NHL Picks – Friday Doubleheader Packed With Drama

The hardest game to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a series clincher. Just ask the Florida Panthers. Florida was unable to finish off the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. The Leafs took a 2-1 NHL Betting win to stay alive but are still down 3-1 in their series. Toronto faces elimination on home ice Friday night against the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers routed the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 on Wednesday to even their series at 2-2.

NHL Free Picks – Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs

On Friday, May 12, 2023, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. Faceoff time at 7 p.m. ET with television coverage on TNT.

Overall, the Florida Panthers finished 42-37-8 straight up and 42-30 over/under the total. Also, Florida was 8^th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Florida was 43 points behind the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Late on, Florida has covered six out of their last seven games. In comparison, the Panthers have gone over the Betting on the NHL total in one of its previous five matchups.

Florida has NHL metrics of 6^th for goals scored and 10^th for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Panthers have NHL metrics of 21st for goals against and 23^rd for penalty killing.  

First among Florida scorers is Matthew Tkachuk, with five goals, 11 assists, 16 points, and a +9. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has a .910 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average. His record is 6-2 with no shutouts.

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished 50-21-11 straight up and 36-42-4 over/under the total. Late on, Toronto has covered two out of their last six games. While the Maple Leafs have gone over the NHL Picks Today total in one of its previous seven matchups.

Toronto has NHL metrics of 9^th for goals scored and 2^nd for power play efficiency. In comparison, on defense, the Maple Leafs have NHL metrics of 7^th for goals against and 12^th for penalty killing.  

First among Toronto scorers is Mitchell Marner with three goals, 11 assists, 14 points, and a +7. Auston Matthews adds five goals, six assists, 11 points, and a +2. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has a .898 save percentage and 3.13 goals against average. His record is 4-4 with no shutouts. Joseph Woll has a .902 save percentage and 2.46 goals against average with a record of 1-1.

Toronto is the more talented team motivated to fight for their lives on home ice.

BetMaker Best Bet: Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL Betting Picks –Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights

On Friday, May 12, 2023, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Faceoff time is at 10 p.m. ET with television coverage on TNT.

The Edmonton Oilers had a regular season record of 50-23-9 straight up and 46-27-9 over/under the total. Late on, Edmonton has covered five out of their last seven games. In contrast, the Oilers have gone over the NHL Best Picks total in one of its previous four matchups.

Edmonton has NHL rankings of 1^st for goals scored and 1^st for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Oilers have NHL rankings of 17^th for goals against and 20^th for penalty killing.  

First among Edmonton players is Leon Draisaitl, with 13 goals, five assists, 18 points, and a +4. Goaltender Stuart Skinner has a .895 save percentage and 3.31 goals against average. His record is 5-4, with no shutouts.

The Vegas Golden Knights had a regular season record of 51-22-9 straight up and 35-41-6 over/under the total. Late on, Vegas has covered seven out of their last nine games. At the same time, the Golden Knights have gone under the total in one of its previous five matchups.

Vegas has NHL rankings of 14^th for goals scored and 18^th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Golden Knights have NHL rankings of 11^th for goals against and 19^th for penalty killing.  

First among Vegas scorers is Mark Stone with four goals, seven assists, 11 points, and a +4. Goaltender Laurent Brossoit has a .894 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average. His record is 5-2 with no shutouts. Brossoit was unavailable for Wednesday’s game and remains questionable with a lower-body issue. Adin Hill has a .934 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average. His record is 1-1.

So far in this series, neither side has won two in a row. And the VGK is at its best at “The Fortress.”

BetMaker Best Bet: Vegas Golden Knights

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