This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
What an electric start to the NHL playoffs last night! Two wins by the favorites in the East and two overtime upsets by the underdogs in the West. Let's get into the best NHL bets for tonight!
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Stanley Cup Playoffs Best Bets for Tuesday, April 18
Rangers 
vs Devils 
The Hudson River Rivalry starts a new chapter in Newark tonight. These clubs haven't faced off in the postseason since the Devils beat the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final to advance to the '12 Stanley Cup where they lost to the Kings. The Devils had the Rangers' number in the regular season this year, winning 3 of the 4 contests including both on home ice. They did so by playing their stingy defensive structure and their high-energy, high-event offensive attack. Tonight will be the first playoff game for Jack Hughes and many of New Jersey's young guns. Vitek Vanecek played in just 2 playoff games with the Caps last season and has a 4.21 goals-against average and an .863 save percentage in those games, so he'll need to be considerably better in his playoff debut with the Devils. The Rangers, on the other hand, marched to the Eastern Conference Final last season and have a roster of players with tons of playoff experience. I think the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Patrick Kane get off to a better start than the young Devils forward corps, while the Rangers' defensive unit led by Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba will be able to go pound for pound with the Devils' Dougie Hamilton and company. I'm giving the nod to Igor Shesterkin in net to pull out a win on the road.
Rangers ML +110
Lightning 
vs Maple Leafs 
I could crunch numbers all day in this series, and honestly, those numbers would suggest this is a toss-up. Historically, the Lightning are better. More recently, the Maple Leafs look better. But this matchup will come down to one question being answered once and for all: will this be the year the Leafs get out of the first round? I think it is, and I think they start that march tonight on home ice.
Maple Leafs ML -165
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Jets 
vs Golden Knights
The Golden Knights had one of the 4 best records in the NHL since March 1. They did a lot of that work without captain Mark Stone in the lineup, and he'll return for Game 1 tonight on home ice. They're getting contributions from all up and down the lineup, showcasing their depth in coach Bruce Cassidy's hard-checking, fast-paced system. They've had a carousel in net with injuries to Logan Thompson and Adin Hill, but Laurent Brossoit stepped in with a 7-0-3 record and Jonathan Quick is a worthy option if needed. The Knights beat their last 3 opponents on home ice by 2+ goals and all of those are playing in the postseason (Kings, Kraken, Wild). The Jets used a late-season surge to retain the last Wild Card spot even though they were at or near the top of the Western Conference standings at several points earlier in the season. Connor Hellebuyck is playing arguably his best hockey of the season, and the Jets hold an interesting statistical advantage over the Knights. Winnipeg finished 11th in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage while Vegas was just 22nd. They also boast the league's 7th-best penalty kill while the Knights are only at 19th in that category. The power plays are about even, so this should be a tight series. I think the Jets come in and steal one in Jack Eichel's postseason debut.
Jets ML +130
Kraken 
vs Avalanche
Cale Makar is set to return for Game 1 in Denver tonight. He missed 21 games since January 18 due to injury, yet the Avs were 16-2-3 without him. The Avs enter the postseason 8-1-1 in their last 10 too, but there's no doubt they're a different beast when last year's Conn Smythe winner is in the lineup. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are firing on all cylinders. This club is ready to run at a repeat. The Kraken will play their franchise's first playoff game tonight. No one expected much out of the Golden Knights when they cracked the postseason in just their inaugural season, but they ended up running all the way to the Cup final before losing to the Caps. Can Seattle spark some of its own newbie magic? The Kraken actually went 2-0-1 against the Avs in the regular season, with a win in Denver as recently as March 5. I think they'll give Colorado everything they've got in this series, but they may need a game to settle into the heat. The Avs already want all the smoke. I'm taking the home team.
Avalanche +140
For more playoffs betting content, be sure to check out our Stanley Cup Playoffs first round best bets and our Stanley Cup Playoffs futures articles.
