Free NHL Western Conference Playoffs Picks, Best Bets, and Parlays for 5/8/22

We knew last night was going to be a difficult night of betting the NHL and we were absolutely correct. And today ain’t no easier folks. These playoffs are unpredictable and that is no surprise. I’m saying upfront, I have very little confidence in any of these four games tonight and I would probably bet very little on any of them.

We missed both of our Best Bets last night as Florida continues to struggle with the Capitals and Dallas is giving Calgary fits. Our Best Bet of the Day record is now 51-35 since the All-Star Break.

We went a miserable 1-3 betting the MoneyLine as only Colorado came through with a win. Our overall record is now 350-197 as the playoffs continue.

The run for the Stanley Cup continues today with 4 more games on the schedule. Let’s see what Vegas is thinking about the two Western Conference games and see if we can get lucky.

Minnesota at St.Louis: Minnesota leads the series 2-1: The Wild have outscored St.Louis 11-3 in the last two games and are playing as well as anyone in the playoffs. They are riding the goaltending of veteran Marc-Andre Fleury who has been his Stanley Cup-winning self in the last two games. Offensively, they have taken advantage of St.Louis breakdowns and have made the Blues pay. This Minnesota team is vastly underrated and are a team to watch. The Blues have their backs to the wall and the core group of players are still around from the 2019 Stanley Cup team. They have the experience to bounce back today, but they are crippled up on the back line, having lost three starters in the first 3 games of this series. Couple that with shaky goaltending, and it’s a pretty tall mountain to climb. It is very difficult to imagine anything but a Minnesota victory in this one from what we have seen the last two games, but this is playoff hockey and strange things can happen. However, I can’t pick my beloved Blues with their goaltending situation and a depleted defense. Papa Dudes Pick: Bet the MoneyLine on Minnesota -110

Edmonton at Los Angeles: Edmonton leads the series 2-1: In Game 3, the Oilers got a hat trick from Evander Kane, chased LA goaltender, Jonathan Quick out of the game, and rolled to an 8-2 win to take a one game lead. They got an early lead and built on it against a Kings team that got sucked into playing the Oilers’ game. Kane scored two goal in Game 2 as well, and Connor McDavid is playing a huge part in Kane’s success with his ability to make plays. In a 31 second press conference after the game Kings’ coach, Todd McLellan summed the game up by saying the team was terrible and every individual was as well. It will be interesting to see how the Kings respond today. I think we will see an inspired effort out of LA and there is reason to expect an upset against a young Edmonton team. But, I’m sticking with the Oilers to bring the series back home with a 3-1 advantage. PAPA DUDES PICK: Bet the MoneyLine on Edmonton -160