NHL fans already have learned of one first-round playoff matchup in the NHL’s Eastern Conference: Toronto vs. Tampa Bay. They played a great series last year as well with the Lightning rallying to win in seven games. Toronto last won a postseason series in 2004. The Lightning have reached the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons. We can’t wait for that one. Here’s a look at two intriguing NHL games around the league early this week with potential playoff ramifications in the West.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week (April 3rd, 2023)

See who holds the No. 1 spot and where the Sabres land this week. https://t.co/2aNoSO7sZs

— The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) April 2, 2023

Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars

• When: Monday, April 3, 2023, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: BSSWX, BSSO
• Radio: The Game” 102.5 FM (Predators) // The Ticket 1310 AM (Stars)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: Predtors (+1.5) // Stars (+1.5)

Monday puck drop at 8:30 PM ET. Dallas will be in the Western Conference playoffs and is battling for the Central Division title. Nashville would not make the playoffs as things stand but still has a wild card shot. The Predators do come off one of their best outings of the season, a 6-1 home rout of the Blues on Saturday.

Thomas Novak had a goal and added three assists for Nashville. It was a career-best night for the 25-year-old, who had a few three-point performances on his resume coming into Saturday. Novak has 38 points (15g-23a) in 42 games with Nashville since being recalled from Milwaukee (AHL) on Dec. 19. In a 23-game span since Feb. 18, Novak has posted 27 points (11g-16a), including seven multi-point efforts.

Luke Evangelista finished with three points of his own (1g-2a). He now has 12 points (6g-6a) in his first 17 career NHL games, scoring multiple points in three of those games. He scored his first two career NHL goals on March 6 at Vancouver and became the second rookie in Predators history to record a four-point game on March 21 at Buffalo, joining Dan Hamhuis (1g-4a on March 4, 2004 at Pittsburgh).

Nashville goalie Juuse Saros is 7-4-2 since the beginning of March with a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage in 14 appearances as Nashville tries to claw its way into the playoff picture.

Dallas lost 5-2 on Saturday at Colorado. Jake Oettinger saw his three-game winning streak, in which he surrendered just five goals on 78 shots, come to an end. He was beaten by Nathan MacKinnon midway through the first period and allowed two more goals to the Avalanche in the second frame. Oettinger has a 33-11-11 record, 2.46 GAA and .917 save percentage in 58 outings this season.

Jason Robertson had two assists in the loss and now has 97 points on the season, which is seventh all-time in franchise history. He has a chance to become one of just five players who have scored 100 or more points in a single season for the Minnesota/Dallas franchise.

Dallas is looking for the four-game sweep of Nashville but they haven’t played since Dec. 27.

NHL Betting Pick: Stars

Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings

• When: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
• Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
• TV: ESPN, SNW
• Radio: 630 CHED (Oilers) // KABC 790 AM (Kings)
• Live Stream: NHL Live
• NHL Betting Odds: TBA

Tuesday game at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN and could be a first-round playoff matchup from the Pacific Division. Edmonton enters having won four straight and nine of 10 following a 6-0 rout of Anaheim on Saturday. Leon Draisaitl recorded a hat trick with nine shots on goal and a plus-4 rating. He has nine goals and 15 assists during a 12-game point streak.

Draisaitl and Connor McDavid (1-1—2) reached 50 goals and 146 points on the season, respectively, as the Oilers clinched a playoff spot. Draisaitl (50-70—120 in 75 GP) reached the 50-goal mark for the third time in his career (also 2021-22 & 2018-19) and became the fifth different player in NHL history to score 30 power-play goals in a season, while McDavid (62-84—146 in 77 GP) moved within four of becoming the League’s sixth different skater with a 150-point campaign. Zach Hyman had a goal and assist in the win to reach 80 points, making the Oilers the only team this season in the NHL with four 80-point scorers (Draisaitl, McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman).

The Oilers are one of the hottest teams in the NHL heading down the stretch and have an opportunity to snatch the division title after chasing the Golden Knights for most of the season. But their sights are set even higher this season as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

“You might look at me and shake your head because we just set a record for our organization with 12 wins in the month of March; if you think about the proud history of this organization, I’m happy with that,” Coach Jay Woodcroft said. “But I think there is more there. We can develop a level of consistency to our game night in and night out that will prove very difficult starting in Game 83.”

This is the last regular-season matchup between the clubs. The Kings lead 2-1 but just lost 2-0 in Edmonton on March 30. McDavid scored his 300th NHL goal, beating goalie Joonas Korpisalo with a wrist shot from the slot on a short-handed breakaway to make it 2-0 at 3:53 of the third period. Stuart Skinner made 43 saves for his first shutout of the season for Edmonton.

NHL Betting Pick: Kings

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READ MORE: Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – April 10th, 2023