Check out our NHL Game 4 best bets from our crew of hockey experts for Wednesday, May 10.
The 2022-23 NHL postseason continues with tonight's Maple Leafs vs. Panthers and Kraken vs. Oilers matchups.
Below, check out our hockey crew's top picks, including a trio of player props, for tonight's Stanley Cup Playoffs games.
Maple Leafs vs. Panthers Player Prop
Greg Liodice: Any team’s best players always show up when it’s most important. As the Florida Panthers prepare to attempt a series sweep of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s yet another occasion for Matthew Tkachuk to rise to. Tkachuk was crucial in helping the Panthers stun the world and beat the Boston Bruins. On Sunday he was held pointless for the first time in six games, but I expect him to get back on the score sheet.
He’s currently averaging 1.5 points per game in these playoffs, and he leads all forwards in expected goals. Not only that, but he’s second in scoring chances and high-danger chances. Tkachuk has provided the type of spark that this team could only have dreamed of last year.
Florida did not perform well this season compared to last year, but it was always among the top teams analytically. The only aspect that brought the Panthers down was goaltending, and as we can see, that doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore. Win or lose, I can see Tkachuk notching a couple of points tonight.
Pick: Matthew Tkachuk over 1.5 points (+124) |
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Player Prop
Ryan Dadoun: The potential payout for predicting Leon Draisaitl will score a goal isn’t great when measured in isolation, but it’s appealing when you factor in just how good he’s been in the 2023 playoffs.
Draisaitl has 13 goals through nine postseason contests this year. You don’t need to know much about the sport to understand that’s amazing, but to highlight just how unreal of an accomplishment that is, consider that he’s at least doubled the goal total of every other player in the league but one (Mikko Rantanen).
The elite Oilers forward is also just six tallies away from tying the NHL record for the most goals in a single playoff run despite this being just the second round. The best part when it comes to this bet is that Draisaitl has gotten this far by being consistent: He’s recorded at least one marker in seven of his nine contests.
Given his recent dominant performances, along with his high skill level and impressive resume, this bet appears to be a reasonable one for tonight.
Pick: Leon Draisaitl anytime goalscorer (-118) |
Golden Knights vs. Oilers Player Prop
Nicholas Martin: Edmonton should be able to bounce back and play better defensively in this matchup. The Oilers have thoroughly proven their defensive capabilities over the last two months, and Game 3's embarrassing performance was an anomaly. It's logical to expect less offensive zone time and attempts on goal for the Knights tonight.
Edmonton has taken 14 minor penalties in the opening three matchups. That is an abnormally high mark, and on top of that, penalty totals tend to trend downward deeper into playoff series in general.
Fewer penalties from the Oilers and less offensive zone time for the Knights are factors that work in favor of Alex Pietrangelo coming in under 2.5 shots on goal. He has spent a wealth of time on the man advantage in the opening three matchups, which has helped contribute to his total of seven shots on goal.
Pietrangelo ranks 14th on the Knights with just 9.11 shot attempts per 60 minutes this postseason. He plays the most minutes of any Vegas skater, but even still his playoff shot totals have been boosted by an abnormally high amount of shot attempts reaching goal.
