Tonight’s NHL Playoff Picks Action: Betting Lines and Predictions

Top Games of the Day: Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has started, with just one series underway at the moment.

That will all change over the next couple of nights, as we move into doubleheader territory for the foreseeable future, but for now let’s focus on the games Hurricanes vs Rangers and Avalanche vs Stars.

My Analysis

We are reaching the stage of the postseason where every win and loss takes on a greater meaning and the series becomes even more difficult to close out. At this stage of the proceedings, you really could make a case for every remaining team, but only one of them will get their hands on the coveted Stanley Cup. Who will that be? We are going to need to wait a while for that answer, but the puzzle pieces will start falling into place tonight with a pair of big games on tap. Let’s look at the Tuesday schedule to see how things might play out.

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Carolina Hurricanes -124 vs New York Rangers +102

As we mentioned at the top of this piece, only one second round series had started, with the Rangers winning the opening game of this one on home ice. The Rangers have now won 5 in a row in the playoffs to remain unbeaten in the postseason. That, though, is going to be a difficult trend to keep alive, as the Hurricanes are sure to be feeling some level of desperation heading into Game 2. They do not want to head home in an 0-2 hole and will be looking to get the split that will give them home ice advantage in the series.

In their opening round series against the New York Islanders, the Hurricanes did manage to get the split in their road games, while winning all 3 at home. Getting a win here would put them in a more manageable position heading into what may be a pivotal Game 3. They also had a 6-1 win over the Rangers at MSG in the regular season, so they have to be feeling somewhat good about their chances of tying things up.

The problem here is that the Rangers appear to be on fire at the moment and are going to be incredibly tough to slow down. If things are going to shift in this series, I think it might happen in Carolina.

Colorado Avalanche +101 vs Dallas Stars -123

On paper, this looks like a series that is going to be fun to watch, especially if you like your hockey with a healthy serving of offense. The last 5 meetings between these two teams have delivered a total of 42 goals, and while we often see things get a little bit tighter in the postseason, I’m not so sure that will be the case here.

After losing the opening game of the series in Round 1, the Avalanche came to life and won 4 in a row to take out the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, outscoring the Jets 22-8 in the final 4 games of that series.

The Stars had to work very hard to get into the second round, going the full 7 games before finally knocking off the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights. That was a series that was more on the defensive side of things, which they are going to need to try and do here, given how offensively gifted the Avs are.

Colorado has had the best of the last 10 meetings with the Stars, winning 7 of those games, and I like them to kick off the series with a road win.

The second round of the NHL playoffs has begun, with 2 of the 4 series already having Game 1 in the books. We will have a second set of games going tonight, after which we jump ahead to Thursday and the start of Game 2. The winners of these series will head to the Conference Finals, with the Stanley Cup Final coming after that. To say that the stakes have been raised is putting things rather mildly, as the 8 remaining teams don’t really have time to dwell on or celebrate their Round 1 wins. For the teams that lose the opening games of these series, the pressure is very much on, as crawling out of an 0-2 hole has proven to be extremely tough, especially at this stage of the proceedings, when the remaining teams are all very good. Let’s now jump ahead to the 2 Thursday games to talk about how things might play out so you can bet against NHL Playoffs Odds.

Playoffs Second Round Games to Bet On May 19| NHL Betting Picks

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers – Game 2

The goal of every team in the regular season is to make the playoffs and secure home ice advantage for as many rounds as possible. The Florida Panthers delivered the goods and used it to their advantage in Round 1, taking out the Washington Capitals in 6. Going into the playoffs as a Wild Card means that the 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning needed to develop a road warrior attitude to make another deep run. They have done just that and are sure to still be delighted after winning 4-1 on the road in Florida in Game 1.

This is a similar path for the Lightning, who also stole home ice advantage from the Maple Leafs in Round 1 after getting a split in the first 2 games in Toronto. It is also familiar ground for the Panthers, who lost the opening game of the series against the Washington Capitals on home ice. I think the Panthers follow their Round 1 pattern by tying things up on Thursday night.

St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche – Game 2

After blowing past the Nashville Predators in a Round 1 sweep, there were many who believed that the Colorado Avalanche looked like a bit of an unstoppable force. As we mentioned in previewing this series, though, the games between the Blues and the Avalanche in the regular season were all close, so we warned that a blowout may not be on the cards here. The Blues proved that point by taking Colorado to OT in Game 1, only to eventually lose 3-2.

This might actually serve as a bit of a wake-up call for the Avs to let them know that they are in a fight after an easy out in the opening round. The Blues had to play from behind in Round 1 after going down 1-2 to the Minnesota Wild before reeling off 3 straight wins to take the series in 6. Given what the Avalanche did in the opening round, you have to say that the Blues need this one if they are to stall the momentum that is very much building with this Colorado team.

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We’ve barely had time to catch our breaths from an amazing opening round in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but here we are getting ready for Round 2. There are 4 series set to go in this round, with 2 games coming every single night until we get down to the final 4. As strange as it seems, getting picks correct over the course of a series can be tough, but we are going to do our best to make the best picks for every single game. Some may be straight up win selections, whole others will be for the goal total. The second round begins on Tuesday night, so let’s look at those games, plus the 2 games on Wednesday so you can bet against their NHL Playoffs Odds.

Playoffs Second Round Games to Bet On May 17 & 18 | NHL Betting Picks

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers – Game 1 – Tuesday

Game 1 of any series is always a little tougher to predict, as you never really know how either team is going to come out. You do have to wonder of there might be a little let down from the Lightning after winning an emotional Game 7 in the opening round. This is a series that delivered a lot of goals in the regular season, but things do tend to tighten up a little in the playoffs. These two teams split the regular season series, so I would not be surprised to see this one go the distance. I do like the Panthers to get the Game 1 win on home ice.

St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche – Game 1 – Tuesday

If you watched the opening round of the NHL playoffs, you are already well aware that the Avalanche very much looked like the team to beat They blow past the Nashville Predators without breaking too much of a sweat and are a heavy favorite to win this series. The Avalanche took 2 of 3 from the Blues in the regular season, but the games were all rather close, so this might be a tougher road for the favorites. For this one, I am tempted to go with the OVER, as that is the way things have gone in 13 of the last 16 games the Blues have played on the road.

New York Rangers at Carolina Panthers – Game 1 – Wednesday

If you look at the regular season series between these two teams, you see that it was the road team that won in 3 of the 4 games. That said, it was the Hurricanes who took the regular season series by winning 3 of 4. All but one of those games delivered a lot of goals, which has me looking at the OVER here. 5 ½ goals looks like a bit of a bargain to me in Game 1, but I might also be willing to take a go on the Rangers to win on the road.

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames – Game 1 – Wednesday

We all love to see a series where there is a big rivalry involved, and in terms of the NHL, they don’t come much bigger than the Battle of Alberta. During the regular season, these teams split the 4 games, while delivering a ton of offense. The automatic thought here is to go with the OVER, but as we saw in the opening round, the Flames got great goaltending and were tough to break down on defense. I’m holding off on the total and taking Calgary to win Game 1.

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MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

We’ve barely had time to catch our breaths from an amazing opening round in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but here we are getting ready for Round 2. There are 4 series set to go in this round, with 2 games coming every single night until we get down to the final 4. As strange as it seems, getting picks correct over the course of a series can be tough, but we are going to do our best to make the best picks for every single game. Some may be straight up win selections, whole others will be for the goal total. The second round begins on Tuesday night, so let’s look at those games, plus the 2 games on Wednesday so you can bet against their NHL Playoffs Odds.

Playoffs Second Round Games to Bet On May 17 & 18 | NHL Betting Picks

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers – Game 1 – Tuesday

Game 1 of any series is always a little tougher to predict, as you never really know how either team is going to come out. You do have to wonder of there might be a little let down from the Lightning after winning an emotional Game 7 in the opening round. This is a series that delivered a lot of goals in the regular season, but things do tend to tighten up a little in the playoffs. These two teams split the regular season series, so I would not be surprised to see this one go the distance. I do like the Panthers to get the Game 1 win on home ice.

St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche – Game 1 – Tuesday

If you watched the opening round of the NHL playoffs, you are already well aware that the Avalanche very much looked like the team to beat They blow past the Nashville Predators without breaking too much of a sweat and are a heavy favorite to win this series. The Avalanche took 2 of 3 from the Blues in the regular season, but the games were all rather close, so this might be a tougher road for the favorites. For this one, I am tempted to go with the OVER, as that is the way things have gone in 13 of the last 16 games the Blues have played on the road.

New York Rangers at Carolina Panthers – Game 1 – Wednesday

If you look at the regular season series between these two teams, you see that it was the road team that won in 3 of the 4 games. That said, it was the Hurricanes who took the regular season series by winning 3 of 4. All but one of those games delivered a lot of goals, which has me looking at the OVER here. 5 ½ goals looks like a bit of a bargain to me in Game 1, but I might also be willing to take a go on the Rangers to win on the road.

Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames – Game 1 – Wednesday

We all love to see a series where there is a big rivalry involved, and in terms of the NHL, they don’t come much bigger than the Battle of Alberta. During the regular season, these teams split the 4 games, while delivering a ton of offense. The automatic thought here is to go with the OVER, but as we saw in the opening round, the Flames got great goaltending and were tough to break down on defense. I’m holding off on the total and taking Calgary to win Game 1.

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I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

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