Top NHL Picks and Predictions Today (Best Bets for Avalanche vs. Oilers Game 4)
The Tampa Bay Lightning scored three unanswered goals to squeak by the New York Rangers to win their first game of the series. The two teams will meet for Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche have a chance to sweep the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers season is officially on life support, and it looks like the Canadian Stanley Cup drought will continue for at least another season.
Let's dive into my best bet for tonight's Game 4, as well as a few prop bets I'd recommend sprinkling on. The moneyline odds for the game are via WynnBET Sportsbook.
Best Bets for Oilers vs. Avalanche Game 4
- Avalanche -1.5 (+180)
- JT Compher Anytime Goal (+260)
- Mike Smith OVER 32.5 Saves (-115)
Avalanche -1.5 (+180)
Even with the Avalanche missing Nazem Kadri, they should have no issue finishing off the Oilers. They have completely dominated this series from start to finish.
Not only do the boxscores look impressive, but the advanced analytics also show just how dominant the Avs have been. Their expected goals per 60 minutes in this series is 4.25, which is almost two goals higher than the Oilers, whose expected goals is only 2.71 per 60 minutes.
The Avs have also been getting much better goaltending. Mike Smith has had a rough series in between the pipes, sporting a save percentage of just 87.69 percent.
The Oilers are done, my friends. Another year has been added to the Canadian Stanley Cup drought.
JT Compher Anytime Goal (+260)
With Kadri sidelined, JT Compher is expected to fill in as the second-line center. That means his ice time will be increased significantly, and his chances to score will go along with it. Despite his increase in play time, oddsmakers are keeping his odds to score the same. This could be an opportunity for us to jump on a good play that has a ton of value with Compher's minutes getting a significant boost.
Mike Smith OVER 32.5 Saves (-115)
This one is pretty straight forward. The Avalanche are averaging 43.33 shots on net per 60 minutes this series. That's 10 more than the set total of 32.5 saves. So, if the Avs reach that many shots again tonight, and Smith doesn't allow 10+ goals, then this bet should be one of the easier ones for us to cash. My biggest concern is that Smith might get pulled if things get out of hand.
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.