4 NHL Best Bets and Player Props for Thursday 4/2/26

Thursday’s NHL schedule for April 2nd includes 14 games, including Sabres-Senators, Penguins-Lightning, Bruins-Panthers, Canadiens-Rangers, Red Wings-Flyers, Blue Jackets-Hurricanes, Capitals-Devils, Jets-Stars, Canucks-Wild, Blackhawks-Oilers, Flames-Golden Knights, Maple Leafs-Sharks, Mammoth-Kraken, and Predators-Kings.

What are the best NHL odds to target at FanDuel Sportsbook?

Let's take a look.

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

Today's NHL Best Bets and Props

Hurricanes Moneyline vs. Blue Jackets

Carolina is still one of the cleanest profile teams on the board. The Hurricanes have already hit the 100-point mark, they are sitting atop the Eastern race, and they are averaging nearly 3.5 goals per game. They also just beat Columbus 5-2 recently, which matters because it gives us a fresh head-to-head example of the talent and structure gap in this exact matchup.

The Blue Jackets deserve respect because they have enough skill to punish mistakes, but Carolina’s overall team build is stronger. In the most recent preview between these teams, the Canes were rolling out a core of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, Jordan Staal, and Jaccob Slavin, while Columbus leaned on Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson, and Zach Werenski. That is a competitive Blue Jackets top group, but Carolina still has the better two-way depth and the more reliable defensive identity.

From a betting perspective, Carolina is the side because this game projects toward the exact script the Hurricanes usually win: positive shot share, better puck control, and fewer defensive breakdowns. If you are shopping NHL odds tonight, this is one of the safest moneyline looks on the board.

Penguins at Lightning Over 6.5 Goals

This is my favorite totals play of the night. Tampa Bay enters at 46-22-6 and Pittsburgh at 38-21-16, and the recent form points toward offense. The Penguins have scored 13 goals in their last two games, while Tampa still brings one of the league’s most dangerous offensive stars in Nikita Kucherov, who sits at 119 points in 65 games after being named the NHL’s First Star of the Week.

There is also a strong historical angle here. Pittsburgh has actually had success in the matchup, going 8-4-2 against Tampa since 2021-22, including a 1-0-1 mark this season. Evgeni Malkin has four points in those two meetings, and Sidney Crosby enters tonight on the verge of another major milestone, needing two points to pass Steve Yzerman for seventh all-time and three points to lock up a 21st straight point-per-game season. That is the kind of setup where top-end offensive players tend to stay aggressive.

The reason I prefer the over to a side is that both teams have enough offense to land this game in the 4-3 range. Tampa is better overall, but Pittsburgh’s recent scoring spike and the matchup history make the total more attractive than trying to fade a Penguins team that has played the Lightning well.

Oilers Moneyline vs. Blackhawks

Edmonton gets one of the clearest matchup edges on the slate. The Oilers already beat Chicago 4-1 on January 12, and in that game, Connor McDavid had two assists while extending his point streak to a career-best 19 games. Edmonton has also won six straight games in Chicago, which is a useful historical marker even though tonight’s game is in Edmonton because it reinforces how comfortably the Oilers have handled this opponent lately.

The star edge is obvious. McDavid reached the 100-point mark again this season in late February, then scored his 400th career goal on March 24, and followed that with a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over Anaheim on March 28. When he is stacking that kind of production late in the year, it is very hard to step in front of Edmonton against a lower-tier opponent.

Chicago still has interesting young talent, especially Connor Bedard, but the last projected matchup between these teams showed the Blackhawks carrying a thinner supporting cast and dealing with injuries such as Frank Nazar being out at the time. Edmonton’s projected lineup in that game featured Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and more than enough firepower to overwhelm this kind of opponent.

This is one of the better best NHL bets on the board because the edge is not just star power. It is star power plus recent head-to-head success plus current form.

Macklin Celebrini 1+ Points vs. Maple Leafs

This is my favorite player prop of the night. Celebrini has turned into one of the NHL’s biggest stories, becoming only the seventh teenager in league history to hit 100 points before turning 20. He enters this game with 101 points, including 38 goals and 63 assists, and he has done it while carrying a massive share of San Jose’s offense.

The matchup is playable because San Jose is not rolling over here. The Sharks are on a three-game winning streak, they are 19-12-5 at home, and they have improved to 35-31-7 overall. That matters because it increases the chance that Celebrini gets enough offensive-zone time and meaningful late-game minutes to cash a simple point prop.

This is also not a random one-game heater. Earlier coverage noted Celebrini had 60 points in his first 39 games and was accounting for roughly half of San Jose’s offense at that point. Since then, he has only accelerated. For a player this central to his team’s attack, a point prop is often a better way to use his form than forcing a Sharks side against a Toronto team that still has more top-end roster depth.

If you want a player-based angle in tonight’s NHL odds market, this is the one I like most. The role is elite, the production is elite, and the home form gives it extra support.

NHL Best Bets Summary

• Hurricanes ML
• Penguins-Lightning Over 6.5
• Oilers ML
• Macklin Celebrini 1+ Points

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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.