NHL Monday best bets & top parlay picks – April 4, 2022

There are four National Hockey League (NHL) games scheduled for April 4 in the Americas, starting at 7pm EDT. Here’s where you should place your bets on Monday’s games.

Arizona Coyotes (--100) @ St. Louis Blues (-370)

The Blues are the biggest favorites of the day, playing Arizona in St. Louis, where they’re 21-9-4. The Coyotes are 11-19-4 on the road and have lost four of five. The Blues are coming off an impressive win in Calgary, and have been electric offensively as of late, scoring 19 goals in their last four games.

Arizona only averages 2.53 goals scored per game, and allows 3.57 on average, which is exactly what St. Louis scores per game on average this season. Don’t overthink this one. St. Louis needs every game to keep pace with Minnesota, and Arizona is in the Central Division cellar. Take St. Louis on the moneyline and to win by two or more goals at -135 with Bovada.

Boston Bruins (-225) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+190)

Both of these teams play Tuesday, but both teams are playing lesser foes in the second game of their respective back-to-backs. Regardless, the Bruins will have the advantage in net. Columbus netminder Elvis Merzlikins’ .903 save percentage and 3.47 goals allowed per game average aren’t competitive with either of Boston’s goaltenders. Merzlikins hasn’t won either of his starts against Boston, allowing 3.47 goals per game and posting a .903 save percentage.

The Blue Jackets are also on a six-game losing streak, and their defense has been worse than their season average over the last 10 games (3.8 goals allowed per game). Boston has been smokin’ if you’ll forgive the musical pun. The Bruins are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games, scoring four times per game and allowing just 2.4 goals per game.

Expect Boston to find “Peace of Mind” in the presence of the Blue Jackets. Take the Bruins on the moneyline and to win by two or more. A moneyline parlay featuring Boston and St. Louis pays -120, and betting both teams to cover the 1.5-goal spread pays +265. Given Boston’s smokin’ hot offense, you might also consider betting that more than 6.5 total goals are scored in this one, which pays +105.

Toronto Maple Leafs (+110) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-130)

Both teams enter this game having won four of five, but Toronto comes in winning its last four games, while Tampa Bay most recently lost to Montreal at home on Saturday. Toronto hasn’t just won its last four, the Leafs have won all of their last four games by two or more goals. They’ve scored 24 times in those four games.

The Tampa defense has been tight over the last 10 games, however. The Lightning have allowed just 2.1 goals per game over a 6-3-1 stretch. That has made their three goals scored per game average enough to keep them tied with Toronto in the Atlantic Division standings.

The concern for Tampa is the penalty minutes the Lightning take. They’ve served 726 penalty minutes this season, and Toronto scores on almost 30 percent of power play opportunities. Expect special teams to be the difference for the Maple Leafs. Take the underdog on the moneyline at +110 and to cover the 1.5-goal spread at -220. A trifecta against the spread featuring St. Louis, Boston, and Toronto pays +431. The same parlay on the moneyline pays +285.

More sports betting picks