NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Picks, Predictions & Odds for Tonight, Tuesday, April 23

The NHL Playoffs are in full swing!

We have four thrilling first-round matchups lined up tonight, and our friends at Daily Faceoff already locked in two player props and one game total bet for three of them!

Jump ahead to each game here:

• Lightning vs. Panthers
• Avalanche vs. Jets
• Predators vs. Canucks

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers pick & prediction

The Florida Panthers won Game 1, 3-2. They outplayed the Tampa Bay Lightning, outshooting the Bolts 28-19.

Who else could lead the charge but Sam Reinhart, runner-up for the Rocket Richard trophy with 57 goals, and last year's most notable playoff performer, Matthew Tkachuk?

Reinhart tallied the opening goal six minutes into the game, while Tkachuk put the nail in the coffin with an empty-net goal in the final two minutes of the third.

Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, known for his exceptional performance in the playoffs, has a 20-4 record in the last four playoff runs when coming off a loss. While the Florida Panthers are playing well, I believe Vasilevskiy's prowess will continue to shine. This is why we're placing our bet on...

Andrei Vasilevskiy Over 29.5 Saves (-125)

Vasilevskiy has eclipsed this total in three of his last four games, averaging 28.8 saves per game. It's not just his recent success; his play against the State rival, Panthers, is quite impressive.

Vasilevskiy has cleared this line in six of his last seven road games against the Panthers, averaging 36.3 saves per game. In the regular season, Florida averaged the second-most shots on goal at home, averaging 35 shots for per game.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets pick & prediction

Game 1 of this series was a bloodbath, with 13 goals scored. I can imagine how frustrated the Colorado Avalanche room may be, as they scored six goals against the runaway leader for the Vezina Trophy, Connor Hellebuyck, and still lost the game.

Something's going on with Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev. His play has dipped as the playoffs approach. He has allowed 29 goals in his last six starts, with a collective 6.97 GAA and a .818 save percentage.

And maybe the worst part of it all is seeing Georgiev's negative body language out on the ice. While it is a rough stretch, he's showing visible frustration and a lack of belief in himself. Seeing your number one goalie struggle like that trickles down the entire lineup. So, who needs to take charge to get the Avs out of their funk?

Nathan MacKinnon Over 4.5 Shots on Goal (-140)

The Dogg, Nathan MacKinnon, has been the engine for this team since they became competitive in the 2017-2018 season. Whenever his team needs a spark, they turn to MacKinnon.

Now, he hasn't cleared this line in four straight games – a feat he's only missed in five straight games twice this season. While he did miss in Game 1, it wasn't due to a lack of trying.

MacKinnon finished with four shots on goal on 11 shot attempts. In two road games in Winnipeg this season, he averages 4.0 shots on goal on 10 shot attempts. Taking MacKinnon's average shot attempts on the road against the Jets (10) and comparing that to his full season road game splits, he has reached over 4.5 shots on goal in 76% of those games, averaging 6.9 shots per game.

Considering this, MacKinnon's goal prop at -110 odds is another play for tonight.

Nashville Predators vs. Vancouver Canucks pick & prediction

The Vancouver Canucks stole Game 1 from the Nashville Predators despite facing a late third period deficit, tying the game and taking the lead in just 12 seconds. But the big news of today is the Canucks starting goaltender, Thatcher Demko, has been ruled out for Game 2, and his status for the rest of the series is in question.

That's a huge blow for this Canucks team. They were without Demko in the final month of the season, where they had a 7-5-2 record and nearly lost the division to the Edmonton Oilers. And who gets the nod tonight?

Casey DeSmith.

DeSmith has appeared in one playoff in his career. He stopped 48 of 51 shots, with a 2.02 GAA and a .941 save percentage, against the New York Rangers, leaving the game in double overtime due to an injury.

DeSmith has a 12-9-6 record on the season, with a 2.89 GAA and a .895 S%. These aren't terrible numbers, but he's a backup goalie for a reason. Which leads me to our bet:

Nashville Predators / Vancouver Canucks Game Total Over 5.5 (-125)

Including games coming into the playoffs, Nashville has gone over this line in five straight games, while Vancouver has gone over this line in five of their last seven games. When these two teams met over the previous few seasons, they went over in seven of their last eight matchups.

Juuse Saros is an elite goaltender but has had the worst statistical season of his career, with a 2.86 GAA and a .906 S%. Saros's downplay, along with Vancouver having to turn to their backup goalie, leads me straight to the over.

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.