NHL Preview & Picks – April 25th, 2023

There are three games taking place tonight. I’ll break down with my best bets and a few player props to take a look at.

Matchups:

New York Islanders @ Carolina Hurricanes

• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Series: Carolina Hurricanes (3) – New York Islanders (1)

Minnesota Wild @ Dallas Stars

• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Series: Minnesota Wild (2) – Dallas Stars (2)

Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers

• Time: 9:30 PM ET
• Series: Los Angeles Kings (2) – Edmonton Oilers (2)

Picks:

[All plays are to win 1 Unit unless otherwise noted]

• Carolina Hurricanes in Regulation (+105) – DraftKings

The Islanders find themselves on the brink of elimination tonight. Their only win came on home ice in Game 3 which required overtime. Ilya Sorokin hasn’t been as dominant in the playoffs after posting a +38.7 GSAx in the regular season. He’s started each of the first four games of this series and has a merely -0.2 GSAx. On the other hand, Antti Raanta has been solid for Carolina with a +1.4 GSAx. The Hurricanes have controlled each game and currently lead the postseason in xGoals%. Without Sorokin standing on his head, this Islanders team is not as dominant and it’s shown in this series. I fully expect the Canes to end this series tonight on home ice.

• Leon Draisaitl over 1.5 Points (-112) – FanDuel

Draisaitl has at least two points in three of the first four games of their series against Los Angeles. At home, he’s recorded over 1.5 points in each of the last four games. He’s currently 2nd in points this postseason with 9, only one behind Mitchell Marner. Head Coach Jay Woodcroft has stacked his top line pairing Draisaitl with McDavid and Kane. This line has accounted for the majority of minutes for this team offensively. Edmonton’s top Power Play, which Draistail is on, has also been great this series as well and has been given multiple opportunities in three of the first four games. We saw him elevate his game in the postseason last year and he’s doing it again this year.

Player Props to Target:

[All stats provided by linemate.io]

• Brent Burns over 0.5 Points (-155) – DraftKings
  • Burns has at least one point in three of the first four games of their series against New York. At home, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last four games.

• Jamie Benn over 0.5 Points (-160) – DraftKings
  • Benn has at least one point in three of the first four games of their series against Minnesota. At home, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last three games.

• Mats Zuccarello over 0.5 Points (-155) – DraftKings
  • Zuccarello has at least one point in each of the first four games of their series against Dallas. On the road, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last three games.

• Ryan Hartman over 0.5 Points (-108) – FanDuel
  • Hartman has at least one point in three of the first four games of their series against Dallas. On the road, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last two games.

• Evan Bouchard over 0.5 Points (-135) – DraftKings
  • Bouchard has at least one point in each of the first four games of their series against Los Angeles. At home, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last four games.

• Adrian Kempe over 0.5 Points (-165) – DraftKings
  • Kempe has at least one point in each of the first four games of their series against Edmonton. On the road, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last five games.

• Evander Kane over 0.5 Points (-135) – DraftKings
  • Kane has at least one point in three of the first four games of their series against Los Angeles. At home, he’s recorded over 0.5 points in each of the last five games.

• Martin Necas over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-140) – DraftKings
  • Martin Necas has gone over this number in each game of their series against New York. During that span, he’s averaging 3.0 shots on goal and 5.3 shot attempts per game. At home, he’s recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in four of his last five.

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.