Playoff action continues tonight as the Florida Panthers fend off elimination and the Boston Celtics look to even up their series once again. I picked out my favorite bets from their games tonight, along with a late night baseball moneyline.
Check out my best picks for Monday, with all odds referenced from BetMGM:
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS FLORIDA PANTHERS
The Lightning gets a chance to sweep the Panthers tonight and I expect them to do so. In a series between two fairly matched teams, Tampa Bay looks the better half through their first three playoff games.
The offense functioned more efficiently for the Lightning this series. They’ve outscored the Panthers 11-3 in the postseason, which includes a 4-1 advantage in power play goals. The Lightning got 11 man-up opportunities in the first three games, the Panthers had 10.
Part of the reason Florida struggles to score is because of Andrei Vasilevskiy. The former Vezina winner continues to deliver clutch performances in the postseason. After a subpar start to the Toronto series, Vasilevskiy recorded a 1.32 goals against average and a .959 save percentage in his last five games.
The odds for Tampa Bay to cover the spread is +190. With a chance to eliminate the Panthers at home, the Lightning should continue to stretch the scoring gap tonight. The odds are too good with potential power play and empty net goals on the table.
PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -1.5 (+190)
BOSTON CELTICS VS MIAMI HEAT
Despite losing Jimmy Butler half way through Game 3, the Heat held off the Celtics to take back the series lead at 2-1. They play in Boston again tonight, with the OVER/UNDER trend for Heat playoff games flipping in this series.
Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, Miami held the best record for the UNDER. In their 11 games against the Hawks and 76ers, the Heat hit the UNDER nine times.
The combination of two elite defensive units lowered the O/U line for the start of the Miami-Boston series. So far, the OVER is 3-0 in their games, even with poor scoring nights from Butler and Jayson Tatum. The pair combined for 18 total points in Game 3 and the OVER cleared by four points.
Whether or not Butler plays in Game 4, I still love the OVER. Tatum responds well to poor shooting nights and regardless of who wins, I expect the total to clear 207 points.
PICK: OVER 207.5 POINTS (-110)
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS VS NEW YORK METS
Continuing their west coast trip, the Mets visit the Giants tonight in San Francisco. Even the loss of ace Max Scherzer can’t seem to slow down the NL East leader, as the Mets started their trip with a series win in Colorado.
New York runs into a struggling Giants team. Losers of four in a row, the Giants are 4-6 in their last ten. San Francisco is already down against New York this season, with the Mets owning a 3-1 record against the Giants this season.
Pitching continues to be a struggle for San Francisco. Alex Cobb, who gets the start tonight, has been part of the problem. Cobb has yet to reach six whole innings in a start and carries a 5.61 ERA because of it.
David Peterson, who starts for New York, also hasn’t had a start with six whole innings pitched. In contrast to Cobb, Peterson continues to be effective in minimal innings, boasting a 1.89 ERA through four starts.
The Mets pitching will be the difference maker in tonight’s matchup, which features New York at +120 to win. The bullpen can finish off a strong start from Peterson. Between eight different pitchers, the Met’s relievers held the Giants to three hits and no runs across ten innings pitched. New York has been too good against San Francisco this year, I like them with the favorable moneyline.
PICK: NEW YORK METS (+120)
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Wolveridge Langan 