Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, April 20

Expert NHL best bets and picks for Senators vs. Hurricanes, Ducks vs. Oilers and more, plus playoff previews and parlay strategy.

April 20, 2026

Expert NHL Betting Picks Today: Monday, April 20

By:

Daniel Dobish

April 20, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks: Senators vs Hurricanes, Ducks vs Oilers & More – Expert Game Previews

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Monday, including Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series between the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The other three series will be playing in Game 2, including the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Monday's MLB and NBA 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.

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Flyers picked up a 3-2 victory in Game 1 as slight underdogs (+118) as the Under (6.5) cashed, as Philadelphia snatched home-ice advantage with the win in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Dan Vladar was tested very little, stopping 15 of just 17 shots, while Stuart Skinner made 17 saves on 20 shots on goal (SOG). Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim and Porter Martone were the goal scorers for Philadelphia, who aren't exactly household names. But, give it some time, as casual fans are going to learn a lot about this young Philly team. Bryan Rust and Evgeni Malkin were the scorers for the Pens.

Bench boss Dan Muse has been mum on his goaltender for Game 2, although he says he knows who he will start. Arturs Silovs (19-12-8, 3.07 GAA, .888 SV%, 2 SO) is the other goalie, if it isn't Skinner.

The Flyers were on fire down the stretch, winning six of the final seven regular-season games, and they won in Game 1. The Penguins have dropped four in a row and have to turn things around in a hurry, or risk going to Philly in a 0-2 hole. I think the Pens are able to find a way, and we'll go low again on the total.

Penguins ML (-150 at Bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Under 6.5 (-135 at DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)

Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes

Game 1 was a low-scoring defensive slog, which started with a fight at the puck drop between Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal. Are you not entertained?

Frederik Andersen turned aside all 22 shots he faced, looking like vintage Freddie, while Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall provided the offense against Linus Ullmark, as the Ottawa tendy made 27 saves.

Carolina has always been a tough place to play in the postseason. The Hurricanes made the Senators feel it, too, with 57 hits, although the Senators managed to win 56.4 percent of the faceoff chances, which was huge. We also had 36 penalty minutes in the game, and chippiness should continue deep into this series, too.

We'll back the Hurricanes to get the job done again as moderate favorites, and let's stick with the Under.

Hurricanes ML (-145 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Under 6 (-118 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

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

Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars

The Wild picked up an impressive 6-1 road win in Game 1, emphatically grabbing home-ice advantage from the Stars. The way this series went in the regular season, it might be a seesaw series, so don't put a lot of stock into the final score.

Still, Jesper Wallstedt was dominant, stopping 27 of 28 shots, while Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek each had two goals and three points, with Boldy squeezing off eight SOG. Brock Faber had an assist and was a game-best plus-4, too, while Quinn Hughes had an apple and plus-3.

While Jason Robertson scored a goal, it was obviously not close to enough. He and Wyatt Johnston led the team with 45 goals, but the Stars need a lot more in Game 2. The Wild posted 49 hits, to just 39 for the Stars. And, Minnesota paid the price with 17 shots, while Dallas blocked only eight shots. The Minnesota power play was 2-for-4, too, while Robertson's goal was the only score on four tries on the man advantage.

Dallas won't bottom out as it did in Game 1. Expect a much crisper effort, as it salvages a split before heading to the Twin Cities for Game 3.

Stars ML (-135 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
Over 5.5 (-130 at DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbook)

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers

The Ducks and Oilers are the final series to begin, and the three Game 2 matchups will be in the books before they even drop the puck at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

These teams met three times during the season, with the Oilers winning two of those outings. We had 11 combined goals in two of the three meetings, too, and an average of 9.3 combined goals per contest, so we could get some firewagon hockey in this series.

The Ducks were just 19-20-2 on the road this season, while the Oilers were 22-14-5 at home. The home team also won all three regular-season meetings, too.

Lukas Dostal (30-20-4, 3.12 GAA, .888 SV%) is confirmed for the start, while Connor Ingram (16-10-3, 2.60 GAA, .898 SV%, 2 SO) is likely for the home side.

Let's tap into Edmonton's reach postseason experience to get the job done, and we'll go high on the total.