Best NHL Bets: Stanley Cup Playoffs Picks for Wednesday, April 30

Written by

Daniel Dobish

Published on April 30, 2025

More Home Runs. Fewer Strikeouts.

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The National Hockey League has three playoff games on the slate for Wednesday night, including a pair of elimination games in the Eastern Conference, and a pivotal Game 5 in the Great White North in a Central Division battle. Let's get on track and build some bankroll for the rest of this round, as well as the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let's get started.

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Best NHL Bets Today: Expert NHL Picks for
Wednesday, April 30

For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.

Capitals vs. Canadiens: NHL Betting Odds and Picks

The Canadiens are down 3-1 in their series against the Capitals, but the No. 2 wild-card team in the Eastern Conference has certainly made the top seed work for it.

Washington came away with a 5-2 win against Habs rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes, making the start in place of the injured Sam Montembeault. On a side note, I like Dobes, by the way, as his name is pronounced similarly to mine. With family from Bohemia and Poland, maybe we're even distant relatives. Ha. It's the closest I'll be to making the NHL, that's for sure.

Montembeault is nursing a lower-body injury, and head coach Martin St. Louis said he'll address the injury with an update sometime Wednesday. There are published reports saying Montembeault will not be ready for Game 5, so expect Dobes in between the pipes.

In addition, Alexandre Carrier is also nursing an injury after being crunched by Tom Wilson, who is public enemy No. 1 in Montreal -- and many other places, for that matter. In fact, somebody placed Wilson's hockey cards in the urinals at Bell Centre ahead of Game 4. They take their hockey pretty seriously in Montreal.

Patrik Laine, who has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, is practicing ahead of Game 5, and he appears likely to draw back in, so that's good news for Les Habitants.

Washington is 28-9-6 at home this season in the regular season and playoffs, including wins in Games 1 and 2. Remember, the Caps won just 3-2 in OT in Game 1 and 3-1 in Game 2. A win is a win, though. Expect the Caps to "cap" off this series with a win in Game 5, and we'll go low on the total.

Capitals -1.5 (+138 at Fanatics Sportsbook)
Under 6.5 Goals (-135 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.

Panthers vs. Lightning: Playoff Betting Strategies and Analysis

What a difference four minutes makes. The Tampa Bay Lightning were clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Monday, looking to knot this series 2-2. However, Aaron Ekblad punched a rebound into the yawning net, as ABA erupted.

It looked like, perhaps, overtime was on the way. But Seth Jones had other ideas, streaking in just 11 seconds later for the go-ahead goal. It was the quickest two goals in Florida Panthers franchise history. With 100 ticks left on the clock in regulation, Carter Verhaeghe added an empty-net goal, his first marker of the postseason, flipping the series upside down. It looked like we would have a Game 5 in Tampa, and a brand-new series, tied 2-2. Instead, the Lightning are now on the brink.

It was an awful bad beat, by the way. If you had Under 5.5 goals, my condolences. If the game goes to overtime, tied 2-2, you're still good, but the last thing you needed was that Jones goal. You just knew an ENG was sure to follow, and it did. It wasn't nearly as bad as the bad beat that flipped the puck line and total with an ENG in Minnesota-Vegas with 0.1 seconds left in Game 1 of that series, but it was pretty filthy nonetheless.

It's hard to imagine the Lightning don't come out with some fire in Game 5 on home ice. Ekblad laid out Brandon Hagel, and the latter will miss Game 5, so there is extra incentive for the home side. But, you could also see them coming out super flat after getting gutted, too. It's a quandary trying to pick a side, but despite Jon Cooper's whiny presser and leadership, I think the Lightning dig deep and get it done on home ice, forcing this series back to South Florida for Game 6. And, we are unlikely to see a ton of goals.

Lightning ML (-115 at BetRivers Sportsbook)
Under 5.5 Goals (-102 at BetMGM)

Central Division Showdown: Key Betting Tips for Game 5

In Winnipeg, we get a pivotal Game 5 at Canada Life Centre, and the Presidents' Trophy curse is real, folks.

The Jets had a 2-0 series lead heading to the Gateway City, but Connor Hellebuyck certainly didn't enjoy his two-game stay in The Lou. He was pulled in both Games 3 and 4, and there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Jets now. The Michigander might be a favorite for both the Hart and Vezina Trophies, but if he comes home and lays an egg in Game 5, his regular-season exploits will be all for naught.

Hellebuyck allowed six goals on 25 shots in Game 3 before getting yanked midway through the third period. In Game 4, he coughed up five goals on 18 shots, and it was shower time early in the third. He could be on an even shorter leash in Game 5, with Eric Comrie at the ready, if the Blues can get to him early.

Hellebuyck is 2-2-0 with a 4.24 GAA and .817 save percentage in four games in this series. That's more than double his 2.01 GAA from the regular season. He also had a .925 save percentage and an NHL-leading eight shutouts.

Man, it's tough to pick against the Jets at home, but I'm on record saying I just don't trust them to be long for these playoffs, and I'm sticking to that. Roll with the red-hot Blues catching the goal and a half in enemy territory, and let's go Over, as it is 3-1 in this series.