The final weekend of the NHL regular season has come and gone, and there are now just 4 days remaining before the postseason begins. The playoff picture is becoming a bit more clear in each conference, but some spots still need to be filled and seeding still needs to be finalized. The final week begins with a 10-game slate on Monday, which gives us plenty of opportunities to find some betting value. If you will be following along and want to have some action, I have picked out my 3 NHL best bets for Monday with odds and lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Furthermore, don’t forget to check out all of our NHL predictions for every game throughout the season, including all 10 matchups today.
NHL best bet: LA Kings ML over Seattle Kraken (-148)
Not long ago, the Seattle Kraken were in the thick of the Western Conference playoff battle. However, they have stumbled down the stretch and are now eliminated from playoff contention. Seattle is just 6-12-2 since the beginning of March, and is now 3-5-2 over its last 10 games. On the other side, the Kings continue to surge and enter this matchup holding the 2nd wild card spot in the west. Los Angeles has just 21 regulation wins on the season, which is truly a bizarre sight to see for a playoff team. Nonetheless, the Kings continue to find a way under interim head coach D.J. Smith.
LA enters this game riding a 4-game win streak and has won 5 of its last 6 games. The lone loss came in a shootout against Nashville on April 2. The Kings have revenge on their minds in this matchup, as the Kraken have won all 3 of the previous meetings between these teams this season. All 3 games have been close, with Seattle winning by scores of 3-2 (OT), 3-2, and 4-2. It’s tough to beat a division rival 4 times in a row in a season, especially when that team is still playing with a high sense of urgency fighting for a playoff spot. Despite their struggles against the Kraken this season, I expect the Kings to win this matchup.
Read our full Kings vs Kraken prediction
NHL best bet: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 over Detroit Red Wings (+124)
The Red Wings will be missing the playoffs once again as they were officially eliminated from contention on Saturday with a crushing loss to the Devils. This is a demoralized Red Wings team right now, and things won’t get any easier hitting the road to face the Lightning. Tampa Bay is still battling it out for first place in the Atlantic Division, so this game still means something for the Bolts.
The Lightning are a far better team than the Red Wings both offensively and defensively. The Lightning are averaging 3.50 goals for per game, while the Red Wings are averaging only 2.94 goals per game. On the defensive side of things, the Lightning are 3rd-best in the NHL, averaging 2.78 goals against per game while the Red Wings are averaging 3.03 goals against per game. The Bolts have been great at home all season long, owning a strong 25-13-1 at Benchmark International Arena this season. The Lightning have won 2 of the 3 previous meetings between these teams this season, and I expect them to make it 3 out of 4 against Detroit with a multi-goal win.
Read our full Red Wings vs Lightning prediction
NHL best bet: Philadelphia Flyers ML over Carolina Hurricanes (-105)
The recipe is simple for the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night – win against the Carolina Hurricanes and they are in the playoffs. It won’t be easy going up against a Hurricanes team that is the 2nd-best offensive team and 8th-best defensive team in the NHL. The Hurricanes don’t have too much left to play for as they more or less have the top spot in the Eastern conference locked up.
Philadelphia netminder Dan Vladar is projected to get the start in goal for the Flyers, and he is 4-1-0 in his last 5 starts and allowed just 1 goal against in each of those 4 wins. Head coach Rick Tocchet will have the Flyers fired up and ready to go right from puck drop. I expect the home crowd to have the building rocking as well. This game means a lot more for the Flyers and I expect them to get it done and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Read our full Hurricanes vs Flyers prediction
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