NHL Picks 04-23-2023: Picks and Parlays Expert
Welcome to USA Best Bet experts hockey edition of free Picks and Parlays for the NHL Playoffs today on 04-23-2023. The NHL playoffs have been full of long games and overtime drama. Three out of the four NHL playoff games on Saturday went into overtime, with the Golden Knights beating the Jets 5-4 in 2OT, while the Maple Leafs beat the Lightning and the Devils beat the Rangers in extra time as well. In the final game of the night, the Avalanche beat the Kraken 6-4.
NHL Picks and Parlay Free Tonight 04-23-2023
Tonight, we have four Game 4s in the NHL playoffs, starting with Hurricanes vs Islanders at 1:00 pm ET on TNT. However, our expert free picks and parlay will focus on the NHL match-up of Stars v Wild with two picks in our parlay, and the late game which should be a cracker Oilers vs Kings on CBS at 9:00 pm.
#1 Free NHL Picks and Parlay: DAL Stars vs MIN Wild · Money Line DAL Stars Win
This Central Division rivalry has been as back and forth as it gets. Game 1 was extremely tight, and went to double overtime before the Wild got the win. Then, the Stars put on a show in a 7-3 win in Game 2. Minnesota then went back to goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who led the Wild to a 5-1 win in Game 3. We’re expecting another tight, low-scoring matchup for Game 4 before the series heads back to Dallas.
Despite the Stars being held to just one goal on Friday night, they still have an elite goal-scorer in Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz had a hat trick in Game 2. We also don’t expect the Wild to put up 5 goals again on Sunday. They scored just 5 goals in regulation combined across Game 1 and Game 2. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger is still one of the best in the NHL, and the primary reason the Stars allowed the 3rd-fewest goals per game this season. Our free pick for this game is the Stars to Win NHL Money Line. That was on display when these teams faced off, as they held Minnesota to 2 or fewer goals in 3 of their 4 matchups.
Expert NHL Pick: This one will likely be a sweat, but we’ll take the Stars as slight underdogs.
#2 Free NHL Picks and Parlay: DAL Stars vs MIN Wild Game Totals Under 5.5
This is our second pick for this match-up, as it has been a low-scoring series with only 21 goals scored in 3 games. However, even with a 7-goal per game average, we’ll take the under this time. The only time Dallas hit over 2 goals was when Marc-Andre Fleury was in net for the Wild for Game 2, and with Fillip Gustavsson saving 74 of 77 shots in his 2 games, it seems highly unlikely we will see Fleury again.
That means the Stars will be up against a great goaltender and team defense again. After the Stars gave up 5 goals in Game 3, they should have been challenged to clean up their play, which could keep the Wild score down too, so we’ll take the under.
Our free NHL pick for this parlay match-up is Totals Under 5.5 available at the time of publishing. It is playable at that number.
#3 Best Bet Free NHL Picks and Parlay: EDM Oilers vs LA Kings · Puck Line EDM Oilers -1.5
The final leg of our NHL parlay is perhaps the one we feel the most confident about. It’s worth noting that this play is as low as +145 on some sportsbooks. Our analysis shows that the Edmonton Oilers on the puck line at -1.5 are the best bet for our NHL Hockey today and this parlay.
Despite being down 2-1 in the series, the Oilers are still favored to win, even with the game being played in Los Angeles. In their two losses in this series, the Oilers have held the lead in the second period, and fans have been vocal about the officiating. However, the Oilers have the offensive firepower with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the charge.
McDavid has been having a historic season and scored two goals in Friday night’s game, while Draisaitl has three goals in the series. Additionally, the Oilers have overcome a playoff deficit against the Kings in the past, winning the next two games and reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.
Sunday’s Game 4 is not as dire of a situation, so we have confidence in the Oilers to bounce back and secure the win. Some sportsbooks even offer odds as low as +145 for this pick.
