NHL Best Bets for April 4: Washington Eyeing Up Easy Prey
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Eric Kelly
- April 4, 2025
Top NHL Pick: Washington -1.5 (-120) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Although we only have three games on our card tonight, we have some top matchups, including Washington and Chicago, where we expect a home win and lots of goals to be scored.
Firstly, however, we are going to take a look at the matchup between Carolina and Detroit.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Detroit Red Wings
Friday, April 04, 2025 – 07:00 PM EDT at Little Caesars Arena
Don’t Expect Goals
Coming into this matchup, the Carolina Hurricanes have 38-29 to the total going under this season and have gone 19-13 when playing on the road. On home ice, the Detroit Red Wings have gone 14-20-4 to the under.
Recent games for both teams have seen Detroit produce an average of 5.9 goals per game and the Hurricanes have seen an average of 6.1 goals per game. Although the numbers seem a little high, it must be noted the Hurricanes have only seen 7+ goals in 3 of their last 10 games, along with Detroit only having 7+ goals scored in 3 of their previous 10 as well.
Combined, both teams have only allowed 5.8 goals thus far this season.
Carolina & Detroit Trends & Facts
- The total has gone under in 4 of Carolina’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit.
- The total has gone under in 8 of Detroit’s last 9 games against Carolina.
- Carolina is 12-2 in its last 14 games.
- Detroit is 0-7 in its last 7 games against an opponent in the Metropolitan Division.
The Pick
Both teams have a strong under record when facing each other, so we are taking the under 6 for a potential push at betting odds of -120. With the last 10 matchups only seeing 4.4 goals on average, as well as 3 shutouts and 3 games where only one team scored once, we believe tonight will be another strong defensive performance from both teams.
NHL Pick: Hurricanes/Red Wings Under 6 (-120) at BetOnline
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals
Friday, April 04, 2025 – 07:00 PM EDT at Capital One Arena
Washington Needs to Improve
Despite being strong throughout the whole season, and despite Alex Ovechkin scoring 4 times in his last 5 games, the Washington Capitals have gone 1-4 in their previous 5 games.
This should be an easy opportunity to improve their situation with a very winnable game on home ice. The Capitals will also be looking for some home-ice redemption after losing 8-5 last time to the Buffalo Sabres (ending their 6-0 home streak).
Not only have these teams been at opposite spectrums of the league this season with the Blackhawks 2nd from bottom in the Western Conference (almost bottom) and the Washington Capitals top of the Eastern Conference, but the Capitals have also gone 9-1 in their previous 10 matchups against the Blackhawks.
Chicago & Washington Trends & Facts
- Chicago is 1-11 in its last 12 games.
- Chicago is 1-9 in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Washington.
- The total has gone over in 9 of Washington’s last 13 games against Chicago.
- Washington is 6-1 in its last 7 games at home.
The Pick
This could be a heavy defeat for Chicago, having gone 1-9 during their last 10 games against the Capitals at the Capital One Arena. They have also only managed to cover the +1.5 PK line in 3 of those 10 games.
We might be laying the juice here but we like Washington to win this game by a few goals, especially with them needing to end their poor run of results and the fact Alex Ovechkin will likely be eyeing this game up as a chance to score a few easy goals.
Either way, we believe Washington should come away with the win tonight and so do the top-rated sportsbooks, with the -1.5 PK line set at -120. Although we like these current odds, we wouldn’t suggest going lower than -130 on this market.
NHL Pick: Washington -1.5 (-120) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
