This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
The road teams took both Game 1s in their respective series on tonight's NHL Second Round docket. The Kraken looked every bit a real contender in their onslaught of the Stars in Dallas, and the Panthers kept rolling with their fourth consecutive victory in their win over the Leafs. Will the home teams bounce back tonight to knot each series at one apiece, or will the road teams take a 2-0 series lead heading back to their respective home barns? Let's get into the best NHL bets for tonight!
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best NHL Bets Tonight
Panthers vs Maple Leafs
Are Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett the real-life version of the Bash Brothers from Mighty Ducks? They play a hard-nosed, smack-you-in-the-mouth, perfect-for-the-playoffs style and were instrumental in the Panthers' upset of the Bruins in the First Round. They combined for five points in their Game 1 win over the Maple Leafs, too, and will continue to be a problem for their opponents. Watch out for Sam Reinhart for Florida tonight, too. He logged as much ice time as Tkachuk in Game 1 and while he didn't get a point, he's been buzzing the whole playoffs so far. The Leafs are only 1-3 at Scotiabank Arena this postseason so far, and that needs to change if they're going to gut this series out. They were the fourth-best home team in the regular season, so it feels like it's only a matter of time, right? Sergei Bobrovsky did have to stand on his head at times in Game 1, with the Leafs peppering 36 shots on goal and winning the shot battle 36-28. Look out for William Nylander tonight. He had seven shots on goal but failed to score for a fifth straight game. Despite the recent dry spell, he's a point-per-game player over the past four postseasons combined with 26 points in 26 games.
Maple Leafs ML -190
Sam Reinhart (FLA) over 0.5 -135
William Nylander (TOR) over 0.5 points -180
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Kraken vs Stars
There was so much to love about Game 1 in this series on Tuesday. The Kraken jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, with their trademark smothering forecheck pouncing on the Stars early and often. But Joe Pavelski returned to the lineup for the Stars and scored all four of their goals, with his fourth sending the game to overtime. Yanni Gourde notched the OT winner on the Kraken's 44th shot of the game, which was nine better than the Stars' 35. Will the teams open it up again tonight? It's hard to see Jake Oettinger – who many believe to be the best goalie remaining in the playoffs – giving up another five, especially on home ice, and the Stars' D should step up like they did after dropping Game 1 in overtime to the Wild in the First Round. Roope Hintz led the playoffs in points through the First Round but was kept off the score sheet in Game 1, so he'll be a player for Dallas to keep an eye on tonight. Oliver Bjorkstrand has been absolutely sizzling for the Kraken of late, too, recording three goals in his last two games and could have had way more if he didn't hit several posts.
Stars ML -195
Roope Hintz (DAL) over 0.5 points -160
Oliver Bjorkstrand (SEA) over 2.5 shots on goal -135
