Tuesday's NHL Playoffs slate features Game 2 of Hurricanes vs. Rangers and Avalanche vs. Stars Game 1.
Let's dive into my NHL best bets and look at tonight's expert picks and prediction.
NHL Best Bets
The Hurricanes were not at their sharpest in Game 1 and will need to bring a better effort to avoid an 0-2 hole. Whether or not they are able to clean up the issues that lost them Game 1, I do feel confident that we will see them manage a strong output of shots on goal in tonight's matchup.
Martin Nečas is one particular Carolina shooter that I am interested in backing in this matchup. Nečas was solid in Game 1, registering a goal in 17:58 of time on ice. He had seven shot attempts, and five of those were unblocked attempts, including a post hit.
The kinds of plays he makes at 2:29 and 7:09 in this highlight reel should be there all series long. He's going to continue getting winnable matchups, and we should expect him to be highly noticeable in tonight's game. The Rangers are an elite team, but not because of their ability to suppress opponents' chances on goal.
Nečas has trended lower than usual in terms of shots on goal this postseason, which helps lend itself to better prices for him to record over 2.5 shots on goal. He looked true to form in Game 1 though, which makes me believe now is the time to buy low on his shots prop.
The current Stanley Cup odds tell us that the winner of this heavyweight showdown will become the odds-on favorite to win the Cup. It's tough to predict which side that might be, but ahead of Game 1, more value lies with the underdog Avalanche.
The Avalanche put together one of the most impressive offensive series in history in Round 1, as they completely dismantled Connor Hellebuyck, who is going to win the Vezina Trophy next month.
Their top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin was true to form, and will continue to be used as much as possible as a five man unit with Devon Toews and Cale Makar. Even for a side as defensively strong as the Stars are, it's tough to say they will shut that unit down.
The Stars are a far superior defensive team to the Jets and will do a drastically better job preventing controlled zone entries. Dallas will have a far better chance of locking up the Avs' strong second line than the Jets did thanks to their far greater defensive depth.
The goaltending for both sides is somewhat of a question mark ahead of this series. Jake Oettinger fell into better form at the end of the Golden Knights series, but he was also aided by elite defensive play. The Avs will in all likelihood create more quality chances than Vegas did, which will ask more questions of Oettinger.
The same could be said at the other end though, as Alexander Georgiev is far from the best goaltender left in the postseason.
This should be a back-and-forth series that goes six or more games. If you gave me either side at better than plus money in this game, I'd take my chances. With the continued lack of evidence that home-ice advantage means anything come playoff time, the Avalanche look to be holding more value as underdogs in tonight's contest at +106.
Bet the Avalanche to win at anything better than +102.
