Fansided

NHL best bets today (Fade Panthers “must win” narrative)

By Iain MacMillan

Mar 29, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) tries to get around Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 29, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (88) tries to get around Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling (42) during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The final week of the NHL regular season is upon us and there is still plenty to gain for plenty of teams. With that being said, I’d be cautious to just blindly back teams who still have something to play for just because it’s a “must win” game.

I have three bets locked in for tonight and one of them is fading that specific narrative.

Let’s jump into them.

NHL best bets today

  • Maple Leafs +125 vs. Panthers
  • Predators/Flames UNDER 5.5 (-105)
  • Kraken -1.5 (+105) vs. Coyotes

Maple Leafs +125 vs. Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs have nothing left to play for, they’re locked into the No. 2 spot in the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers are barely clinging on to a playoff spot. Does that mean we should blindly back the Panthers? Absolutely not.

The Maple Leafs have been playing some unbelievable hockey lately, ranking 1st in expected goals percentage over their last 10 games, with an average expected goal differential of +1.62.

They should be able to take advantage of the Panthers horrid defense that ranks 27th in both expected goals against and high-danger scoring chances allowed over the same stretch of games.

Give me the Maple Leafs as underdogs tonight.

Predators/Flames UNDER 5.5 (-105)

The Nashville Predators are an UNDER bettors dream. They’re scoring only 1.97 goals per 60 minutes over their last 10 games while the combined average score in those games is just 4.34.

The Flames, as always, are also a strong defensive team, coming in at 7th in expected goals against per 60 over their last 10 games.

This is a great spot for an UNDER bet tonight.

Kraken -1.5 (+105) vs. Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes have looked terrible lately, clearly making a run for the 1st overall pick in the NHL Draft. Over their last 10 games, they have an average goal differential of -2.06.

Now, they take on a Seattle Kraken team that’s leading the NHL in expected goals against over their last 10 games. Their defense will shut down the Coyotes tonight and I expect Seattle to win with margin.

–

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.