Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.

Colorado Avalanche (-115) at Vegas Golden Knights (-105)

Total 6 (Over, -120)
Golden Knights lead series 3-0

Embed from Getty Images

8 p.m. ET

The Colorado Avalanche need to win four games in a row to advance, and it starts tonight with Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena. Before the Western Conference Final, Vegas was 33-1 to sweep the series. The Avs finished with the league’s best record in the regular season and entered the Western Conference Final having lost just one playoff game. But they’ve lost three consecutive games in regulation for the first time this season (regulation and playoffs). 

The big question facing the Avalanche tonight is the status of Nathan MacKinnon, who was injured in Game 3 when blocking a Shea Theodore shot in the second period. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar had this to say after the game: “He was clearly in a ton of pain. I’ve been here 10 years, and I’ve seen Nate lay on the ice twice. For him to be able to come back out, get some work done late in the second period and intermission and to be able to come back and help us on the power play and empty-net situations, if that’s all he can do, then we’ll take it. It’s better than anything else we can put on the ice.” Even if MacKinnon plays, he may be limited. Cale Makar gutted it out in Game 3 and Val Nichushkin missed the final 22:58 of the game with a lower-body injury. It’s unclear if he is available tonight.

I am going to roll again with many of the same prop plays I had in Game 3. Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev lead the playoffs with 10 goals. Howden has goals in two of the three games of the Western Conference Final and nine of the last 12 games overall. Dorofeyev (denied a goal in Game 3) has gone back-to-back games without a goal but does have six goals in his last six games. Captain Mark Stone returned to the lineup in Game 3 and didn’t miss a beat, picking up a goal and an assist. Tomas Hertl, who scored the winning goal in Game 3, has points in five of his last six games. The four players’ shot-on-goal prop (Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner, Dorofeyev all for 2+ shots) that I gave out in Game 3 was a winner, and I am going to add Brent Burns to this quartet as it provides a much greater return. Burns has two shots on goal in five consecutive games and six of his last seven versus the Golden Knights.

NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Brett Howden anytime goal (+330) – ¼ unit
Pavel Dorofeyev anytime goal (+195) – ¼ unit
Brent Burns/Nazem Kadri/Gabriel Landeskog/Mitch Marner/Pavel Dorofeyev all 2+ shots on goal (+360) – ½ unit
Brent Burns 2+ shots on goal (-110) – 1 unit
Vegas Golden Knights Over ½ power play goal (-115) – ½ unit
Tomas Hertl/Mark Stone point parlay (+152) – 1 unit
Vegas Golden Knights  -1.5 goals (+205) – ½ unit

The post Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Game 4: NHL Expert Picks on Tuesday, May 26 appeared first on VSiN.