Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: May 23-24

Expert NHL betting picks for May 23-24: best bets, game previews and parlay ideas for Canadiens vs Hurricanes and Avalanche vs. Golden Knights

May 22, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: May 23-24

By:

Daniel Dobish

May 22, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Canadiens vs Hurricanes & Avalanche vs Golden Knights – Expert Game Previews

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue this weekend, as the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes meet for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Lenovo center in Raleigh, North Carolina at 7 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/HBO Max.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights shift their series to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN for Game 3.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Saturday/Sunday's MLB, NBA and WNBA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.

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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Montreal Canadiens at Carolina Hurricanes

The Canadiens answered the question asked ad nauseum leading up to Game 1 - would too much rest lead to a lot of rust. The answer was resounding YES.

Montreal won each of the first two series in seven games, bumping off the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 on Monday in Western New York, then turning right back around for a trip to North Carolina on Thursday. The Canadiens started quickly, serving up the first loss of the postseason to the Hurricanes as a moderate underdog (+168).

We're 15 games into the postseason, and this is just the second time Montreal has won consecutive games. It also won Games 2 and 3 against the Sabres, before taking Game 7 against Buffalo, and Game 1 of the ECF.

The Over has cashed in three of the past four games, as Montreal has scored three or more goals in four in a row, and six of the past seven outings. The Over is also 5-2-1 in the previous eight contests.

Carolina had won each of its first eight playoff games, but it had 11 days off since ousting the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. That was an NHL record, and the rust was apparent from the jump.

While Seth Jarvis struck for a goal just 33 seconds into the game, Cole Caufield quickly answered with a goal at 1:00 to level the game 1-1. After that, Phillip Danault, Alexandre Texier and Ivan Demidov piled on to make it 4-1 before heading to the room. It was the first time in Hartford Whalers/Hurricanes franchise history that the team allowed four first-period goals in a playoff game.

Fourth-liner Eric Robinson scored his first goal of the postseason to make it 4-2 on an assist to William Carrier, but Juraj Slafkovsky outscored Carolina 2-0 in the third period to make the final score 6-2.

Frederik Andersen had allowed just 10 total goals in the first eight games, good for a 1.18 GAA, but he coughed up five goals on just 21 shots in the loss.

Jakub Dobes allowed two goals on 28 shots, improving to 9-6-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .911 SV% in 15 starts in the playoffs.

Carolina is in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in the past four seasons, and they're 1-13 in the past ECF games, including sweeps at the hands of the Boston Bruins (2019) and Florida Panthers (2023).

The Hurricanes should be able get it done in Game 2, but be mindful that the Canadiens have won all four meetings with Carolina this season, including 3-0 in the regular-season series. Since you have to risk at least two times your potential return to back the Canes straight up, let's take the Habs on the puck line as big underdogs. And, we'll go low in Game 2, too.

Canadiens +1.5 Goals (-140 at BetMGM)
Under 6 (-115 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbooks)

Colorado Avalanche at Vegas Golden Knights

The Avalanche won the President's Trophy for the most points during the regular season. For the better part of the past two decades, that's been a kiss of death in the postseason. However, Colorado rolled through the first nine games with eight wins and just a single loss until Game 1. Now, the Avs are feeling the sting.

Vegas went into Denver and won not one, but both games, seizing a 2-0 series lead heading back to T-Mobile Arena on The Strip. Is it possible we see a series sweep in the Western Conference Finals? Colorado faces an absolute must-win situation in Game 3, and all of the pressure is on the No. 1 seed.

The Avs started off with a 1-0 lead thanks to Ross Colton in Game 2, and that's how it stayed until midway through the third period when Jack Eichel scored at 9:15 of the third period to level the score. Ivan Barbashev notched the go-ahead goal at 11:22, while Barbashev posted an empty-net goal to put a bow on the scoring, stunning the home crowd in the Mile High City.

Carter Hart stopped 29 of 30 shots in Game 2, while Scott Wedgewood allowed just two goals on 24 shots, but that wasn't good enough. The Under has cashed in each of the first two games, too.

Let's stick with the road team trend. Colorado is too good to go into an 0-3 series hole, and we'll still with the Under play for the total, too.