NHL Picks Tonight: Best Bests for Tuesday Playoff Games (Apr. 22)

• Get expert NHL playoff picks for Tuesday’s exciting slate
• The Hurricanes are heavy favorites (-250) against the Devils in Game 2
• Read below for full NHL picks and analysis for tonight’s Stanley Cup Playoff action

The 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue this Tuesday with four exciting matchups on the schedule. We’ve got three Game 2 contests with teams looking to avoid 0-2 holes, plus the Panthers-Lightning series gets underway in what should be an electric Florida showdown.

After analyzing the matchups and examining recent trends, I’ve identified three solid betting opportunities for tonight’s action. Let’s break down where the value lies in these playoff games, with odds from various sportsbooks.

NHL Picks Tonight (April 22)

Here’s a quick look at the three plays I’m locking in for the NHL playoffs on Tuesday night:

Below you will find my reasoning for all three selections:

NHL Picks #1: Hurricanes -1.5 (+110) vs Devils

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First up, I’m backing the Carolina Hurricanes to cover the puck line as -1.5 favorites against the New Jersey Devils in Game 2.

Carolina looked dominant in their 4-1 victory in Game 1, and the Devils are now facing even more challenges with injuries to key defensemen. New Jersey will be missing Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body) tonight, which is devastating news for a team already struggling without Jack Hughes.

In response to these defensive absences, Simon Nemec (the second overall pick in the 2022 draft) and Dennis Cholowski will make their playoff debuts tonight. This inexperienced pairing will face a relentless Carolina forecheck that generated consistent pressure throughout Game 1.

Devils’ Recent Road Struggles

The Hurricanes have been absolutely dominant at home, posting a stellar 31-9-1 record at Lenovo Center during the regular season. What’s even more impressive is that 25 of their 32 home wins came by two goals or more, which is exactly what we need for this bet to cash.

A few more reasons I’m confident in Carolina covering the puck line: The Hurricanes improved to 20-2-0 when scoring first at home after Game 1. New Jersey has managed just two goals or fewer in each of their last eight visits to Carolina. The Devils are 0-4-0 on the road when trailing after the first period since Jack Hughes’ injury.

With Carolina’s home dominance and New Jersey’s defensive injuries, I expect the Hurricanes to take a commanding 2-0 series lead with another convincing win. Take Carolina -1.5 at the attractive +110 price.

NHL Picks #2: Senators-Maple Leafs Over 5.5 (-125)

For my second play, I’m taking the Over 5.5 in the Battle of Ontario between the Senators and Maple Leafs.

Game one featured a whopping eight goals as Toronto cruised to a 6-2 victory. While I don’t necessarily expect another blowout, both teams have the offensive firepower to push this total over again. These two Canadian rivals ranked in the top five in goals per game across the final two months of the regular season.

Toronto’s offense was clicking on all cylinders in the opener, with their power play looking especially dangerous. The Leafs converted three times with the man advantage in Game 1, and Ottawa will need to be much more disciplined to avoid a similar fate tonight.

Other factors pointing to another high-scoring affair: The goaltending matchup will likely remain the same, with Linus Ullmark facing Anthony Stolarz. Ullmark struggled mightily in Game 1, stopping just eighteen of 24 shots. The Senators should bring more offensive juice in Game 2 as they look to avoid going down 0-2.

The NHL playoffs have featured some surprisingly high-scoring matchups so far, and I expect that trend to continue in this rivalry game. With Toronto’s electric home crowd and Ottawa’s desperation, take the Over 5.5 goals.

NHL Picks #3: Lightning ML (-115) vs Panthers

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For my final play, I’m backing the Tampa Bay Lightning to win their series opener against the Florida Panthers at home.

While the Panthers enter the playoffs with shorter Stanley Cup odds, Tampa Bay has been the better, more confident team down the stretch. The Lightning were absolutely dominant at home after the 4 Nations break, posting an impressive 11-1-2 record at Amalie Arena.

Florida, meanwhile, limped into the postseason with significant personnel issues. The Panthers tied for the second-worst road record (3-8-1) and scored the fewest goals per game (1.83) in enemy rinks since the four Nations break.

Panthers vs. Lightning Key Factors

The Panthers are dealing with major injury concerns. Matthew Tkachuk’s presence in Game 1 will be a game-time decision after missing two months, while Aaron Ekblad won’t return until Game 3 at the earliest. Even if Tkachuk plays, it’s hard to imagine him being at full strength after such a lengthy absence.

Additional reasons to back Tampa Bay: The Lightning have home-ice advantage in this heated rivalry matchup. Tampa Bay enters with momentum and confidence from their strong finish. Florida’s road offense has been anemic, averaging under two goals per game recently.

While the Panthers will likely improve as the series progresses, I expect the Lightning to have the upper hand in the opener. Take Tampa Bay on the moneyline at the reasonable -115 price.

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