We have our first full night of NHL playoff action, with four games taking place across the board, one game from the Eastern Conference, and three from the Western.
Tonight’s NHL betting picks are based on our NHL picks & predictions page, where you can find the predicted score of all NHL games throughout this season’s playoffs.
Our first pick sees us take on the Eastern Conference game, where our computer is predicting goals to be scored. Elsewhere, we are looking at a home win in the Edmonton and Los Angeles matchup.
The Picks
- Canadiens-Capitals Over 5.5 (-125)
- Kings ML (-110)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals
Monday, April 21, 2025 – 07:00 PM EDT at Capital One Arena
Expect Goals in This Series
Seven of the previous ten games between these two teams have seen over 5.5 goals scored per game, and the previous ten games have averaged 7.4 goals per game. It also must be noted that two of the three unders did land on five goals.
We expect this to be a series with plenty of goals scored; the majority should be by the Washington Capitals, but never write off the Montreal Canadiens in the Playoffs. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield should get hot at some point in this series.
Alex Ovechkin is scoring for fun these days, having broken Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record only recently. Ovechkin comes into this game having scored at least once in 10 of his previous 15 NHL outings.
The Pick
Although our NHL computer picks are predicting a 4-3 win for the home team, we do believe they could score as many as five or even six tonight if they are on song. The Washington Capitals ended the regular season as the 2nd highest scorers in the NHL with 3.50 goals per game.
For laying the -125 juice, knowing Washington is likely going to score 4/5 times, we like the over 5.5 line in this NHL playoff game. Although we wouldn’t advise laying much more than -135 for the 5.5 line, we would consider taking a look at the over 6.0 line for in around -105/+100 NHL betting odds, and shop around for the best betting odds.
NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-125) at Bet365
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Monday, April 21, 2025 – 10:00 PM EDT at Crypto.com Arena
Kings Remain Firm on Home Ice
Despite the Edmonton Oilers picking up their form towards the back end of the regular season, they are still up against it in this series, as the LA Kings are one of the toughest teams in the league right now, especially on home ice.
Although the Kings are 4-6 at home in their previous ten games against the Oilers, two of those wins came in the previous two games, as the Kings are undefeated in their previous two home games against Edmonton. Last time out, they shut the Oilers out with a 3-0 scoreline.
Interestingly, the previous three games between these teams have had shutouts, with the Kings winning 5-0 and 3-0, and the Oilers beating them 1-0.
The Kings finished the regular season with the 2nd-best defense, having allowed only 2.48 goals per game (compared to the Oilers’ 2.87 per game). The Oilers did manage to finish with slightly more goals per game, having had 3.16 compared to the Kings’ 3.04 goals per game.
Coming into this game, the Kings are 11-4, while the Oilers have gone 9-6.
The Pick
This could be another low-scoring matchup between these two teams, although we believe the series might open up and allow for goals at some point. For now, we expect this to be a low-scoring game, with tight defensive play from the L.A Kings.
The Kings are as low as -110 on the moneyline to win this game on home ice, and this series will likely be a home ice-favored one.
Our computer is predicting a 3-2 victory for the Kings, and we believe the scoreline could be 4-2 to the Kings, but either way, both are leaning towards a Los Angeles win on home ice. We wouldn’t look to lay any more than -115 juice on the moneyline.
NHL Pick: Kings ML (-110) at Bet365
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
