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There isn't something quite like postseason hockey. It's amazing how high the intensity rises when you're playing for keeps. No disrespect to the grind of an 82-game regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal. Let's dive into tonight's three-game postseason slate and see where the value lies!
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In this article, I'll provide my favorite betting picks for the NHL games on Wednesday, April 24. We will focus on money line bets, totals, and team totals. With all of that said, let's break down some hockey games. Follow me on Twitter/X @BKemp17.
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Today's NHL Betting Picks - Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs
O/U: 5.5 | Moneyline: TOR (-112)
The Bruins and Maple Leafs split the first two games of the series at the TD Garden in Boston, with the Bruins taking a 5-1 win in Game 1 before the Leafs evened it up with a tight 3-2 win on Monday.
Even with a 5-1 win on Saturday, the Bruins were out-shot by a 36-25 margin, as it has been the Leafs carrying much of the play. Entering Wednesday's Game 3, Toronto has 57.30% of the expected goals in the series, versus the Bruins at just 42.7%. They have controlled 65.79% of the high-danger chances and 68.6% of the overall scoring chances. The goals are 7-4 for the Bruins, but the ice has been tilted in the Leafs' favor in this young series.
AUSTON MATTHEWS GIVES THE LEAFS THE LEAD 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/PivFaNVZu0
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 23, 2024
The Maple Leafs have done so without the help of William Nylander, who has yet to appear in the series due to an undisclosed injury. However, Sheldon Keefe said his star winger is a possibility for Game 3, but a game-time decision is expected on this front.
The club has also out-played their rivals despite a lackluster effort from Mitch Marner. The Auston Matthews line has dominated and the bottom-six has played well but the Matthew Knies - John Tavares - Marner line hasn't had a great series so far at even strength. Expect that to change moving forward.
Despite a tough Game 1, Ilya Samsonov bounced back with a stellar effort in Game 2. He has played with plenty of confidence since his early-season struggles.
Look for the Maple Leafs to continue to carry the play while their superior star power should help steer them to a Game 3 win on home ice.
Pick: Maple Leafs moneyline (-112, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Today's NHL Betting Picks - Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars
O/U: 5.5 | Moneyline: DA: (-166)
The Vegas Golden Knights went into Dallas and took Game 1 from the Western Conference champs on Monday by a 4-3 count and will look to stun the Stars again to take a 2-0 series back to Sin City.
It's not going to be an easy task, however. The Stars probably deserved a better Game 1 fate as they earned 62.5% of the high-danger chances, 57.8% of the expected goals, and 56.41% of the overall scoring chances. It's just a one-game sample but it's clear the Stars deserved a better fate, even before mentioning they yielded just 15 (!) shots on goal versus the 28 they put on Vegas netminder Logan Thompson.
Of course, this means Jake Oettinger needs to be much better than he was on Monday. The young netminder yielded four goals on those 15 shots (.733 save percentage). Despite some regression this regular season, the 25-year-old yielded two goals or less in each of his last four regular-season outings, posting a hearty .938 Sv% in that time. The Stars don't usually make things difficult on their goaltenders, allowing the seventh-fewest shots against in the regular season.
After all, this Stars offense ranked third in the NHL with 3.59 goals per game on the season. They finished sixth and eighth in power play and on the penalty kill, respectively, as special teams have long been in their favor.
It's not difficult to see the club staying with it and putting together another quality effort while evening up the series on Wednesday.
Pick: Stars first 60 minutes (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Good luck, RotoBallers! Let's cash some bets and make some money today!
