NHL Playoffs Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (4/17)
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight. There are some exciting series early on to pay attention to, and we’ll look at three of them.
Monday's Best NHL Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Florida Panthers (+184) vs. Boston Bruins (-225) | O/U 6.5 (+102/-124)
The 2022-23 Bruins will go down as the greatest team of all time as they set the record for regular season wins and points. It's hard to find a flaw on this roster – their even-strength offense and defense were top two in the league, and they led in penalty kills as well.
They're hoping not to be a part of the Presidents’ Cup curse. The last team to win the Presidents’ and Stanley Cup was the 2012-13 Blackhawks, and only one other team has made it to the Conference Finals since.
The Panthers are part of that curse by winning it last year and being swept in the second round by the Lightning. Their success last year was with the best scoring offense, and although the addition of Matthew Tkachuk proved to be a great move, they did not replicate their offensive numbers.
What also helped was efficient goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky was great last year, going 39-7-3 and allowing 2.67 goals per game. However, those numbers dipped as he went 24-20-3 and allowed 3.07 goals and dropped from 23.7 goals saved above expected to 6.2.
All four of the matchups went over, and both teams can push the puck and score even with some good goaltending, so I'm expecting the over to hit again.
Pick: OVER 6.5 (+102)
Minnesota Wild (+122) vs. Dallas Stars (-146) | O/U 5.5 (+100/-122)
Dallas ended the season winning six straight and eight of nine. Their top forwards have been excellent during this recent run, with Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Jason Robertson combining for 16 goals in the last ten games. Between the pipes, Jake Oettinger will get some votes for the Vezina Trophy as he finished top seven in overall record, save percentage, and goals allowed.
The Wild have a defense that can certainly contain the Stars. They didn't finish far off from Dallas in goals allowed and were better in save percentage. They could also have the advantage of a more rested goalie every game. They've been playing Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury every other game, and it's been working, so we'll see if they continue that in this series.
Minnesota's problem is that if one of their goaltenders has a bad performance, they do not have the offense compete. They finished 23rd in goals scored per game, and the better two-way abilities of the Stars will grab them the first win.
Pick: Stars 60 Min ML (+105)
Los Angeles Kings (+158) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-194) | O/U 6.5 (-110/-110)
We have a rematch of a Western Conference First Round series from last year. This was an extremely exciting series that ended with the Kings blowing a 3-1 lead and losing in seven games.
Los Angeles might be even better than last year. The offensive production went up from 2.84 goals per game to 3.34, and the defense allowed 25.7 shots per game dropped to 24.8 this season. The significant difference is that long-time goalie Jonathan Quick is no longer with the team, and it's now Pheonix Copley and Joonas Korpisalo in the crease.
The Oilers simply went and out-scored everyone. They finished the season with the most points per game and fifth in goal percentage. Connor McDavid's season was unlike what we've seen in decades, and he is the first NHL to have 150+ points since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. The top two lines are some of the best in the league, with three players having over 100 points (McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins), and those three, plus Zach Hyman, each had 30+ goals.
Last year, the Oilers admitted that the adrenaline of having a playoff game on their home ice got the best of the best of them, but they recovered and won that series. They should be prepared and get the Game 1 win.
Pick: Oiler 60 Min ML (-125)
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