NHL Best Bets & Picks: Stars vs Wild, Penguins vs Flyers & More – Expert Game Previews
The Stanley Cup Playoffs roll on Saturday, as we get three Game 4 battles, including a pair of elimination games.
At 3 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/HBO Max, the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators meet, and the Canes can show the Sens the door, becoming the first team to punch their ticket to the second round. In the Twin Cities, the Dallas Stars carry a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 against the Minnesota Wild. At 8 p.m. ET, the Pittsburgh Penguins are on the brink of elimination in Game 4 on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Saturday's MLB and NBA 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.
Carolina Hurricanes 
at Ottawa Senators 
The Hurricanes have thrown a blanket on the Senators for the entire season so far, winning each of the first three games despite just seven total goals. That's because Frederik Andersen has been on fire, allowing just three goals, including a 22-save shutout in Game 1.
If you're an Under bettor, you've loved this series, as the total has gone low at a perfect 3-for-3 clip.
Ottawa's season is on the line, a similar situation to last season, when it returned home from Toronto in an 0-2 series hole, only to lose Game 3 in overtime. It stared into the abyss in Game 4, but the Sens came up with a win to extend the series. In fact, Ottawa won Game 5, too, pushing the series back to Canadian Tire Centre before bowing out in six.
On the flip side, Carolina has managed just a 4-5 record in the past nine elimination games, as head coach Rod Brind'Amour's group have had difficulty closing out a series.
Logan Stankoven has managed three goals in three games, a major thorn in the side of Linus Ullmark. To make matters worse for the Ottawa goaltender, he is likely to be without Jake Sanderson, who was knocked out of Game 3 after a shot to the head, and he appears to be headed for the press box and concussion protocol.
Despite the doom and gloom, we'll take the Senators, and, of course, the Under, as this series isn't headed for the hand-shake line just yet.
- Senators ML (+110 at Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
- Under 5.5 (+100 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Dallas Stars 
at Minnesota Wild 
The Stars and Wild were expected to have a "wild" series, and it has lived up to the billing.
After a 6-1 rout by the Wild in Game 1, the Stars rebounded for the 4-2 win in Game 2 to salvage the home split. In Game 3, Dallas wrestled back home-ice advantage with a 4-3 victory in overtime.
The Stars had the power play going, with Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene scoring on the man advantage in regulation, while Wyatt Johnston managed a PPG in OT for the winner. Jake Oettinger stopped 29 of 32 shots, outlasting Jesper Wallstedt, who had 32 saves on 36 shots.
The Over is 3-0-1 in the past four meetings since April 9, the final regular-season meeting, while going 5-1-1 in the past seven installments in the series this season since Oct. 14.
Let's keep going high on the total, as this series has seen an average of 6.7 goals per game (GPG) through three games, while the Over is 2-0-1. Let's take the Wild to rebound, squaring the series 2-2.
- Wild ML (-135 at Bet365, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
- Over 5.5 (-135 at DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Pittsburgh Penguins 
at Philadelphia Flyers 
The Flyers have run roughshod over the Penguins, winning the first three games of the series by a combined 11-4, winning all three of the outings as underdogs. In fact, if you bet Philly each game, you'd be at +344. The Under has hit in two of three games to date.
Pittsburgh has been in freefall since April 11, losing six consecutive games. After suffering a 5-2 loss in Game 3, it wouldn't be surprising to see Arturs Silovs get a shot to turn things around.
For Philadelphia, it has goaltender issues, as Dan Vladar suffered a right arm injury in Game 3 in the third period. He is considered a game-time decision for Game 4. If he cannot go, Samuel Ersson would get the starting nod. Really, with a 3-0 series lead, there is no reason to risk Vladar aggravating the injury, potentially forcing him out in the second round, should Philly win one more game.
Only four teams have come back from an 0-3 series deficit, so NHL history is not on the side of the Penguins (or the Senators - above).
Let's back the Flyers to get the job done, Ersson, Vladar or otherwise. We'll go high on the total, even in an elimination game, as you can expect the Penguins to throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Fly Guys with nothing to lose.
- Flyers ML (-120 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel Sportsbooks)
- Over 5.5 (-120 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbooks)
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Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
6-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+3203 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Senators ML (+106) and Under 5.5 (-105) vs. Hurricanes - SGP (+267)
- Wild ML (-138) and Over 5.5 (-134) vs. Stars - SGP (+189)
- Flyers ML (-118) and Over 5.5 (-130) vs. Penguins - SGP (+209)
3-Leg NHL Safe Totals Parlay (+314 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Under 6 (-140) - Senators vs. Hurricanes
- Over 5.5 (-134) - Wild vs. Stars
- Over 5 (-260)* - Flyers vs. Penguins
*Only play as part of a multi-leg parlay, never straight up
