Schedule, Picks for Tuesday's Stanley Cup Playoffs Action

Four more games and another eight teams hit the ice as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Tuesday. Sportsbook Review betting analyst Neil ParkerNHL betting sites.

Monday’s opening games packed the punch, and I’m here to tell you, Tuesday’s action is going to be even better.

The bout between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils renews the Hudson River Rivalry, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs meet in Round 1 for a second consecutive season.

Add a sneaky matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche hosting the Seattle Kraken in their playoff debut, and you can expect a pair of highlight-reel fests in the two nightcaps.

Here are our best NHL picks (odds via FanDuel and Caesars; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Tuesday’s NHL schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

• New York Rangers (+110) vs. New Jersey Devils (-130)
• Tampa Bay Lightning (+140) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-165)
• Winnipeg Jets (+130) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (-150)
• Seattle Kraken (+170) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-200)

Tuesday’s NHL best bets

• Player prop: Evan Rodrigues Over 0.5 points (+104 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
• Player prop: William Nylander Over 3.5 shots (+102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
• Player prop: Laurent Brossoit Over 26.5 saves (-123 via Caesars) ⭐
• To win in regulation: Maple Leafs (+110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

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Tuesday’s NHL player prop picks

Player prop: Evan Rodrigues Over 0.5 points (+104 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐

This is as much a bet on Colorado superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen as it is on Rodrigues. The trio shared the ice at five-on-five for 230:43 this season and dominated possession with a high-end 56.8 Corsi For percentage and filled the net to the tune of 5.2 goals per 60 minutes. 

Though the Kraken have impressed in the fancy stats, their goaltending didn’t pass the test during the regular season. A 30th-ranked .886 team save percentage won’t cut it this time of year.

Additionally, the Kraken took the 12th-most minor penalties at five-on-five and sported a 21st-ranked 76.7 penalty-kill percentage. Just note, Rodrigues projects to skate with the No. 2 power-play unit Tuesday, so this special-teams mismatch carries less value for him.

Though there isn’t a huge advantage when comparing the prices across our best NHL betting sites, I’m always looking for the plus-money plays and value them slightly more in the player props markets.

Plus, an edge is an edge, and we’re landing a positive expected value of 4% with the +104 odds over the widely available -105 price.

Player prop: William Nylander Over 3.5 shots (+102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

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Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe has slotted Nylander into the picture-perfect role ahead of Game 1. He should largely avoid matching up against the top Lightning defenders while skating alongside proven playmakers John Tavares and Ryan O’Reilly. 

Though it’d be foolish not to attribute a chunk of Nylander's late-season uptick in shot volume to the pursuit of hitting the 40-goal mark, I’m still encouraged that he fired 38 attempts and totalled 24 shots across the final four games of the regular season.

Nylander also went Over this 3.5 total in Games 1 and 2 against Tampa Bay during last season’s playoffs, and I’m expecting him to remain opportunistic and continue padding the shots column Tuesday.

This is another example of landing plus-money odds on a player prop, and in this case, we’re also grabbing a decent advantage with the FanDuel price. The +102 odds present a positive expected value of 6% compared to the -110 number DraftKings is hanging. The difference between a winning $10 ticket is $1.11 more profit and $11.10 more on a successful $100 ticket.

Player prop: Laurent Brossoit Over 26.5 saves (-123 via Caesars) ⭐

Vegas allowed the seventh-most shot attempts at five-on-five during the regular season, and Winnipeg generated the seventh-most. I highlight the five-on-five numbers because the Golden Knights were the most disciplined team in the NHL, and I’m not expecting many man-advantage opportunities for either club.

I’m also expecting Winnipeg to follow the script of the road underdog from Monday’s action. The New York Islanders were the only lower seed in action to register fewer than 30 shots on net. 

The lack of a notable advantage in the odds is why this is graded with a single star. Additionally, Vegas receives a defensive boost with the return of Mark Stone (back) – and potentially a huge boost.

Still, I like Brossoit in this spot. He’s faced at least 30 shots and cleared this 26.5 save total in four of his past five starts.

Tuesday’s NHL game picks

To win in regulation: Maple Leafs (+110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

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Betting the Maple Leafs to win in regulation presented the best advantage in the odds, and Tampa Bay’s skid to the finish line is being underappreciated.

The Lightning concluded the regular season on a 4-8 slide while scoring just 45.3% of five-on-five goals in those games. 

Probably more alarming is that No. 1 netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy has struggled through the finishing stretch with an uncharacteristic 6-7-2 record, .904 save percentage, and 2.93 GAA since the calendar flipped to March – albeit in largely meaningless games.

Buds starter Ilya Samsonov, on the other hand, shut the door with a 19-3-3 record, .927 save percentage, and 1.98 GAA across 25 games played at Scotiabank Centre this season. 

Toronto was also the superior team in Corsi For percentage and expected goals for percentage at five-on-five when adjusted for score and venue, and the Maple Leafs posted better marks on both special teams units.

I’m confident in the favorite on home ice Tuesday.

There’s actually a considerable edge in the odds DraftKings is offering. The +110 number presents a positive expected value of 12% over the -115 price, and in dollars and cents, it’s an added profit of $2.30 on a $10 dollar wager or $23 on a $100 dollar bet.

Here are our best NHL betting sites:

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