This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Best NHL Bets for Friday, April 12
It's the last Friday of the NHL regular season! Gosh, time flies when you're having fun, don't it? We've gotta get every edge we can while the board still features all 32 teams. With just five games on the slate, let's dive into the best NHL bets and player props tonight!
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Hurricanes 60 MIN Line (-120 on DraftKings)
In typical fashion during the Rod Brind A'Mour era in Carolina, the Hurricanes are getting hot at the right time. They come into tonight's tilt in St. Louis on a three-game win streak and with only four losses in their last 15 games. The Blues are surprisingly sniffing at the Golden Knights' heels for the final Wild Card spot out West. They've won six of their last 10, but only one of those victories came against a playoff team. Their last three opponents were the Blackhawks, Ducks and Sharks. They've actually lost to the Sharks twice in the last two weeks, too. The Canes roll in regulation here.
Predators -1.5 PL (+100 on DraftKings)
The famed coach of the 1980 USA Miracle On Ice team Herb Brooks once screamed at his players saying: "Gentleman, you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone!" Well, in tonight's matchup, I think the Predators do have enough talent to win on talent alone, and that comes in between the pipes. Juuse Saros owns the Blackhawks. He's 12-1-2 in his last 15 starts against Chicago with a dominating 1.71 GAA and .942 SV%. The Preds have won all three meetings so far this season, and two of those have been by 2+ goals.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
William Karlsson over 0.5 points (-135 on DraftKings)
Wild Bill's been stepping up with Mark Stone out of the lineup and several other injuries to forwards Chandler Stephenson, Nicolas Roy and William Carrier. He's got points in seven of his last eight and nine of his last 15 overall. The Golden Knights are essentially playing a must-win game tonight on home ice. They've dropped three straight and the Blues are just three points back for the final Wild Card spot in the West. One of the original misfits needs to step up, and I think he will.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to record 2+ points (+168 on FanDuel)
Let's ride the hot hand. Nuge has been elevated to top-line minutes with Connor McDavid on the shelf. He's got five total points in his last two games filling in for No. 97, and the Oilers have rattled off three straight victories by a combined score of 15-5. The Coyotes have allowed 14 goals in their last four games, and are on the fourth game of an extended road trip through the Pacific Northwest. The Oilers have one of the best goal songs in the league, and I like Nuge to help make it play a few times in this one.
