NHL Betting Preview: Thursday, April 15

Story posted April 15, 2021 in

The NHL Trade Deadline is in the rearview mirror as there are new faces in new places. The deals made did not disappoint, with top teams snagging elite players that will make an impact come playoff time.

A dozen games will be decided on Saturday, including plenty of intriguing matchups.

Let's hop into this week's edition of the NHL Betting Preview.

After acquiring Anthony Mantha from the Red Wings, the Washington Capitals have built an absolutely loaded forward group. The Caps will travel to Wells Fargo Center to take on the emotionally depleted Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers have not lived up to expectations this year and have completely gone off the rails. Selling at the trade deadline, Philadelphia is looking to reset this offseason to return as contenders in the Fall.

The Caps have owned the Flyers, leading the series at 4-1. The Flyers lack urgency, and stats are not necessary to back that take. Philadelphia is second to last in goals allowed while Washington is No. 2 in goals scored.

Play: Washington -1.5

The final matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes will go down Saturday night. This game has significant implications regarding the playoff picture in the West.

The Desert Dogs are 4-3 against the Blues this season; however, St. Louis has the upper hand in points and games in hand. The recent slide from Arizona mixed with the Blues' recent surge has painted two different stories at this juncture of the 56-game regular season.

In the last six games of the series, the over has hit in every other contest. The previous battle was a 1-0 Arizona victory on Feb. 15. An important game for both squads will lead to a goal-scoring showdown.

Play: Over 5.5 goals

A highly anticipated matchup between the Panthers and Lightning will be a fascinating game. The reigning Stanley Cup champs are in a prime position to set up for another push for a banner.

One of the teams standing in Tampa Bay's way is Florida.

Every facet of Florida's game has increased in quality this season. The Panthers will make the playoffs this season; the only question is if it will be against this Tampa club, Carolina, or a potential Nashville series in the opening round.

The quality production of Aleksander Barkov will be the difference in this affair. He has five goals in five games, making him a dominant threat for the entire 60 minutes.

Play: Florida Panthers Moneyline

A reasonably quiet deadline for the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets was a surprising tactic, especially with Toronto's addition of former Columbus captain Nick Foligno. The Jets host Edmonton in a most likely first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Oilers lead the series four games to two and have won the previous three contests. There will be plenty of offensive firepower on display for both clubs, which should attest to a high-scoring affair.

Four of the six games between the two clubs have been decided by a single goal. Expect a back and forth battle that may require overtime to settle the score.

Play: Over 6.5 goals

 

Evan Popalis is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email epopalis83@gmail.com

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About the Contributors

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Evan Popalis

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Evan Popalis is a third-year from Lititz, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is a writer, analyst, and play-by-play commentator for the CommRadio sports department. His writings include weekly NHL betting previews along with power rankings for the NHL and NFL. He appears weekly on the NHL Podcast as a host and analyst reviewing the previous week’s action. If you would like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).