NHL Best Bets 4/17/23: Expert Betting Picks For Tonight’s Playoff Games

Get NHL best bets and our expert predictions for tonight’s NHL playoff slate of games on (4/17/23) Find four best bets for the NHL games featuring the Bruins-Panthers, Kings-Oilers, Wild-Stars, and Hurricanes-Islanders.

NHL Best Bets (4/17/23)

There are plenty of great games tonight on the NHL slate and you can find four of our NHL best bets below.

New York Islanders Vs. Carolina Panthers Best Bet

Carolina is in an upset spot first round as the Islanders are more than capable of pulling it off. It will come through their goaltending, as Ilya Sorokin has been tremendous this season ranking 6th in GA/G and 3rd in SV%. He also boasts six shutouts on the year. Carolina is coming in banged up but offensively they are still a team that generates a ton of shots, especially at home. Over the course of the season, they lead the league in shot attempts % (60.3%). While the Islanders defensively are in the top ten across numerous metrics, they are fairly average in shots on goal against, ranking in the bottom half.

Going back to last season, this prop has hit in three of the six games. Looking into the three that did not hit were blowouts that had a major effect on the tilt of the game. I expect Carolina to come out of the gates firing as home ice has been an edge for them, which should drive the shot total up early.

Best Bet: Olya Sorokin Over
Author: Jason Guilbault

Los Angeles Kings Vs. Edmonton Oilers Best Bet

Early in the year, Los Angeles had gotten the best of the Oilers winning games 3-1 and 6-3. However, Edmonton has won back-to-back games 2-0 and 3-1, covering the puck line in each. The Oilers finished the regular season strong, winning nine straight. Los Angeles really struggled down the stretch, especially with their goaltending. Joonas Korpisalo had a strong year, ranking 11th in goals saved above. This is a spot where I am not entirely sure what we are going to get out of the Kings netminder with what we saw towards the end of the year. He had a 3.01 GA/G in three starts against Edmonton this season.

The value feels too good to pass up for what should be an Oilers victory in game one. Stuart Skinner will be seeing his first playoff action, but certainly much easier at home and backed by an offense that can put up points. Although home ice didn’t matter many last playoffs. Oilers are a team that generates more high danger chances for, sitting 6th in the regular season.

Best Bet: Oilers -1.5
Author: Jason Guilbault

Florida Panthers Vs. Boston Bruins Best Bet

I admit that the Florida Panthers fought hard to make the postseason in a crowded Eastern Conference and wouldn’t be surprised if they steal a few games in this series. But I also feel like in the midst of Florida’s run, some people are forgetting that they’re facing a record-breaking Boston Bruins team that ranked number one in goals allowed per game (2.12) and second in goals scored per game (3.67). David Pastrnak recorded over twice as many goals as any other player on the team with 61 on the season, and Florida will likely struggle to contain the star as Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon (.912 SV%, 2.89 GAA) makes his first playoff start. Florida’s offense is nothing to scoff at (3.51 goals per game), but they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to keep up with Boston’s attack. 

The Bruins were one of the most dangerous home teams in the league this season, with a 34-4-3 record heading into the playoffs, and I don’t believe the Boston fans are going to settle down just because it’s Monday night. The Panthers, on the other hand, struggled ATS on the road this year, with an 18-23 record to the puck line. If there’s plus money on a Bruins puck line, it’s hard to say no, so I’m rolling with the home team tonight.

Best Bet: Bruins -1.5
Author: Anthony Elio

Minnesota Wild Vs. Dallas Stars Best Bet

This is one of the more evenly matched playoff series, and it’s definitely going to be a defensive struggle. The goaltending is top tier on both sides, with Filip Gustavsson (.931 SV%, 2.10 GAA) likely between the pipes for Minnesota and Jake Oettinger (.919 SV%, 2.37 GAA) confirmed for Dallas. Oettinger made his mark on the league in last year’s postseason with 64 saves against the Calgary Flames in a 3-2 overtime loss. The Stars ranked third in the regular season in goals allowed (2.62) while the Wild ranked sixth (2.67). 

So if it’s brick wall vs. brick wall, who’s going to score enough to win this one? I don’t exactly have much faith in the Wild, who were 22nd in the league in goals, although part of that could be attributed to lead scorer Kirill Kaprizov missing a month recently. Dallas fared much better on offense this year, ranking seventh in goals per game amidst a 109-point campaign from Jason Robertson. The Stars finished the year on a six-game winning streak, and that kind of momentum should carry over to the team’s home opener. It might be close, but I’m backing the Stars here.\

Best Bet: Dallas Stars ML
Author: Anthony Elio