Expert Hockey Picks and Previews

The Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth meet Friday night in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series at Delta Center, with puck drop set for 9:30 PM ET on TBS. The series is tied 1-1, so this is the first real pressure-point game. It is not must-win in the strict sense, but it does start to shape the series.

The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks shift to Honda Center for Game 3 of their first-round NHL playoff series on Friday, April 24, 2026, with puck drop set for 10:00 PM ET on TNT. The series is tied 1-1, which makes this a pretty important swing game. Edmonton took Game 1 by a 4-3 score, then Anaheim answered with a

Game 3 shifts to Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night with puck drop set for 10:00 PM ET, and the spot is pretty clear for bettors. Colorado is up 2-0 in the series after two tight wins in Denver, and now the Kings are the side that has to change something fast. The Avalanche entered the playoffs as the top team

Game 3 shifts to Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night with Carolina up 2-0 in the series after a 2-0 win in Game 1 and a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 2. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, and this one matters in the obvious way for Ottawa: go down 3-0 and the math gets ugly fast. Carolina

The Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins head to TD Garden on Thursday night for Game 3 of a first-round series that is now tied 1-1. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT, and the pressure has already shifted a bit after Boston went into Buffalo and stole Game 2. Buffalo enters off a strong regular season at

Desperate Senators hope to capitalize on chances in Game 3 The math is very simple for the Ottawa Senators as they prepare to host the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Thursday night. Ottawa trails the series 2-0, and only four times in NHL history has a team come back from down 3-0 to

Bruins return home for Game 3 after flipping Sabres’ home-ice advantage Following a Tuesday road victory, the Boston Bruins have snatched the home-ice advantage away from the Buffalo Sabres in their Eastern Conference first-round series. That means the intense playoff feeling is alive and well as the scene shifts to Boston on Thursday night for Game 3 of the best-of-seven

This is Game 3, not some clean slate opener, and that changes the handicap quite a bit. The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday night trailing 2-0 in the series after dropping both home games, so the pressure is obvious now. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET on TNT, and Philadelphia has already shown it

Game 2 heads back to Rogers Place on Wednesday night, with the Anaheim Ducks trying to avoid a 2-0 hole and the Edmonton Oilers looking to press their home-ice edge. Puck drop is set for 10:00 PM ET on TBS, and the playoff context matters here. Anaheim did a lot right in the opener, especially after falling behind 2-0, but