With the postseason just around the corner, Tuesday’s slate in the NHL carries heightened urgency across the board. Contenders are fine-tuning their form, bubble teams are fighting for their playoff lives and those already eliminated are looking to play spoiler. Here are tonight’s best bets brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Click here to join. All new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
First Pick: Anaheim Ducks Moneyline
Rundown: The Nashville Predators (36-31-10) skate on the second night of a back-to-back as they head to Orange County for a pivotal Western Conference battle with the Anaheim Ducks (41-31-5) at Honda Center.
Nashville enters the matchup coming off a 3-2 loss in shootout Monday night to the Los Angeles Kings, who now sit one point above the Predators for the final playoff spot. While the loss does put Nashville on the outside looking in, they can jump right back into a playoff spot with just five games remaining with a winning one on the road in Anaheim. Filip Forsberg continues to lead the charge for Nashville offensively – leading the team with 72 points (37G, 35A). Every point matters at this stage of the season, but Nashville desperately need two in order to give themselves a real shot at securing one of the eight playoff seeds.
On the other end of the ice, Anaheim has struggled as of late – dropping five straight games and earning just one point since March 26. Execution in the defensive zone has been a key player in the recent slide as the Ducks have surrendered 24 goals during the five-game skid. Anaheim currently sits in a tie for first place with the Edmonton Oilers, who each have 87 points with five games remaining on the schedule. Despite failing to secure pivotal points down the stretch, Anaheim remains in firm control of a playoff spot with the postseason less than two weeks away.
With Anaheim hungry to win a division title and Nashville on a back-to-back after a disappointing loss in Los Angeles, expect the Ducks to snap the skid and pick up two much-needed points on home ice.
Second Pick: Under 6.5 Goals
Rundown: The Vancouver Canucks (22-46-8) host the Vegas Golden Knights (35-26-16) at Rogers Arena with a chance to damage the hopes of Vegas coming away with a Pacific Division title.
Vancouver enters the contest with the worst record in the NHL, coming in with the third-worst offense in hockey – averaging 2.59 goals per game. They will look to snap a two-game skid and give Anaheim and Edmonton fans something to cheer about. Elias Pettersson has been one of the few positives for this Vancouver squad, leading the team with 48 points. The Canucks will look to avoid the sweep in the season series.
As for Vegas, the Golden Knights come in riding high after a dominate 5-1 victory over the Oilers. Vegas sits just one point back of Anaheim and Edmonton for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Jack Eichel continues to display his offensive excellence in his fifth season with the club, leading the team with 57 assists this season. In a must-win game, look for him to come up with big plays that give his team high-percentage chances near the net.
With Vancouver's lack of scoring and Vegas on the road, expect this one to stay under the projected goal total.