NHL Best Bets Tonight | Picks, Predictions for Jets vs. Wild, Flyers vs. Blue Jackets (April 6)
Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images. Pictured: Philadelphia Travis Konecny.
The NHL odds board has betting options for 11 games this Saturday, and hockey expert Nick Martin has made predictions for two matchups on tonight's slate.
Let's dive into his top two NHL best bets for Saturday, April 6.
Jets vs. Wild
| Jets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +190 | 6 -105o / -115u | -140 |
| Wild Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -230 | 6 -105o / -115u | +120 |
When Gabriel Vilardi is in the lineup, the Winnipeg Jets are a different team this season. In three games since his return, the Jets are 2-1-0 and own a +4 goal differential.
He put up a career-high nine shots last time out and netted a hat trick against the Flames. He also had four shots and seven attempts in a tougher matchup against Los Angeles on Monday.
Vilardi, Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers have generated 3.66 xGF/60 in 190 minutes together. Hopefully, head coach Rick Bowness will keep that unit together for this game.
If Bowness does change up his offensive lines, though, we can feel confident the configuration will still involve Scheifele and Vilardi paired on the top unit.
Vilardi is excellent at finding pockets of space near the goal and takes the majority of his shots close to the net. He has generated 14.1 shot attempts per 60 but has managed 9.2 shots on target per 60.
The Wild have allowed 31.1 shots against per 60 over the last five matchups, as they've moved away from what was a highly favorable scheduling patch.
Bet365 has Vilardi priced at +120 to record more than 2.5 shots on goal, and I think there's a lot of value in backing Vilardi to continue jamming pucks on goal. He's also priced at -115 to record a point at DraftKings, which is also worthy of a slightly smaller play.
Best Bets: Vilardi Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+120 · Play to +105) · Over 0.5 Points (-115 · Play to -120)
Flyers vs. Blue Jackets
| Flyers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +145 | 6.5 100o / -120u | -165 |
| Blue Jackets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -170 | 6.5 100o / -120u | +140 |
The Flyers' stumble down the standings has not been for a lack of effort but rather an inability to finish scoring chances coupled and some subpar goaltending.
They could'ved fared better offensively last night in Buffalo, and I definitely consider myself lucky to have cashed a bet on the under given all the missed chances.
Since the start of March, the Flyers have put up 31.3 shots per 60 minutes of play but have scored on just 7.6% of shots on goal. That's the lowest SH% in the league over that span by a margin.
The Blue Jackets have allowed 36.4 shots against per 60 in 17 games since the beginning of March. They've given up 3.88 xGA/60 in that span.
Columbus' injury situation is arguably worse now than it has been at any point in the season, and that makes the Jackets extremely vulnerable against a Flyers side that's still generating plenty of chances.
We should see Philly dominate at even strength in this matchup, and I think this is a great matchup for its offense in terms of finding the positive regression it's due for.
The Blue Jackets have allowed 3.6 goals per game this season. That mark could come down if — or when — third-string goaltender Jet Greaves comes back down to earth.
The Flyers are priced at -104 to record over 3.5 goals at FanDuel, and I believe backing the Flyers to score four is worth a bet at anything better than -115.
With Sean Couturier sidelined, Travis Konecny is the heart and soul of the Flyers. He's their leading scorer and has the most well-rounded offensive skillset. This is a smash spot to play some player props on the Flyers, and I think keeping it simple with Konecny makes sense.
Konecny was paired with Morgan Frost and Tyson Foerster last night against Buffalo, and that unit has dominated when they've played together this season.
Konecny is priced at +110 to record over 3.5 shots at DraftKings, and there's value in that number. It could also be worth backing Konecny to record over 1.5 points or score a goal.
Finally, Foerster to record over 2.5 shots at +130 is also a solid bet.
Best Bets: Flyers Team Total Over 3.5 (-104 · Play to -115) · Konecny Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+110 · Play to +100)
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