NHL Best Bets Today, 4/12: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Saturday
Welcome to our expert NHL Best Bets today!
Tom and Josh are away for the weekend, so I’ve been called up from the minors to provide some winning NHL Best Bets. We have a full slate of games with a bunch of teams still fighting for something. Be aware, some teams are going to start resting players, so there is an edge to attack.
NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 4/12
We have seen no shortage of goals over the last couple of days and that makes me very happy. I know the goalies don’t like it, but as a fan, you can’t hate on high scoring games. We have two games to target and a single-game parley. Let’s make that lunch money.
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs Prediction: Saturday, April 12th
The Montreal Canadiens are one point away from locking up a playoff spot. They had a chance yesterday to secure their spot, but they decided to lose to Ottawa. Now they are in Toronto on a back-to-back trying to come away with a win.
Over the last few games, Montreal has come out flat in the first period. They had no life against Nashville, Detroit or the Senators right out of the gate. This team isn’t good enough to go down 3-0 and come back. Will that change tonight? Probably not. Toronto still needs to lock up the top spot in the Atlantic Division, so they won’t be resting any regulars. The Canadiens also give up a ton of shots against and don’t generate very many.
We’ll go with the recent trend and take the Maple Leafs to cover the 1st period Puck Line. Montreal just isn’t a good first period team and we need to take advantage of that.
- Expert Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs Pick:
- Toronto Maple Leafs 1st period -0.5 (+105 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Avalanche vs. Kings Prediction: Saturday, April 12th
Saturdays are always better when there is some afternoon hockey. The Avalanche are pretty much locked into the third spot in the Central Division, so they let Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and others skip this California road trip.
The Kings still have an outside chance of winning but it’s more about making sure they lock up home ice advantage in the first round. With the Oilers win yesterday, they are just two points ahead of them.
We won’t know until warmups, but Darcy Kuemper should get the start. He has been fantastic all season, but his home numbers are just off the charts. He has a GAA below 2.00 and a SV% above .925. The Kings as a team have also been very good at home, posting a 30-5-4 record. The Avalanche aren’t that great on the road and now without their two best players, it’s hard to see a path for them to victory.
The Money Line has moved quite a bit, so we can’t attack that. We can though still get good value on the Puck Line, so that’s the route we will take.
- Expert Avalanche vs. Kings Pick:
- Kings -1.5 (+152 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Best NHL Same-Game Parlay Today, 4/12
If we don’t place a SGP did we even make any bets? These are hard to hit, but that doesn’t mean we don’t build them. The game we are going to target is Utah vs. Dallas.
The Stars have lost four in a row and are going to finish second in the Central Division. They haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their own net, which is shocking considering how defensively they are. This is their final home game of the season, so it’s unlikely we’ll see any regulars sit. The team probably wants to end this losing streak and iron things out before the playoffs start.
Utah has been eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they are going to roll over. They played better of late, but there is no reason for them to be slight underdogs. The line opened at -200 for Dallas and has gone all the way down to -130. Not sure why, but there is a ton of value on the Money Line.
We also want to target the Team Total for the Stars. I know it’s been hard for them of late, but they are still a good team with a ton of depth and can get contributions for all four of their lines. Utah has allowed just one goal against in three of their last five games, but they were all on home ice.
We need to find a player who going to hit the scoresheet and that man is Mikko Rantanen. He hasn’t been as dynamic since he left Colorado, but don’t let that fool you, he’s still an elite hockey player who can rack up points. He has 11 points in the last ten games, so I like his chances of adding another one to hit total.
- Expert Utah vs Stars SGP:
- Dallas Stars Money Line
- Dallas Team Total O/2.5
- Mikko Rantanen 1+ Points (+126 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Player News
Twins placed OF Matt Wallner on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 16, with a left hamstring strain.
As anticipated, Wallner lands on the injured list after injuring his hamstring during Tuesday’s ballgame. There’s still no word on the severity of the strain or how much time Wallner stands to miss. Jonah Bride — who was acquired from the Marlins — was added to the Twins’ roster in a corresponding move on Thursday.
Wyatt Langford (oblique) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Thursday.
The 23-year-old budding superstar will serve as the designated hitter on Thursday night before easing his way back into the outfield. Langford wanted to skip the rehab assignment altogether, so as long as he shows that he’s ready to go, there’s a chance that the Rangers could bring him back at some point during their weekend series against the Dodgers.
Beat reporter Scott Bair reports that Bears DC Dennis Allen asked slot CB Kyler Gordon to learn a second position, either on the perimeter or at safety.
The Bears’ previous coaching staff spent two seasons trying this experiment before allowing Gordon to blossom in a full-time slot- and box-coverage role last season. Perhaps, Allen can succeed where others have failed. His intent is to “find some more playing time” for Gordon, which is understandable given Gordon’s significant on-field impact last year.
Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on Thursday afternoon, propelling the Phillies to a 6-4 victory over the visiting Giants.
Schwarber got the Phillies on the board with a go-ahead two-run single off of Jordan Hicks and then scored on a wild pitch as part of a five-run opening inning. He also reached on an infield single in the fifth inning but was left stranded there. The 32-year-old slugger is off to a strong start to the 2025 campaign, slashing .284/.435/.597 with six homers, 14 RBI and a stolen base in his first 85 plate appearances.
José Alvarado notched his fourth save of the season on Thursday, protecting a two-run advantage in the ninth inning against the Giants.
The 29-year-old left-hander came on with a three-run lead to protect, but things got a bit closer as he served up a one-out solo homer to Tyler Fitzgerald. After getting Wilmer Flores on a ground ball to shortstop, Alvarado walked Jung Hoo Lee to bring the tying run to the plate before retiring Christian Koss on a fielder’s choice to end it. He appears to be locked in as the preferred ninth inning option for manager Rob Thomson and should continue to provide plenty of fantasy value for as long as he remains healthy and stationed there.
Cristopher Sanchez picked up his second victory of the season on Thursday, racking up a season-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings against the Giants.
The 28-year-old southpaw allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk. The Giants scratched out a run against him in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Matt Chapman. Sanchez then served up a two-run homer to Chapman in the sixth after Heliot Ramos had reached on an error. He got a whopping 24 swings and misses on 97 pitches in the ballgame — 22 of those on his changeup alone — while posting an elite CSW of 40 percent. Now 2-0 on the season, Sanchez will carry a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 31/6 K/BB ratio (24 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Mets in New York.