Friday night may just be the best night of hockey this young postseason. The 3 games on tap are all potential series close-out games and are some of the best series of this first round. The action begins at 7:00 pm ET between the Lightning and Canadiens, followed by Sabres vs Bruins at 7:30 pm ET and capped off by arguably the best series of the round between the Golden Knights and Mammoth at 10:00 pm ET. If you will be tuning in and want to have some action, I have picked out my 3 NHL best bets for the playoff slate on Friday, May 1, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also, be sure to check out our NHL predictions for all 3 games tonight and EVERY game throughout the playoffs.
NHL best bet: Jakub Dobes Over 24.5 Saves in Lightning vs Canadiens (-105)
The Lightning will be in desperation mode on Friday. Although their backs are against the wall, this is an experienced team that should stay composed. Tampa is loaded with experienced, veteran players and coaches that win. They know that in a game like this, less is more. The Lightning game plan should look to simplify. When teams simplify, a couple key components of the game plan are getting pucks on net and driving traffic. Tampa has logged an average of 26.8 shots per game in this series and will push for more than that with their playoff lives on the line in Game 6.
This has been a low-scoring series in which both goalies have played well. In his second postseason, Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes has answered the call against a Lightning team that has a fantastic pedigree. Including both the regular season and playoffs, Dobes is now 5-2-2 against Tampa. Last game, the Lightning peppered him with 40 shots on goal in regulation. They just couldn’t solve him, and now Dobes has the home crowd behind him in a game he enters in good form while seeing the puck well.
This could be another low-scoring game and Tampa could win, but taking Dobes to save more than 24.5 shots should be a reliable play. The Lightning will pepper him with shots again, desperate to generate offense, and Dobes is in strong form.
Get our Lightning vs Canadiens Game 6 prediction
NHL best bet: Pavel Zacha Over 0.5 Points in Sabres vs Bruins (-125)
The Bruins bounced back from an ugly, ugly Game 4 with a great Game 5. This team entered Buffalo on a mission to keep their season alive, and they did just that — outshooting and outhitting the Sabres while blocking more shots and earning more takeaways. The Bruins now have a statement to make at home after their worst home playoff performance in decades. While this is not a pick on the Bruins, it illustrates the urgency the Bruins will have on Friday after they looked to have figured things out Wednesday.
In a win or go home game, the Bruins’ top players will be leaned on heavily. Being the center on Boston’s top line and top power play, Pavel Zacha certainly qualifies as a top player on the team with his 30 goals and 65 points to go along with a +4 rating — making it the best season of his career from a production standpoint. Look for him to continue that production in Game 6, as Boston hopes to force a Game 7 with renewed confidence after their Game 5 win.
Read our full Sabres vs Bruins Game 6 prediction
NHL best bet: Golden Knights vs Mammoth Over 5.5 (-122)
This series has been phenomenal. The teams have been separated by just 1 goal in 3 games and by 2 goals in 2 games, while the last 2 contests went to overtime. On top of that, they have largely been high-scoring games. Games 4 and 5 each ended in a final score of 5-4. With that, the over has now hit in 4 out of the 5 games played in this series, as the average game total has been 7.0 goals. In addition to the high totals head-to-head, the over trends have been rolling longer for the Mammoth specifically. The total has gone over in 6 out of their last 7 games overall, as well as in 8 out of their last 10 games played at home.
While the goalies would like to tighten things up, the best skaters in this series are playing as such. Vegas has 7 players with at least 4 points in the 5 games played, led by Jack Eichel who has 8 points. Utah also has 7 players with at least 4 points and 3 players averaging a point per game. The way this series has gone, there has been no indication that any other result should be expected than a high-scoring contest. These teams are playing too well, and the trends have all favored the overs.
For a pick on the side, check out our Golden Knights vs Mammoth prediction for Game 6
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