NHL Playoffs Same Game Parlays: Saturday (4/26)
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a total of four playoff games on Saturday, April 26. We’ll focus on the two evening games, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators battling in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference series at 7 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV/Max, with the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche meeting in Game 4 of the Western Conference first-round series at 9:30 p.m. ET in the nightcap, also on TBS/truTV/Max.
We feature solid NHL same-game parlays (SGPs) with our top NHL picks and props for Saturday’s battles. These parlays come with +400 odds or higher.
Saturday’s Best NHL Playoffs Same Game Parlay Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
- Leg 1: Senators Moneyline (+160)
- Leg 2: Under 5.5 Goals (-104)
- Leg 3: Brady Tkachuk Anytime Goal Scorer (+160)
With the exception of Game 1, which the Maple Leafs won 6-2, each of the past two games has been super close.
In Game 2 in Toronto, the Maple Leafs played a strong first period, building a 2-0 lead. However, the Senators saw Brady Tkachuk notch a power-play goal, while Adam Gaudette deflected one home in the third period to stun the home crowd at Scotiabank Arena, forcing overtime. Luckily for the home side, Max Domi didn’t have time for that, as he scored early in the extra session to give Toronto a 2-0 series lead.
In Game 3 at Canadian Tire Centre, we had a scoreless first period, and tight checking all around. Early in the second period, William Nylander was sent off for a tripping call, and veteran Claude Giroux took advantage. He notched a power-play goal, with helpers to Jake Sanderson and Drake Batherson, giving the home side a 1-0 lead. It didn’t last long, though, as a Batherson high-sticking call resulted in a power play, and Matthew Knies scored on the man advantage to level things 1-1. Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk exchanged goals in the third period, and we went to OT, again tied 2-2. This time, rearguard Simon Benoit scored his first of the series, pushing the Sens to the brink. Toronto, usually a laughingstock in the first round of the playoffs, can be the first to punch its ticket to the second round with a win in Game 4 to complete the sweep.
It’s a huge turnaround after losing all three regular-season meetings against the Senators. In fact, Ottawa had won five straight meetings prior to Game 1. But the playoffs are a whole different animal, and the Maple Leafs are looking to make it a perfect 5-for-5 in this all-time series in the postseason, although the last meeting was back in 2004. That’s when the Leafs routinely advanced to the second round and beyond.
Ottawa is too talented to get swept, though. This team hasn’t been blown out, except for Game 1. It has found a way to force OT, it just cannot get over the hump. I expect the Senators to keep doing good work in the neutral zone, to have solid backchecking, and for Ottawa to find a way to force this series back to Toronto for Game 5. It should also be another low-scoring game, giving us a third consecutive Under result.
It’s rather simplistic, too, but backing Tkachuk as an Anytime Goal Scorer is the move. He has scored goals in each of the past two games for the home side.
Parlay Odds: +675
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
- Leg 1: Avalanche Moneyline (-182)
- Leg 2: Under 5.5 Goals (+114)
- Leg 3: Devon Toews 1+ Points (+136)
This has been a wild series between these Central Division rivals. In Game 1, the Avalanche fired out of the box for a 5-1 road win, and we looked to have a potentially short series. The Stars earned home-ice advantage by finishing in second place in the division, but they stumbled hard down the stretch, and the Avs were playing good hockey.
In Game 2, the Avalanche went up late in the second period on a Logan O’Connor goal to make it 3-2. It looked like Colorado could force the series back to Denver with the Avs up 2-0 in the series. Evgenii Dadonov had other ideas, notching an assist from Wyatt Johnston midway through the third period. That gave Jake Oettinger all the offensive support he needed, as he didn’t give up a goal in the third period or overtime, while Colin Blackwell became the unexpected hero with a game-winning OT playoff goal at 17:46 to make this thing a series.
Back in Denver, somebody shut off the offensive spigot for Game 3. Valeri Nichushkin, the former Star, scored at 8:09 of the first period, but then the game stayed 1-0 for a good chunk of the game. However, an interference call on Nathan MacKinnon against the Game 2 hero Blackwell gave the Stars a chance on the power play, and veteran Jamie Benn got on the board for his first of the series, tying the game up, forcing OT.
In the extra session, Tyler Seguin notched the winner at 5:31 with helpers to Mason Marchment and former Avs star Mikko Rantanen, who notched his first point of the series with a secondary assist. Suddenly, the Stars have wrestled back home-ice advantage to go up 2-1 in the series.
Oettinger allowed just the single goal on 28 shots, while Mackenzie Blackwood was beaten just twice on 28 shots.
The play in Game 4 is to back the Avalanche. They’ve lost a pair of overtime games to go down in the series, but they have so much firepower, including the addition of Nathan Landeskog, back from a long-term injury. His veteran leadership is huge for the home side, and he dished out six hits in his return.
We’ll go Colorado straight up, and let’s back the Under, as we get deeper into this series, where the scoring goes down, and the intensity goes up. For player props, Devon Toews stands out as a value at plus-money to notch just a single point.
Parlay Odds: +593