This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Parlay Picks: Expert NHL Bets Tonight (May 8, 2024)
We have two playoff games on the National Hockey League slate for Wednesday night, with one game from a series in each conference.
In Game 2 of their second-round series, the Bruins and Panthers meet at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. at 7:30 p.m ET. The game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN. The Bruins lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. And at 10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN, the Oilers and Canucks begin their best-of-seven series at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. Let's get started!
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Best NHL Picks Tonight
Boston Bruins 
at Florida Panthers 
The Bruins had little turnaround time, as they just dispatched the Maple Leafs in seven games, clinching their first-round series Saturday night. On Monday, Boston was on ice with a new opponent. There was no rest for the weary.
The Panthers topped the Lightning in five games in the first round, and Florida had been off since April 29, a full week. Rust is never a friend to a playoff team, nor is getting off track from your normal routine. Florida came out flat in Game 1 and laid an egg against the B's, falling 5-1 on home ice.
Boston tendy Jeremy Swayman (5-2-0, 1.42 GAA, .955 SV%) didn't allow a bad goal in the Toronto series, and he kicked aside 38 of the 39 shots he faced in Game 1 against the Cats. He was in a rotation in the regular season with Linus Ullmark, but head coach Jim Montgomery quickly pulled the plug on that rotation after Ullmark dropped Game 2 to the Leafs.
The funny thing, and perhaps the scary thing for Panthers fans and potential bettors, is the B's didn't get scoring from the usual suspects in Game 1. The even-strength goals came off the sticks of Morgan Geekie, Mason Lohrei, Brandon Carlo and Justin Brazeau, while Jake DeBrusk tucked one into the empty net. For Brazeau and Lohrei, it was their first-ever playoff goals.
Brad Marchand didn't have an assist until DeBrusk's ENG, and Game 7 hero David Pastrnak also had just one assist, a secondary apple on Geekie's opening goal.
Matthew Tkachuk did his best early on, racking up his fourth playoff goal, while Aleksander Barkov had the only helper. Sergei Bobrovsky, who stood on his head in the postseason a year ago, coughed up four goals on 28 shots, slipping to 4-2-0, a 3.00 GAA and an .890 save percentage in these playoffs.
The advantage between the pipes is Boston's right now, and it's a huge value as moderate underdogs. Florida should be able to level the series in Game 2, but laying close to two times your potential return is very risky behavior. Backing the B's is a smarter way to spend your Game 1 winnings.
- Bruins ML (+146 at FanDuel)
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Edmonton Oilers 
at Vancouver Canucks 
If the regular season is any indication, the Oilers might as well not show up in this series. Vancouver set the tone early between these provincial neighbors, pounding Edmonton 8-1 as moderate underdogs (+140) in the first meeting Oct. 11. Then the Canucks swept the home-and-home series, winning 4-3 at Edmonton as an even larger underdog (+205).
In fact, the Canucks won all four regular-season meetings, outscoring the Oilers 21-7. Methinks things will be a little more different in the postseason, however.
This is exciting, as these teams will meet for the first time since the Smythe Division Finals in 1992, when both were battling it out for Campbell Conference supremacy. The Oilers won that series in six games. This is just the third-ever meeting in the playoffs between these teams, too, with Edmonton winning nine of the 11 all-time postseason games.
Vancouver was able to get by the gritty Predators in six games in a series with defense, physicality and tremendous goaltending. It outscored Nashville 13-12 in the six-game series, and we had four Under results in the final five games. That will change against Edmonton.
The Canucks prevailed despite a multitude of goaltender issues versus Nashville. All-Star Thatcher Demko, who is a Vezina Trophy finalist, suffered a knee injury in Game 1 against the Preds. He could potentially return for a Game 5 in this series, but he is still at least a few days away.
Casey DeSmith stepped in for Demko, but he missed the final two games of the series due to a lower-body injury of his own. Then third-stringer Arturs Silovs stepped in and stepped up, but it would be a tall order to ask him to shut down the likes of Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and company.
The Oilers pounded the Kings in five games in the first round, including wins in both road outings in L.A. In fact, Stuart Skinner had a shutout in his most recent road playoff start in Game 4 of that series.
Whether it's DeSmith or Silovs in Game 1, we should see decent goaltending for Vancouver, but it likely won't be Vezina-quality. Skinner has allowed just four goals in his past three games, and he is playing with renewed confidence with a red-hot offense in front of him. Back Edmonton straight up, and we'll lean Under, as the Canucks look to suffocate the big guns for the Oilers, giving their tendy a chance.
- Oilers ML (-130 at BetMGM)
- Under 6.5 (-130 at ESPN Bet)
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NHL Parlays Tonight
3-Way Parlay (+622 at FanDuel)
- Bruins ML (+146) at Panthers
- Oilers ML and Under 6.5 at Canucks - SGP (+193)
Same-Game Parlay (+193 at FanDuel)
- Oilers ML (-142) at Canucks and Under 6.5 (-130)
