NHL Betting Picks for Thursday 5/2/24: Bruins, Maple Leafs Meet in Game 6

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With the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning to wrap up, we have just one game on the slate tonight.

Whether it's moneylines or total goals, there are plenty of ways to bet on the 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.

Let's dive into the best bets for tonight.

Note: Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All NHL betting odds and totals are from the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

NHL Best Bets

Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs

Under 5.5 Goals (-110)

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have been here before -- a must-win Game 6 for one of these two teams with a potential Game 7 on the horizon. It's why, like most of this series, I expect the game to be a low-scoring fight once again.

Through the first five games of this series, the final scores have been as follows: 5-1, 3-2, 4-2, 3-1 and 2-1 (OT). The series has become more and more tense, resulting in the scoring going down -- especially in the last two games. The goaltending has been a big reason why, as Jeremy Swayman continues to have the Maple Leafs' number despite the overtime loss in Game 5. So far in his four starts, Swayman has a 1.49 goals against average (GAA) and .952 save percentage (SV%).

After struggles from Ilya Samsonov in the first four games of the series, the Maple Leafs turned to Joseph Woll, who would have blanked the Bruins if it wasn't for a bad bounce in the first period. The goaltending runs this series now, making it tough to score and pushing me toward the under.

Boston is averaging 2.98 goals for per 60 minutes (GF/60) in the series. Toronto, as you can tell by Swayman's numbers, are scoring at a rate of just 1.79 GF/60. Despite the Bruins' better goalscoring numbers, they have the worst of it in terms of Corsi for per 60 minutes (CF/60) at a 54.36 mark, compared to the Maple Leafs' 68.05.

With goals being hard to come by thanks to superb play from the goals, the under is the side I want to be on.

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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.