NHL Odds & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Sunday

It’s a five-game slate on the ice Sunday, and the marquee matchup features the top-two teams in the Eastern Conference. Here are sports betting analyst Neil Parker’s top NHL picks for Sunday’s action based on the best NHL odds.

The Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins will go toe-to-toe at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, and it’s a potential preview of the Eastern Conference Final. Sunday’s schedule is otherwise dotted with four mismatches.

Additionally, eight of the 10 teams hitting the ice will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back set. The exception is the Colorado Avalanche-Arizona Coyotes tilt. Those two clubs met Friday, with the Avs earning a 3-1 home victory.

Here are our best NHL picks for Sunday (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, and Caesars; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our NHL picks.  

Sunday’s NHL schedule and odds

(odds via DraftKings)

• Colorado Avalanche (-305) vs. Arizona Coyotes (+255)
• Boston Bruins (+100) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-120)
• Toronto Maple Leafs (-180) vs. Nashville Predators (+155)
• Vancouver Canucks (-170) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (+145)
• St. Louis Blues (+190) vs. Los Angeles Kings (-225)

Sunday’s NHL best bets

• Puck line: Canucks -1.5 (+140 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
• Regulation bet: Maple Leafs (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Regulation Upset: Bruins (+150 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐
• Player Prop: Clayton Keller Under 0.5 points (+170 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday’s NHL top picks

Puck line: Canucks -1.5 (+140 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐

While both the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are playing their second games in consecutive nights, I actually value the schedule spot for the away team in this contest. Chicago returns home following a five-game road trip, and the Blackhawks were outscored 18-4 across their final four stops on the highway.

I don’t expect the Hawks to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to go right back to work Sunday.

Additionally, the Canucks are in the midst of a late-season surge and coming off an upset win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Vancouver is rolling along during a 9-2 run while allowing the fourth-fewest goals per 60 minutes (2.04) at five-on-five. 

The Canucks are also up to a rock-solid 15-9-2 record since Rick Tocchet took over behind the bench. I anticipate Vancouver continuing its strong play against the basement-dwelling Blackhawks on Sunday.

One of the worst lineups in recent memory jumps the boards for Chicago, so I’m confident in Vancouver winning. The three-star nod aligns with the Canucks needing to cover the number. Additionally, we’re only landing a positive expected value of 2% while backing the widely available +140 odds over the +134 through FanDuel.

Check out our Rocket Richard Trophy odds and Hart Trophy odds.

Regulation bet: Maple Leafs (-110 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators lost Saturday, but the underlying metrics were completely different for the two clubs. The Maple Leafs were the more dangerous team at five-on-five against the Hurricanes, while the Seattle Kraken completely steamrolled the Predators in all facets.

I’m anticipating more of the same from the two squads on Sunday.

Predators No. 1 defenseman Roman Josi (upper body) is likely to miss his fifth straight game. Nashville is also without key veterans in center Ryan Johansen (leg) and winger Filip Forsberg (upper body).

Toronto is driving five-on-five play with a 57.5 Corsi For percentage and 60.6 expected goals for percentage across the team's past three games, all against clubs currently occupying a postseason position. I view Nashville as a downtick in class, and the Preds sport respective 45.3 and 37.0 marks with Josi out of the lineup over the past four games.

This is a four-star recommendation because DraftKings is hanging an outlier number that presents a healthy positive expected value of 8% compared to the -130 odds available through Caesars. The pick drops to three stars if it’s announced that Josi will return.

Check out our latest Stanley Cup odds.

Regulation Upset: Bruins (+150 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐

The Maple Leafs outplayed the Hurricanes at five-on-five on Saturday, and that doesn’t bode well for Sunday’s date with the Boston Bruins. Boston has rolled off six consecutive wins with a plus-17 goal differential, while Carolina sports a so-so 4-3 record since franchise-cornerstone Andrei Svechnikov suffered a season-ending knee injury.

In what projects to be a close, low-scoring game, I'm giving the goaltending advantage to Boston, too. 

Frederik Andersen is set to patrol the blue paint for the ‘Canes, and he’s turned in an .890 save percentage across his past five starts to dip to a shaky .903 mark for the campaign. It’s been just the opposite for Boston backup Jeremy Swayman. He’s turned away 91 of 93 shots over his past three outings and sports an elite .921 save percentage this season.

Finally, I think this game should be priced closer to a pick’em than it is, so there’s value in the road underdog.

Boston's moneyline is widely available at +100 odds, and I’d grade that bet as a three-star nod. However, I prefer landing the +150 number with the potentially riskier regulation bet. When comparing the odds in the regulation market, there’s an expected positive value of 4% attached to the +150 odds next to the +140 number through Caesars.

Check out our latest Norris Trophy odds and Calder Trophy odds.

Player Prop: Clayton Keller Under 0.5 points (+170 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

Keller scored his 35th goal of the season to extend his point streak to 11 games during Friday’s 3-1 loss to the Avalanche. Colorado will get an opportunity to hold the 24-year-old forward in check again Sunday, and the long odds that he misses the scoresheet are getting my attention.

He’s racked up 10 tallies and 10 helpers during an 11-game heater, but his 25.6 shooting percentage is unsustainably high. Additionally, the Coyotes have cashed in 16.8% of their shots while he’s been on the ice during the streak, which is another lofty mark with statistical correction looming.

Of course, the kicker is Colorado’s high-end defense. The Avs rank fourth in goals against per 60 minutes (2.2) and eighth in Corsi For percentage (52.0%) at five-on-five. They also sport the third-highest team save percentage (.929).

There isn’t a huge edge in shopping for the longest odds across our best sportsbooks. Still, landing the +170 number presents a decent positive expected value of 4% over the +160 odds available through BetMGM and PointsBet. 

NHL best bets made 3/26/2023 at 11:45 a.m. ET.

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• FanDuel: No Sweat First Bet Up to $1,000 | Read our FanDuel Review
• Caesars: Earn Up to a $1,250 Bet Credit | Read our Caesars Review
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• PointsBet: Earn Five Second-Chance Bets Up to $50 Each | Read our PointsBet Review
• BetMGM: Get a Bonus Bet of Up to $1,000 | Read our BetMGM Review

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