Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: May 8-9

NHL Betting Expert Daniel E. Dobish previews upcoming playoff games, including a potential series-clincher for the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

May 8, 2026

By:

Daniel Dobish

May 8, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Hurricanes vs Flyers, Avalanche vs Wild & More – Expert Game Previews

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Friday into Saturday, as we get deeper into the second round. The Carolina Hurricanes could clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 on Saturday, too, so we'll watch that game very closely.

On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks battle in Game 3, with that series tied 1-1. Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/HBO Max.

Then, on Saturday, that Canes-Flyers Game 4 can be viewed at 6 p.m. ET on the same channels mentioned above, while the Colorado Avalanche look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead as the scene shifts to the Twin Cities against the Minnesota Wild at 9 p.m. ET.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Friday and/or Saturday'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.

Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks

The Golden Knights and Ducks shift their series to Honda Center in Anaheim for Game 3, with the series tied 1-1.

Anaheim won Game 2 by a 3-1 count, and Lukas Dostal nearly had his third career postseason shutout, but Vegas spoiled it with a Mark Stone power-play goal with just under six seconds left in regulation.

Beckett Sennecke opened the scoring at 11:23 of the second period, with helpers to Jeffrey Viel and Ryan Poehling, while Leo Carlsson ended up with the game-winning goal, and Jansen Harkins bagged an empty-netter.

Anaheim had 28 shots, to just 22 for VGK, and the Golden Knights were forced to kill off five penalties, which they did. VGK was 1-for-4 on the man advantage, while it held a 19-to-14 advantage in blocked shots.

This has been an even series so far, and with the change of venue, we'll back the Ducks to get the job done, but go higher on the total. Traditionally, low-scoring defensive battles aren't the forte of Anaheim.

Ducks ML (-106 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over 6.5 (+102 at BetRivers, DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbooks)

Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers

The Hurricanes pulled away from the Flyers 4-1 in Game 3, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, while pushing Philadelphia to the brink of elimination.

Carolina has won its first seven postseason games for the first time since 2006, which is the season it won its first and only Stanley Cup.

The favorite has cashed in each of the first three games in this series, and the Under has cashed in each of the meetings, and five in a row dating back to Dec. 14, 2025 in the regular season.

Frederik Andersen has been superb in net for the Hurricanes, turning back the clock to go 7-0-0 with a 1.02 GAA and .957 SV% with 2 SO. He has had a propensity for injury throughout his career, but when he is on, he can be elite, and "The Great Dane" is proving that nearly halfway through the postseason.

Dan Vladar allowed four goals in Game 3, the most he has allowed for the entire playoffs. While he has a 2.11 GAA and .921 SV% in nine playoff games, he has been punctured for 10 goals on 96 shots in this series, or a 3.08 GAA with a .896 SV%, which is even below his regular-season totals.

The Hurricanes are on a mission, but the Flyers won't go quietly into the night. We saw Philly on the opposite end, up 3-0 against Pittsburgh, having trouble closing out a sweep. Teams have pride, and that fourth win is always the hardest. Don't expect a handshake line just yet, and we'll go Under, with both teams playing it close to the vest, trying to avoid giving the other any momentum.

Flyers ML (+160 at Bet365 and DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 (-140 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbooks)

Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild

Denver is a very difficult place to play, and the Avalanche aren't letting the supposed Presidents' Trophy Curse get to them. Colorado browbeat Minnesota by three goals in each of the two meetings at Ball Arena to open this series, including that insane 9-6 win in Game 1.

That's four consecutive Over results for the Avs, as they've scored 23 goals in the outings after managing just four total goals in the first two playoff games against the Kings.

The Wild face a must-win situation in Game 3, as you're not going down to Colorado 0-3 and coming back. The Wild have scored 17 total goals across the past four outings, so they know a thing or two about offense, too. But, Minnesota has to figure out a way to slow the big shooters down.

Filip Gustavsson was called upon in Game 2 after the ugly Game 1 loss by Jesper Wallstedt, but the new starter has just as many answers as the other goaltender.

It's obvious to Over in Game 3 until we start to see significant gains by the defense and tendies. And, Minnesota might get a home game here, but Colorado has been a well-oiled machine, and it's impossible to go against it right now.