the play in Game 3.
Johnson is going to have his opportunities to pad the shots column.
NHL best bets made 4/21/2023 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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- 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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