Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Connor Hellebuyck's Playoff Struggles Will Continue)

Iain MacMillan | Apr 30, 2025

Connor Hellebuyck has recently struggled in the NHL Playoffs. / James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Another 2-1 night on Tuesday and our NHL bets, unlike the Maple Leafs, are trending in the right direction.

The Carolina Hurricanes are the first team to officially advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs, and both the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals have a chance to join them tonight.

It's once again time to dive into my top three bets for Wednesday night's playoff action.

• NHL Season-to-Date Record: 171-163-8 (-2.60 units)

Top NHL Picks Today

• Canadiens vs. Capitals OVER 6 (-110) via BetMGM
• Panthers (-105) vs. Lightning via FanDuel
• Blues vs. Jets OVER 5.5 (+120) via DraftKings

Canadiens vs. Capitals Prediction

The Canadiens vs. Capitals series has been arguably the most wide-open hockey amongst all Eastern Conference matchups as both teams have been able to create plenty of scoring opportunities. The Capitals rank third in expected goals per 60 minutes in the playoffs at 3.61 but the Canadiens aren't too far behind at 2.91.

That's a sign we could see a high-scoring affair tonight, as long as the Canadiens can sharpen their shooting and take advantage of the offensive chances they get.

Pick: OVER 6 (-110)

Panthers vs. Lightning Prediction

There's no denying the Florida Panthers have been the better team in this series, and I think they close things out tonight. They have an expected goal differential of +0.51 per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play these playoffs, the fourth-best mark amongst all postseason teams. They have also seemingly fixed their shooting woes that plagued them at the end of the regular season, scoring on 13.4% of their shots on goal.

The Lightning haven't been playing well enough between the blue lines or getting good enough play from Andrei Vasilevskiy to make me think they can turn this series around.

Pick: Panthers (-105)

Blues vs. Jets Prediction

Connor Hellebuyck is on his way to winning his second-straight Vezina Trophy, but the Jets goalie continues to implode in the playoffs. Across the past three seasons, Hellebuyck now has an .863 save percentage in the postseason, an issue that has followed him in this series. He has stopped just 81.7% of shots on goal against the Blues.

His play has turned this series into what I thought would be a historically low-scoring one, into one where I'm convinced to bet the OVER at +120 odds. Both teams are playing a defensive style of hockey, but if the goalies can't stop shots, that won't matter.

Pick: OVER 5.5 (+120)

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!