NHL best bets today (Bank on goals in Kraken vs. Avalanche)

Let the hot streak continue! I’ve been betting on every single NHL Playoff game so far this postseason and after a 3-0 sweep last night, I’m sitting at 23-11-1 (+10.99 units) heading into Wednesday night’s action.

Unfortunately, there are only two games to bet on tonight, but we’re still going to do our best to make a little bit of money.

Let’s take a look at my best bet for both games set to take place.

Best NHL bets for Wednesday, April 26th

• Panthers +1.5 (-120) vs. Bruins
• Kraken/Avalanche OVER 5.5 (-120)

Panthers +1.5 (-120) vs. Bruins

The Bruins have started to do in this series what they’ve done all season; making up for average play between the blue lines by scoring at a high rate and having great goaltending.

The Panthers are outperforming the Bruins during 5-on-5 play, outranking them in CORSI% at 50.66% and sporting an expected goals percentage of 51.72%. They’re also averaging 1.98 more high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play.

But, the Bruins have a shooting percentage of 12.12% and a save percentage of 91.97%, which makes all the difference in the world when it comes to winning games.

With that being said, I can’t ignore the advanced analytics that show the Panthers have been playing better than the final scores of indicated. I may not be brave enough to bet on them to win, but I think they can at least keep this game close.

I’ll back the Panthers at +1.5 on the puck line.

Kraken/Avalanche OVER 5.5 (-120)

The feisty Kraken are tough to bet on or against because they seem to find ways to win despite being outplayed between the blue lines.

So, instead, I’m going to bet on the OVER in tonight’s pivotal Game 5.

The two teams rank inside the top four amongst the 16 playoff teams in 5-on-5 expected goals for during the first round of the playoffs. The Kraken are averaging 3.08 per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play, the second best mark in the first round, and the Avalanche are averaging 2.96.

The Kraken are also averaging 15.85 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, the second best mark in the NHL postseason.

I also don’t trust either goaltender in this series. Philipp Grubauer has looked strong in three of the first four games, but his season-long save percentage of .895 gives me no confidence he can keep up this high level of play.

I’m surprised the total is set at just 5.5 tonight so I won’t hesitate backing the OVER.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.