Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/22)
The NHL postseason churns ahead on Tuesday, and we're coming off of a fantastic Monday slate that saw a pair of overtime games and a barnburning 6-5 Kings win in Los Angeles. Below I'll dive into three of tonight's games from a betting perspective, and let you know where I'm laying my money on the ice.
Tuesday's NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
New Jersey Devils (+220) at Carolina Hurricanes (-275) | O/U 5.5 (+110/-130)
The Hurricanes (1-0) took care of business in Saturday's series-opening contest, handling the visiting Devils (0-1) in a 4-1 contest. The Eastern Conference foes are back at it tonight, and puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC.
The goals are going to be tough to come by in this series. For the Devils, they continue to play without Jack Hughes, and his absence has made a difference. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, New Jersey averaged only 2.67 goals per 60 minutes, which was 25th in the NHL. They simply lack the scoring depth that's necessary to contend in this series. The Devils were excellent on the power play this season (28.24%, third), but they're running into a Canes side that owned the best penalty-killing unit in the league at 83.61%.
This means that the pressure is going to be on Jacob Markstrom to perform in this series. He was solid during the regular season, posting the eighth-best GAA (2.50). The Devils also boasted the second-best PK in the NHL at 82.67%. Carolina will gladly opt for a lower-scoring, defensive-minded contest, and I think that's what we'll ultimately be in for tonight. I'm taking the Under at 5.5 goals.
Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (-130)
Ottawa Senators (+155) at Toronto Maple Leafs (-185) | O/U 5.5 (-120/+100)
The first playoff edition of this year's Battle of Ontario was more like a massacre, as the Maple Leafs (1-0) steamrolled the Senators in a 6-2 series-opening game on Sunday. These Atlantic Division opponents meet again tonight for Game 2, and puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON.
I really like the way that the Leafs are structured this season. They brought in a Stanley Cup-winning coach in Craig Berube, and he instantly turned this organization into a tougher, defensive-minded team. Obviously, they still have the top-end offensive talent, but they're much more sound on the defensive end.
Over the final 10 games of the regular season, Toronto was the best defensive team in the NHL, logging a GAA of 1.49 during the stretch. The Leafs were also a perfect 2-for-2 (100%) on the penalty kill in Game 1 of this series. If they're sharp on the PK this series, then the Senators are going to have a tough time scoring goals. Ottawa was just 27th in 5-on-5 scoring this season, averaging 2.12 goals per 60 minutes during even strength. They really just don't have the top-end scoring talent that can cause issues for the red-hot Anthony Stolarz, who was 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA (third) and a .926 SV% (first) this season. I'll take the Sens to stay under 2.5 goals tonight.
Pick: Senators Team Total Under 2.5 Goals (-125)
Florida Panthers (-105) at Tampa Bay Lightning (-115) | O/U 5.5 (-105/-115)
The final series to get started in the NHL playoffs is this 2-3 matchup in the Atlantic Division between the Panthers (0-0) and the Lightning (0-0). The champs posted a 47-31-4 record during the regular season, while the Bolts went 47-27-8 and earned home ice advantage in the first round. The opening game of this in-state series gets underway tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.
The Panthers closed the season on a horrendous 3-6-1 run. Included in that sample size is the regular-season finale, where they were decimated by the Lightning at Amalie in a 5-1 contest on April 15. I really have no interest in backing this Florida team, which was dead last in scoring (1.98 G/60) over the final 10 games of the season.
Sure, the Cats are expected to get Matthew Tkachuk back, but do we really think they're just going to flip a switch and do a complete 180? I think that's pretty unlikely against this top-tier Lightning squad, which finished the season first in scoring (3.53 G/60) and fifth on the power play (25.86%). Andrei Vasilevskiy is in Vezina form with a 2.18 GAA (fourth) and a .921 SV% (fourth), and Tampa will have its home crowd behind them (29-8-4 at home) as well. I think we're getting an absolute bargain to only lay a -115 price with the Bolts in this game.
Pick: Lightning Moneyline (-115)