Best NHL bets today: Hurricanes, Stars look to close out Capitals, Jets in Game 5s

The two teams with the best records in hockey this year are on their last legs as the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals both enter Thursday's NHL Playoffs slate down 3-1 to the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. The Jets needed an absurd Game 7 comeback to even advance to the second round of the playoffs, while the Caps dominated Montreal in five games in the first round. Now, the top seeds in the league's two conferences are on the brink of elimination. Here, we'll dive into the best NHL bets today and NHL picks from the SportsLine Projection Model, as well as share today's featured promo, which is DraftKings Sportsbook offering $200 in bonus bets to new users. 

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET, TNT

SportsLine Projection Model's top picks

• Capitals +1.5 (-186)
• Brent Burns Over 1.5 total shots on goal

The Capitals, who had the second-most goals in the NHL this year, have struggled mightily this series to put the puck in the net. They have scored just seven total goals in the series' first four gams compared to the Hurricanes' 12. The SportsLine Projection Model has two 5-star props in this game, one of which comes on the Carolina side with defenseman Brent Burns' shots on goal line of 1.5. The model is taking the Over with a projection of 2.8. The other is Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven's shots on goal prop, which is also at 1.5. He's projected to have 2.7. 

Carolina is a 1.5-goal favorite, and we can tell you the model likes Washington to cover, with that being the lone 'A' grade of the day for Thursday's two NHL games. The Caps cover in 82% of simulations. The Hurricanes are -172 favorites (wager $172 to win $100) at home, while the Capitals are +144 underdogs (wager $100 to win $144). The total is set at 5.5. You can see the model's latest projections, along with expert picks, at SportsLine. 

Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT

SportsLine Projection Model's top picks

• Jets money line (-125)
• Kyle Connor Under 1.5 total points

The Jets find themselves on the brink of elimination while the Stars could close the series out on the road. Should that happen, Dallas' opponent is already set as the Edmonton Oilers, who won the Western Conference last season, advanced to the conference finals Wednesday with another win over the Vegas Golden Knights. No player has been better this postseason than Dallas' Mikko Rantanen, who has a whopping 19 points in 11 games, including two hat tricks. Connor has been stellar in his own right for Winnipeg with 14 points to lead the team, but the model is taking the Under on his points prop of 1.5, projecting the veteran to score 0.5 points. Over the last 10 games where the Jets were favored, Connor finished Under his total points prop seven times.

Winnipeg is a 1.5-goal favorite at home and is -125 on the money line (wager $125 to win $100) to Dallas' +105. We can tell you the model has the Jets winning Game 5 in 61% of simulations. The total is 5.5 goals. You can see the model's latest projections, along with expert picks, at SportsLine. 

Today's featured promo

DraftKings Sportsbook's latest promotion gives new users $200 in bonus bets after placing a first bet of at least $5. This offer is available only to new users who are 21 and older (18+ in Washington D.C. and Kentucky) and who have never signed up with DraftKings before. You must also be in a state where the sportsbook is available. These bonus bets are credited as eight $25 bonus bet tokens and expire seven days after they're received. They hold no cash value and do not go towards your winnings should you win a bet with bonus bets. You can learn more about the latest DraftKings offer, as well as other new-user promotions from top sportsbooks here.