It’s the time of the season when nearly every game has postseason implications, and Thursday’s schedule certainly fits the bill.
The marquee matchup in the early wave of games features the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, as the two contenders in the Stanley Cup odds are battling for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and both taking a run at the President’s Trophy. There are also several important wild-card matchups in both conferences, including the Metropolitan showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
Additionally, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings are playing for the second consecutive night, and the New York Islanders, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and the Kings are the four largest favorites in the NHL odds on the docket.
Here are our free NHL picks and NHL player props for all the action on Thursday, April 4.
NHL prop picks and best bets for April 4
- Marchand Under 0.5 points (+100 at Bet99)
- Huberdeau Under 0.5 points (-105 at Bet99)
- Zetterlund Under 0.5 points (-125 at Bet99)
Picks made on April 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Read full analysis of each pick.
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Today’s NHL prop picks and best bets
Prop bet #1: Bailing on Brad
The highway hasn’t been kind to Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand this season. He drops from 0.97 points per game and 3.05 points per 60 minutes on home ice to respective 0.71 and 2.2 marks on the road, and Marchand has only marked the scoresheet in nine of his past 19 contests overall.
Potentially even more dim is Boston playing the final leg of a six-game road trip against an elite Carolina Hurricanes defense. The Hurricanes pace the NHL in Corsi For percentage (59.3%) at 5-on-5, allow the third-fewest goals per (2.59), and pace the league in penalty-kill percentage (85.8%).
Additionally, Marchand and linemates Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk have struggled to drive possession with a 46.0 CF% while also benefiting from an unsustainably high 10.7 on-ice shooting percentage at 5-on-5. These Brad Marchand odds align more with Marchand’s surface statistics than his underlying numbers.
Brad Marchand prop: Under 0.5 points (+100 at Bet99)
Prop bet #2: No go for Huberdeau
Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau ranks 146th among NHL regulars in points per 60 minutes (2.16) and has only marked the scoresheet in five of his past 12 contests. The Flames and Huberdeau also land in a daunting road matchup tonight, with the Winnipeg Jets allowing the fewest goals per game and the fewest per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 on home ice.
Huberdeau and most frequent recent linemates Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman have also only been on the ice for a pedestrian 1.98 goals per 60 at 5-on-5, and Huberdeau’s role on the No. 1 power-play unit doesn’t offer much promise with Calgary ranking 29th with a 16.2 power-play percentage.
Additionally, I value these Jonathan Huberdeau odds because I anticipate Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck to bounce back with a tidy outing. The Vezina Trophy odds favorite has lost each of his past five starts with an uncharacteristic .878 save percentage and 3.81 GAA. With .921 and 2.33 marks on home ice for the season, expect goals to be difficult to come by for the visiting Flames.
Jonathan Huberdeau prop: Under 0.5 points (-105 at Bet99)
Prop bet #3: Zetterlund receives royal treatment
The Los Angeles Kings snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, and I expect the Kings to parlay the victory into a strong showing against the bottom-feeding San Jose Sharks. Los Angeles is the better team from top to bottom, and San Jose winger Fabian Zetterlund is a ripe candidate for statistical correction.
Zetterlund is cruising along a 14-game heater with six goals, seven assists, and 2.94 points per 60 minutes. It’s a huge uptick from his 1.33 points per 60 through the first 60 games of the year, and San Jose also has an unsustainably high 17.5 team shooting percentage with Zetterlund on the ice the past 14 games.
Finally, I value these Fabian Zetterlund odds because seven of his 13 points during the noted stretch have come with the man advantage, and the Kings sport a second-ranked 84.4 penalty-kill percentage.
Fabian Zetterlund prop: Under 0.5 points (-125 at Bet99)
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