Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, April 6

Expert NHL picks for Blackhawks vs. Sharks and Predators vs. Kings, plus best bets, odds and parlay targets for Monday’s slate.

April 6, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, April 6

By:

Daniel Dobish

April 6, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Blackhawks vs Sharks & Predators vs Kings – Expert Game Previews

The National Hockey League (NHL) has four games on the schedule for Monday night. We have a titanic Atlantic Division clash between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres on NHL Network at 7 p.m. ET, and the rest of the three games are available on ESPN+. We'll focus on the two 10 p.m. ET puck drops.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Monday's MLB, NBA and NCAA National Championship basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.

Top up your bankroll thanks to sportsbook promos like this BetMGM bonus code offering $1,500 in bonus bets.

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.

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks

The Blackhawks (28-35-14) and the Sharks (36-32-7) meet at SAP Center at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Chicago was recently eliminated from the postseason chase with 70 points through 77 games, while San Jose remains very much in the hunt for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Currently, the Nashville Predators (more on them in a minute) occupy the final wild-card spot in the West, with the Los Angeles Kings (also, more on them in a minute) tied with 81 points through 76 games. Then, the Sharks are two points back with a game in hand, so their playoff hopes are still very much alive, and plenty of folks in the Bay Area will also be checking out that Nashville-L.A. game during the Sharks game.

This is the second meeting of the season, as the two sides will also play in Chicago on April 15 in the penultimate game for San Jose.

The Blackhawks won the first meeting 6-3 at United Center on Feb. 2 as slight underdogs (+100) as the Over (6.5) cashed. It will be interesting to see, with the change of venue and newly eliminated status, if the Blackhawks have the same kind of pep in their step on Monday.

Chicago topped the Seattle Kraken 4-2 at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, serving up a tough blow to the playoff chances of the Kraken. The Blackhawks cashed as moderate underdogs (+145) as the Under (6.5) cashed behind backup tendy Arvid Soderblom. Spencer Knight is expected to be back in the cage for Monday's tilt.

Despite the win against Seattle, Chicago is still just 1-4-1 in the past six games, and 2-5-2 across the previous nine outings. The Over is 5-2 in the past seven games, with Chicago allowing 35 goals in the past nine contests, or 3.9 goals per game (GPG).

San Jose had a four-game win streak snapped Saturday by Nashville, 6-3. Still, the Sharks have picked up nine out of a possible 12 points in the past six games, while the Over is 3-1 in the past four outings.

Let's back the Sharks to get the job done, and we'll go high on the total.

Sharks ML (-170 at Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
Over 6.5 (+100 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings

The Predators (36-31-9) and Kings (31-26-19) meet at Crypto.com Arena, and both teams have 81 points. The Preds are in the final wild-card spot due to the tiebreaker of regular-season victories, but five teams are separated by just three points, so this will be a mad dash to the finish line, regardless of Monday's outcome.

Nashville has helped itself out tremendously, winning 5-4 in a shootout in L.A. last Thursday, while doubling up San Jose 6-3 on Saturday. Taking care of two fellow wild-card contenders on the road as an underdog is impressive and speaks of the resilience of the Predators.

The Preds are 7-3-0 in the past 10 games, and the Under is 6-3-0 in the past nine outings. However, some cracks in the foundation might be on defense and goaltending, as Nashville has allowed three or more goals in six in a row, good for 3.5 GPG during the span.

L.A. won a wild 7-6 OT game against the skidding Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and the past three games have either gone to OT or a shootout, with the 5-4 SOW to Nashville on Thursday. The Kings still are a respectable 4-2-4 in the past 10 games, earning 12 out of a possible 20 points. The margin of error is really thin right now, and L.A. has allowed five or more goals in three of the past four.

We'll definitely be taking the Over on Monday, and let's side with the Kings in this rematch.