NHL Betting Preview for 2018 Playoffs Conference Finals

The conference finals are finally both set. While the Eastern Conference finals have been set for a few days and gets underway with Friday night’s series opener in Tampa Bay, NHL Betting enthusiasts everywhere had to wait for the outcome of Thursday’s Western Conference semifinal matchup between Winnipeg and Nashville to find out which team would be going up against the Vegas Golden Knights. Now, thanks to this preview on both conference finals, you’re going to be well-armed with some expert insight that will help you increase your chances of cashing through the NHL Odds for both series. Let’s get started.

NHL Betting Preview for 2018 Playoffs Conference Finals

4-4—8 in four career #Game7 appearances. A few more of those and we might need to call @PaulyWalnuts26 “Mr. Game 7.” #StanleyCup https://t.co/mYfBrAjrfy pic.twitter.com/Ui3bQBUdRs
— NHL (@NHL) 11 de mayo de 2018

Washington Capitals (57-28-8) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (62-25-3)

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is going down live from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida where the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the Washington Capitals. The Lightning took two of three from the Caps this season. The Lightning has reached the conference final three times in the last four seasons and Washington makes its first appearance in the conference finals since way back in 1998. “It’s more ‘We’re on a mission’ excitement,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “It’s a little different than it was three years ago with the same group. There’s a confidence about them in the way we’re playing, how we’ve arrived at where we are right now, and a lot of that has to do because they’ve just been there before.” The Lightning dispatched New Jersey and Boston so far this postseason, both in five games. Washington came roaring back from a 2-0 deficit against Columbus in the first round by winning four straight before taking out two-time Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh in six games in the semifinal round. “I think we’ve got to be greedy,” Washington defenseman Matt Niskanen told reporters. “We’ve got to want more because this is a heck of a run. I don’t know if there is a group out there that knows how hard it is to get to this point (more than this one). So don’t waste the opportunity.”

Game 1

When: Friday, May 11, 8:00 PM ET
TV: NBC Sports Network, TVA
Live Stream: NHL.tv

Washington ranks ninth in scoring (3.1 gpg) and 16th in goals allowed (2.9 gpg). Captain Alex Ovechkin makes his first appearance in the conference final after recording a team-high eight goals in 12 playoff contests, and his club-best 15 points are one better than linemate Evgeny Kuznetsov who scored the overtime winner in Game 6 at Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay ranks first in scoring (3.5 gpg) and 13th in goals allowed (2.9 gpg). Right wing Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with six goals and 12 points in the playoffs while linemate Steven Stamkos scored two of his three goals in the last three games. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who boasts a 2.20 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in the postseason, was 0-3-0 versus the Capitals before winning two of three while posting a .930 SP against them in 2017-18.

Latest NHL Betting Trends

Capitals are 10-1 in their last 11 road games.
Lightning are 38-14 in their last 52 home games
Over is 10-1 in Capitals’ last 11 games playing on 3 or more days rest.
Over is 21-8-1 in Lightning’s last 30 vs. Metropolitan.
Over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in Tampa Bay.

Vegas Golden Knights (59-25-5) vs. Winnipeg Jets (60-23-9)

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals gets underway on Saturday, May 12 at 7:00 PM ET, live from the Bell MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Canada, with the Jets as the NHL Betting favorites. Not since 2003 have opponents reached the conference final for the first time.

Game 1

When: Saturday, May 12, 7:00 PM ET
TV: NHLN
Live Stream: NHL.tv

Winnipeg ranks second in scoring (3.3 gpg) and fifth in goals allowed (2.6 gpg). The Jets took out Minnesota in five games in the opening round and beat Nashville on the road in Game 7 of their conference semifinals matchup to reach the conference finals. Winnipeg went 1-1-1 against Vegas during the regular season while Kyle Connor (three goals, one assist), Patrik Laine (two goals, two assists) and Mark Scheifele (one goal, three assists) each tallied an identical four points for the Jets over the three games. Red-hot goalie Connor Hellebuyck allowed 12 goals on 84 shots over the same three-game span.

The Golden Knights look like a solid NHL Betting pick for the 2018 Conference Finals.

Vegas ranks fifth in scoring (3.3 gpg) and eighth in goals allowed (2.7 gpg). The Knights swept Los Angeles in the first round and dispatched San Jose in six games in the second round. Reilly Smith (one goal, three assists) and David Perron (two goals, two assists) each had four points for the Knights in the three against Winnipeg during the regular season games while William Karlsson scored three goals for Vegas. All-star goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves in a 3-2 overtime win on Feb. 1. Maxime Lagace, the Golden Knights’ fourth-string goalie who played when Fleury and backups Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk were injured, went 1-1-0 and made 58 saves on 66 shots.