Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Bruins Will Dominate Maple Leafs in Game 1)
The NHL Playoffs are set to begin today with two games in the Eastern Conference side of the bracket.
The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the New York Islanders at 5pm et followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins at 8pm et. In this article, I'm going to break down my best bet for each of those two games.
If you're looking to place some futures, I broke down my three best bets to win the Stanley Cup here and my pick for every first round series here.
If you want to bet on the NHL Playoffs, click the link below to sign up for an account at DraftKings Sportsbook. If you do, you'll receive $150 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager.
NHL Best Bets Today
- Islanders/Hurricanes UNDER 5.5 (-120)
- Bruins -130 vs. Maple Leafs
Islanders vs. Hurricanes Prediction and Pick
You can take the chalk side with the Hurricanes if you want but I think the better bet is the UNDER 5.5 goals at -120. In the final 25 games of the season, these two teams have been a couple of the best defensive teams in the league.
In that span, the Hurricanes have allowed just 2.14 goals per 60 minutes while the Islanders have allowed only 2.65. Those are the best and eighth best marks in the league in that time frame. Their advanced numbers have been solid as well, ranking sixth and 10th in expected goals against per 60 minutes.
Finally, they're first and seventh in team save percentage over their last 25 games. All of those together is a recipe for a low-scoring affair.
Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Prediction and Pick
The Bruins have beat the Maple Leafs the last seven times these two teams have faced each other and Toronto hasn't beat Boston in a playoff series since 1959. This is a psychological disaster for the Leafs as no team has the real estate in the heads of their players like the Bruins have over this team.
Boston also has two of the best goalies in the NHL in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman and Toronto has had issues when playing against top goalies in the postseason.
With the Bruins at home in Game 1, I see no reason why they won't win their eight-straight against the Leafs.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!