2017 NHL Playoffs 2nd Round Betting Predictions For Nashville

Posted by Henry Watkins on Tuesday,April 25, 2017 12:47, EDT in

NHL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

If there is one thing that we have learned from watching the NHL playoffs over the years, it’s that we should expect some surprises on the road to one team being crowned the Stanley Cup champions. When you consider the level of parity in this league, it’s not a major stunner when one of those surprises comes in the opening round. That said, is there anyone who really believed that the Nashville Predators were going to come in as a #8 seed and somehow manage to sweep the #1 ranked Chicago Blackhawks in rather comfortable fashion? Given how the Blackhawks closed the season out, I believed that there was a chance that the Predators might push them hard, but I most certainly did not expect this. Nashville looks like a very complete hockey team, but can they continue rolling when they take on the St. Louis Blues in the second round? Find the updated NHL betting predictions here.

Analyzing The 2017 NHL Playoffs 2nd Round Betting Predictions For The Predators

Head to Head Versus the St. Louis Blues

It was a tight regular season series between these two, with the Nashville Predators edging it 3-2 over the 5 games. The home team carried sway in 4 of the 5 games, and while that may seem to edge things in the favor of the Blues, who have home ice advantage here, it should be noted that it was the Predators who managed the single road victory in this series during the regular season. Both goalies have been lights out during the playoffs so far, so we probably shouldn’t expect to see any shootouts going on here. While the series was tight, none of the 5 games this season went to OT.

Playoff Experience

This is the third straight playoff appearance for the Nashville Predators after missing out in back to back seasons. They made it into the second round last season before being taken out in 7 by the Sharks, so moving beyond this stage would be something new for this group. This is the 6th straight postseason appearance for the Blues, who made it all the way to the Western Conference Final last year before losing to San Jose. The playoff experience edge goes to the Blues here, but perhaps only just.

Goalie Head to Head

This is where things start to get really interesting, as the two goalies in this series have been head and shoulders above the rest in the early stages of the postseason. Jake Allen of the Blues has a rather dazzling 1.47 GAA and a .956 save percentage, yet he is still in second place in both of those stats behind Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. Rinne has a 0.70 GAA and a .976 save percentage. It took the Blackhawks until Game 3 of the opening round series to get a puck past him.

Nashville Predators Second Round Prediction

The Nashville Predators suddenly became one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs after sweeping the Blackhawks, and it really is tough to find any cracks in their armor. I think they blow through the Blues quite easily.