3 Best NHL Playoff Bets for Today: Bruins, Lightning & Avalanche Picks, Predictions, Odds

Top NHL Picks at a Glance

• Boston Bruins Moneyline
• Tampa Bay Lightning Moneyline
• Colorado Avalanche -1.5

Whether it's moneylines, goal props, or who lights the lamp, there are plenty of ways to bet on NHL action all season. It's a long 82-game campaign, meaning that the best selections of each night can be very different based on backup goalies coming into play, injuries that add up, and if teams are due for positive or negative swings.

For additional NHL insights, check out FanDuel Research's daily NHL player prop projections, which are powered by numberFire.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

NHL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Today's Best NHL Betting Picks and Props

Boston Bruins Moneyline (+140)

Bruins at Sabres | Game 2 | 7:30 PM ET | BUF leads series 1-0

The Boston Bruins were 52 minutes away from a commanding road win in Game 1 and let it slip through their fingers. Buffalo trailed 2-0 heading into the final eight minutes before Tage Thompson took over in a moment that felt inevitable the longer the game went on. Thompson scored twice in 3:42, Mattias Samuelsson put in the go-ahead goal 56 seconds later off a pass from Jack Quinn, and Alex Tuch added an empty-netter to seal one of the most stunning late-game collapses in recent playoff memory. Final score: 4-3 Sabres, and Buffalo walks away with home-ice momentum it barely deserved.

But here is the thing — the Bruins outplayed the Sabres for 52 of 60 minutes. This was not a performance that suggests Boston is the inferior team. It was a single defensive breakdown, a Charlie McAvoy turnover, and two quick goals that compounded into a devastating finish. The structure, the goaltending from Jeremy Swayman (34 saves), and the forward production from David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie were all there. Boston was not outclassed. They were out-executed in a four-minute stretch.

Why Boston responds and wins Game 2:

• Jeremy Swayman was genuinely excellent in Game 1, stopping 34 of 37 shots and making several high-danger saves that kept the Bruins in the lead for 52 minutes. His performance does not merit losing. He will be sharper in Game 2 with the benefit of his first playoff appearance behind him
• David Pastrnak has been one of the most productive playoff performers of his generation and enters Game 2 with a clear chip on his shoulder. The Bruins' star winger had a goal and two assists in Game 1 and is primed for an even bigger night after the collapse he just watched from the ice
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped just 17 shots in Game 1 — a low-volume night that was more a reflection of Boston's defensive structure than anything Luukkonen created himself. His career numbers against Boston are not strong: a 3.96 GAA and .892 save percentage, a liability the Bruins can exploit if they generate more sustained offensive zone time in Game 2
• The Bruins entered this series with a 23.4% power play, one of the better units in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo's penalty kill sits at 81.9%. If Boston draws four or five power plays as expected in a physical playoff environment, that special-teams advantage could be decisive
• Buffalo went a modest 7.1% on their own power play during their last 10 regular-season games — they cannot sustain the kind of man-advantage efficiency needed to manufacture goals against a disciplined Boston penalty kill that went a perfect 4-for-4 in Game 1
• The Sabres have won this game emotionally. Their crowd will be electric and their dressing room will be buzzing. But playoff history tells us that the team that experiences the gut-punch loss in a series often returns with ferocity, not the team that celebrated. Boston head coach Marco Sturm will have his team locked in and motivated in a way they simply were not in the final ten minutes of Game 1
• Boston is 3-0 straight up in road Game 2s over the past three playoff runs when coming off a Game 1 road loss — they know how to respond in hostile environments

Tampa Bay Lightning Moneyline (-184)

Canadiens at Lightning | Game 2 | 7:00 PM ET | MTL leads series 1-0

This is the best single-game NHL bet on Tuesday's board, and the storyline practically writes itself. Tampa Bay was one high-sticking minor from winning Game 1 in regulation. With 21 seconds left in the third period, Jake Guentzel was assessed a penalty that gave Juraj Slafkovsky the power-play opportunity he needed to tie the game and eventually score the overtime winner to complete a remarkable hat trick. The Lightning were the better team for large stretches of that game, and the final score of 4-3 in overtime significantly overstates Montreal's performance advantage on the night.

The facts: Tampa Bay was the -275 series favorite entering Game 1. They allowed Tampa Bay's most disciplined team — their own — to commit four offensive zone penalties. Jon Cooper called it "stupidity" in his postgame press conference. The Lightning were 1-11 in their last 12 overtime playoff games before Sunday, a historically poor trend that manifested again at the worst possible moment. And yet, with better discipline and even slightly better puck management, Tampa Bay wins this game in regulation without question.

Now they get to play at Benchmark International Arena, where they are -184 favorites and where their experience, depth, and elite goaltending is most amplified.

Why Tampa Bay bounces back at home:

• Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the most accomplished playoff goalies in the history of the sport — a Vezina Trophy winner, two-time Stanley Cup champion, and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient. He made 20 saves in Game 1 but faced a Montreal team that generated most of its scoring through power play opportunities gifted by Tampa Bay's undisciplined play. Vasilevskiy was not tested deeply at even strength. In Game 2 at home with a more disciplined team in front of him, his historical dominance over Montreal should reassert itself
• Nikita Kucherov posted 130 points this season and is the most dangerous postseason performer in the Eastern Conference when operating on home ice. He assisted on both Lightning goals in Game 1 and creates sustained offensive pressure that Montreal's young defensive group — particularly their inexperienced blue liners behind Lane Hutson — will struggle to contain over 60 minutes in Tampa
• Tampa Bay was outscored on the power play 3-1 in Game 1 because they handed Montreal three unnecessary penalties in offensive zone situations. Jon Cooper is one of the sharpest in-game adjusters in the NHL coaching ranks and will not allow his team to make those mistakes twice on home ice in a must-respond game
• The Lightning are 50-26-6 this season, finished second in the Atlantic Division with a legitimately elite roster, and opened as -275 series favorites for a reason. One overtime loss driven by self-inflicted penalties should not and will not derail this team on home ice
• Montreal's rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 20 saves in Game 1, but he was not heavily tested. Playing in Tampa's building in Game 2 with Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel creating sustained pressure in front of a hostile crowd will be a completely different test. Dobes has six career playoff starts — this will be the hardest 60 minutes of hockey his team has faced
• Tampa Bay is 1-11 in their last 12 overtime playoff games but historically dominant in regulation home games against Montreal. Vasilevskiy's career numbers against the Canadiens are simply superior to any opposing goaltender — his GAA against Montreal is well below his career average, and those advantages compound on home ice
• The Canadiens are 7-3 over their last ten games, but three of those wins came against below-.500 teams in the final week of the regular season. Tampa Bay at full intensity at home is a different animal entirely

Colorado Avalanche -1.5 Puck Line (-108)

Kings at Avalanche | Game 2 | 10:00 PM ET | COL leads series 1-0

The Colorado Avalanche are the Presidents' Trophy winners, the Stanley Cup favorites, and the most complete team in the NHL this season with a 55-16-11 record. Los Angeles is a 35-27-20 team that finished with the fewest points of any playoff team in the Western Conference and went 0-3 against Colorado during the regular season while being outscored 13-5. The Kings had one win in those three meetings that went to overtime — and that was with the Avalanche managing load on certain players late in the regular season.

Colorado won Game 1 by a final of 2-1, a scoreline that arguably understates their dominance. The Kings generated 25 shots but scored just once, and Scott Wedgewood — who led the NHL with a 2.02 GAA this season — shut the door for 58-plus minutes. Los Angeles coach D.J. Smith said after the game his team needs to "be more physical" and hit defensemen more aggressively. With all due respect to Smith's playoff adjustments, the solution to stopping Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar is not hitting them harder. It is generating enough offense to build a lead, and the Kings scored in just one out of 25 shot attempts in Game 1 against a Wedgewood-anchored defense ranked first in the NHL in goals allowed.

Why Colorado covers -1.5:

• The Avalanche went 55-16-11 in the regular season — the best record in the NHL. That is not a coincidence of schedule or luck. Colorado leads the league in goals scored (298), finished first in both goals scored and goals allowed, and outshot opponents this season by the widest margin in the Western Conference. Scott Wedgewood was historically efficient at 2.02 GAA, the best single-season mark by any starting goalie in several years
• Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Artturi Lehkonen give Colorado four legitimate offensive weapons who can take over a game simultaneously. MacKinnon's line scored Colorado's first goal in Game 1 before the fourth line of Logan O'Connor, Joel Kiviranta, and Jack Drury added a second — depth scoring from a line that hadn't scored in 13 regular-season games. That kind of production from the fourth line tells you how many ways Colorado can score
• The Kings are 2-15-4 in games they scored just one goal this season — when held to one goal, they almost never win. Their shooting percentage in Game 1 was anemic, and there is no obvious reason to expect it to correct significantly in Game 2 against Wedgewood, who is more familiar with LA's offensive tendencies now than he was before Game 1
• Colorado has been -115 to cover the puck line at Ball Arena in 2025-26. The Avalanche scored two or more goals in 62 of their 82 regular-season games and are playing in front of their home crowd for a second consecutive night with all the momentum of a Game 1 win
• The Kings were outscored 13-5 across three regular-season meetings with Colorado, including two games where they were held to one goal or fewer. The ability to generate sustained offensive pressure against this Avalanche defense — anchored by the best defensive defenseman pairing in hockey in Makar and Devon Toews — is simply beyond what Los Angeles can realistically produce
• When the Avalanche outshot opponents this season (which they did in 68 of 82 games), they went 43-12-9 — a dominant record that reflects their ability to turn shot dominance into wins at a much higher rate than any other team in the league
• Colorado's power play — despite finishing 27th overall in the regular season — generated four opportunities in Game 1 and will continue to draw penalties from a physical Kings team trying to slow down faster, more skilled players. As the series progresses, LA's desperation fouls compound in ways that benefit Colorado's man-advantage units

NHL Betting -- Frequently Asked Questions

What is the moneyline in NHL betting?

The moneyline is a straight-up bet on which team will win the game — no spread involved. Favorites are listed with a negative number (e.g., -160), meaning you'd need to wager $160 to win $100. Underdogs carry a positive number (e.g., +140), meaning a $100 bet returns $140 in profit.

What is the puck line?

The puck line is hockey's version of a point spread. It is almost always set at 1.5 goals. The favorite must win by two or more goals to cover, while the underdog can lose by one goal and still cover.

How does the over/under (total) work in hockey?

FanDuel sets a total number of goals for the game (including overtime and shootout goals). You bet whether the actual combined score will go Over or Under that number. NHL totals typically range from 5.5 to 6.5 goals. The shootout winner will have a goal added to their total. For example, if the score is 2-2 after regulation, and one team wins the shootout, the final score for settlement purposes is 3-2. However, some prop bets are settled on regulation time only — always check the specific rules for each bet at your sportsbook.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.