It’s the best weekend of the hockey season, as the first Saturday of playoff hockey has arrived.
The New York Islanders are the second biggest dogs to win their series vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of question marks entering their series on the road against the Boston Bruins.
Let's dissect the latest NHL odds as we provide you with our favorite NHL player props and NHL picks for April 20, with odds courtesy of Bet99.
NHL prop picks and best bets for April 20
- Ryan Pulock Over 2.5 blocked shots (-115 at Bet99)
- Brent Burns Over 2.5 SOG (+115 at Bet99)
- Maple Leafs team total Under 2.5 (+115 at Bet99)
Picks made on April 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Read full analysis of each pick.
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Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Blocking Pulock
It’s the playoffs and that means a lot more sacrifice than during games 1 through 82. If teams want to win, they have to get their hands dirty, and that means stepping in front of pucks. Considering the Carolina Hurricanes lead the league in shot attempts per game at 5-on-5, it shouldn’t be a problem for New York Islanders shot blockers.
Ryan Pulock leads the team in shots blocked/60, plays on the penalty kill, and has a 37% share of possible ice time per Money Puck. He's also averaged just north of 2.5 blocks per game over his last 44 playoff tilts.
He will see a Carolina team that led the league in shot attempts per game at 5-on-5 over the last 25 games, while the Islanders did their fair share of giving up shots, ranking in the bottom third of the league in shot attempts allowed.
Facing the Canes and their league-leading shot-attempt ways pushes the projection to over 50%. Other books are at -120 or shorter.
Ryan Pulock prop: Over 2.5 blocked shots (-115 at Bet99)
Prop bet #2: Burns bombs
When the Canes faced the Islanders in the first round last year, Brent Burns had 27 shots on net and went Over 3.5 shots in five of those six matches. While Burns' shot volume has decreased this year to 2.3 per game, the playoffs are when cute hockey takes a seat and getting pucks on the net is valued more — especially vs. a team like New York, which is relying heavily on its goaltending.
Burns is plus money to get three shots today, should play over 20 minutes, and gets first-unit power-play time. The Hurricanes shoot the puck more than any other team in hockey, and over the last 10 meetings dating back to last year’s playoff matchup, Carolina is averaging 37.3 shots on goal per game and 38.4 SOG per game at home vs. the Islanders.
The Canes defenseman also fits the mold for a ladder candidate today up to five SOG (+650). Only two other teams in hockey allowed more shots from opposing D-men than the Islanders.
Brent Burns prop: Over 2.5 shots on goal (+115 at Bet99)
Prop bet #3: Time to adapt
The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost six straight matchups to the Boston Bruins dating back to last season, and tonight could be a similar story. Boston has held the Leafs to two or fewer goals in five of the last six meetings, and after an epic collapse in last year’s playoffs to the Panthers, the Bruins will start the series strong.
Jeremy Swayman is 3-0 straight up vs. Toronto this year with a 1.30 GAA and a .959 SV%. It might take the Leafs a couple of periods to change gears from the style they were playing to a playoff one, and that could cost them offensive opportunities. Boston lost just three times in regulation when leading after the first period this year, and the Bruins are a team built to protect a lead.
The Leafs will be competitive in this series, but the transition from their last five games to the playoffs is a big one and will take a period or two to adapt.
Maple Leafs prop: Team total Under 2.5 (+115 at Bet99)
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