The NHL will play six more games on Wednesday night. The Montreal Canadiens are still left in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot. All the Canadiens need is a result against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Load management continues to impact bets, which is expected this time of year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs start Saturday. Coaches want to play some players while resting others for fear of injury, increasing volatility.
What might happen Wednesday night?
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens Best Bets
The Carolina Hurricanes remain locked into a strategy heading into the weekend series date with the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens remain in pursuit of clinching a playoff spot that seemed like a logical conclusion several days ago. Line movement has been mostly minor.
- Montreal is around a -120 to -125 moneyline favorite
- The over has moved to -125 at 5.5 goals, which means 6 is a possibility
- Carolina has a back-to-back and may play Saturday
Numbers can move at a moment’s notice. The list of callups by teams alone raises some red flags. Montreal has dropped three straight games but has two points thanks to an overtime loss in Toronto and a shootout loss against Chicago. Montreal lost to Carolina at home on March 28th by a 4-1 score.
Typically, throw out any ATS numbers and spreads at this point. Frankly, Montreal wants to clinch that spot. A regulation loss opens the door for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night. No one in Montreal wants to see that.
Best Bet: Montreal Canadiens on the Moneyline at -125 via DraftKings
The West Is Set With Rest The Theme
When it comes to the Vegas Golden Knights, they are on the back end of a back-to-back going against the Vancouver Canucks. This is a night after a wild affair in Calgary, where the Golden Knights gave up a two-goal lead in a 6-5 shootout defeat. Minnesota and St. Louis wins clinched the final spots in the Western Conference. Some seeding questions still apply.
Overall, the moneyline odds for both teams stay around -110 until morning skates and game-time decisions are made. Vegas wants to get through the game unscathed, while Vancouver wants to make a closing statement at home. Goals could be on the menu, and the over and under at 5.5 has even value at -110.
The Vancouver Canucks should be able to score enough goals to hold off a Vegas team more focused on staying upright on Wednesday night. Both teams want this contest to end in 60 minutes more than anyone. Taking the over and the regulation win for Vancouver are among our picks.
Picks: Vancouver Canucks win in regulation +125 via Caesars and the Over 5.5 Goals at -110
The San Jose Sharks May Have Some Bite
The Edmonton Oilers are locked into yet another playoff match with the Los Angeles Kings starting this weekend. Even though Edmonton defeated San Jose 4-2 last week, a Sharks upset may be in the cards on Wednesday night.
San Jose is mired in a ten-game losing streak to close out the 2024-25 campaign. However, five losses were by one goal, and a sixth was due to a fortunate bounce for Corey Perry. A win for San Jose would not impact their chances of winning the draft lottery. They currently possess the league’s worst record by nine points.
Again, there is a play-it-safe option with the spread. For now, it stands at -142 on FanDuel. The +180 moneyline is intriguing and worth a look if it moves out more. In the meantime, let us roll with the spread.
Best Bet: San Jose Sharks +1.5 goals at -142 via FanDuel
Read the full article here
