NHL Game 5 Free Picks Boston At Ottawa

Posted by Henry Watkins on Thursday,April 20, 2017 10:45, EDT in

NHL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

Every team in the NHL endures a punishing 82-game schedule in hopes of landing one of the coveted playoff spots that are available at the end of the regular season. Once in, taking advantage of your home ice opportunities is an absolute must if you hope to move on in the postseason. For those teams that do not get home ice advantage in the playoffs, a steal on the road while maintaining a positive home record is usually good enough to get the job done. The Boston Bruins did what many believe is the hard part when they went into Ottawa for their opening two games of the series and came away with the split. If there is a blueprint for success in the NHL postseason, that is a major part of it. The problem that they now face, down 3-1 in the series, is that they need to start all over again after dropping both games in the TD Garden. The Bruins are on the brink, and only a win on the road on Friday night will stop them from falling. Find the latest NHL betting odds here.

In Depth Analysis On The NHL Game 5 Free Picks Boston Bruins At Ottawa Senators

When: Friday, April 21 at 7:30 PM EST
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
TV: NBCSN, USA, SN, TVAS, NESN
Live Stream: NHL.TV
NHL Odds: Ottawa Sentors -1½ (+270)

Why bet on the Boston Bruins

It can be argued that the Boston Bruins playoff momentum died the moment they surrendered that OT goal in Game 3. They had gone home with the split from the opening 2 games, and then managed to come back from 3 goals down to force overtime in that pivotal game, only to fall to a Bobby Ryan goal early in the extra period. They simply weren’t able to generate any offense in Game 4, going down 1-0, and you now really have to wonder if there is anything left in the tank. The Senators are a team that the Bruins have routinely struggled against all year, and my belief is that there really is no way the can reel off 3-straight against a team that appears to have their number.

Why bet on the Ottawa Sentors

A lot of professional athletes talk a good game, but are then totally unable to back up their words. Coming into the postseason, Bobby Ryan of the Senators spoke about how he wanted to make amends for a miserable regular season, and so far, he has been good to his word. Ryan has 3 goals in this series, two of which proved to be game winners. You really can’t ask for much more than that. You need to give full credit to Ottawa for not going into panic mode after losing Game 1 in their own building, and with a chance to put this thing away back on home ice on Friday night, those nerves of steel will likely win out again.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The OT loss in Game 3 was devastating for the Bruins, but the 1-0 loss in game 4 was the nail in the coffin of this series. Ottawa will close things out on Friday night.