The second round of the NHL Playoffs gets underway tonight. I breakdown my best bets from each series, as well as voicing my predictions on who goes on to the Conference Finals.
All odds referenced are from BetMGM:
FLORIDA PANTHERS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Series Betting Stats
- Split their regular season meetings 2-2
- The OVER/UNDER also split 2-2
- Florida covered the spread in three of the four games
- O/U Records in the playoffs: FLA 3-3, TBL 5-2
- ATS Records in the playoffs: FLA 2-4, TBL 4-3
This is a really tough series to call. I think Florida should walk away with the series win, despite their top players not producing. Carter Verhaeghe leads the Panthers with 12 points, showcasing how deep the offense goes for Florida. Tampa needs more production to keep up, and Andrei Vasilevskiy looked underwhelming in their series against Toronto. The Lightning should keep things close and I like them against the spread in these games, but Florida’s depth should carry them through.
SERIES PREDICTION: FLORIDA PANTHERS 4-3
SERIES LEAN: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING +1.5 (-185)
COLORADO AVALANCHE VS ST. LOUIS BLUES
Series Betting Stats
- Colorado 2-1 vs St. Louis in the regular season
- OVER was 3-0 through those games
- St. Louis covered the spread in two of the three games
- O/U Records in the playoffs: COL 3-1, STL 3-3
- ATS Records in the playoffs: COL 3-1, STL 4-2
Colorado really impressed in their series win over an understaffed Nashville team. Despite Binnington backstopping the end of the Blues series effectively, I think this Avalanche offense is a different beast. Bet on Cale Makar to score. Makar had three points in their three matchups against St. Louis this season and already has ten points in the postseason. If you want better odds, the total goal over is also enticing, but I would rather trust Makar’s consistency.
SERIES PREDICTION: COLORADO AVALANCHE 4-1
SERIES LEAN: CALE MAKAR OVER 0.5 POINTS (-270)
CAROLINA HURRICANES VS NEW YORK RANGERS
Series Betting Stats
- Carolina was 3-1 against New York this season
- The OVER was 3-1 in those games
- Carolina covered the spread in three of the four games
- O/U Records in the playoffs: CAR 5-1-1, NYR 7-0
- ATS Records in the playoffs: CAR 3-4, NYR 3-4
The Hurricanes struggle on both the power play and penalty kill does not make this series look easy. Igor Shesterkin also makes this series very problematic for Carolina, but I will put my faith in them to pull through. Goaltending has been the only factor keeping the Rangers involved this postseason and I think the Hurricanes will do better than Pittsburgh at capitalizing on New York’s missteps. I like the low OVER/UNDER lines for this series and expect both of these teams to keep on going OVER.
SERIES PREDICTION: CAROLINA HURRICANES 4-3
SERIES LEAN: OVER 5.5 TOTAL GOALS (-120)
CALGARY FLAMES VS EDMONTON OILERS
Series Betting Stats
- Split their regular season meetings 2-2
- The OVER was 3-1 in those games
- The spread record was split 2-2
- O/U Records in the playoffs: CAL 2-4-1, EDM 3-4
- ATS Records in the playoffs: CAL 2-5, EDM 4-3
Despite taking seven games to eliminate Dallas, Calgary dominated the Stars for most of the series. I like the Flames way more than the Oilers going into the second round. Calgary is more balanced and a much tougher defensive team than Edmonton. I expect the scoring to get back to normal for Calgary, so keeping up with the high-flying Oilers should not be a problem. Nothing jumps out for me on this series betting wise, but McDavid is producing as always.
SERIES PREDICTION: CALGARY FLAMES 4-2
SERIES LEAN: CONNOR MCDAVID OVER 1.5 POINTS (-125)
Check my betting record and track my current bets on Betstamp.
Wolveridge Langan 