*All odds are courtesy of BetOnline as of 04/24/23
The first round of the NHL playoffs is underway and below we discuss what’s happened so far in the postseason and where we see these teams headed.
Let’s review the current NHL odds so that we can find opportunities for our NHL picks.
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Boston Bruins Leads No. 4 Florida Panthers, 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Bruins (-4500) / Panthers (+1600)
The Bruins entered the series without the services of their captain, Patrice Bergeron, but didn’t expect that their second-line center, David Krejci, would also be sidelined with an upper-body injury that has kept him from suiting up in Games 3 and 4.
Those are two critical pieces of Boston’s historic regular season run in which they won a record-setting 65 games, surpassing the 62 wins by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning, and registered a whopping 135 points which now stands as the NHL’s new gold standard.
Bergeron and Krejci are two of the four current members of the Bruins with Stanley Cup rings but it hasn’t kept Boston from seizing a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Panthers are fighting to stay alive after switching goalies in Game 4 from Alex Lyon to veteran Sergei Bobrovsky. The goaltending change did little to alter Florida’s fortunes, as they fell 6-2 in Game 4 with a return to TD Garden looming on Wednesday night.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at BOS): Bruins 3 – Panthers 1
- Game 2 (at BOS): Panthers 6 – Bruins 3
- Game 3 (at FLA): Bruins 4 – Panthers 2
- Game 4 (at FLA): Bruins 6 – Panthers 2
- Game 5 (at BOS): April 26, 07:00 PM EDT (ESPN)
- Game 6 (at FLA): April 28, TBD
- Game 7 (at BOS): April 30, TBD
No. 2 Toronto Maple Leafs Lead No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Maple Leafs (-325) / Lightning (+270)
The looming specter of a seventh consecutive season of being ousted in the first round was all too real after the Lightning lit up the Leafs in a 7-3 Game 1 trouncing in Toronto. But the Maple Leafs have rebounded with a vengeance, claiming the next two games and gunning for a third W on Tuesday.
Mitchell Marner has been the spark plug on offense for the Leafs, netting two goals and six assists for eight points while teammate John Tavares leads all scorers with three goals over the first three games.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at TOR): Lightning 7 – Maple Leafs 3
- Game 2 (at TOR): Maple Leafs 7 – Lightning 2
- Game 3 (at TB): Maple Leafs 4 – Lightning 3 (OT)
- Game 4 (at TB): April 24, 07:30 PM EDT (TBS)
- Game 5 (at TOR): April 27, 07:00 PM EDT (TBS)
- Game 6 (at TB): April 29, TBD
- Game 7 (at TOR): May 1, TBD
Metropolitan Division
No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes Lead No. 4 New York Islanders, 3-1
- Updated Series Odds: Hurricanes (-1400) / Islanders (+825)
New York bounced back from losses in the first two games in Carolina with a 5-1 victory in front of the fan friendlies at UBS Arena. However, the euphoria would be short-lived as the Hurricanes stole the momentum and handed the Islanders a 5-2 Game 4 loss and a pivotal Game 5 in the offing on Tuesday night.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at CAR): Hurricanes 2 – Islanders 1
- Game 2 (at CAR): Hurricanes 4 – Islanders 3 (OT)
- Game 3 (at NYI): Islanders 5 – Hurricanes 1
- Game 4 (at NYI): Hurricanes 5 – Islanders 2
- Game 5 (at CAR): April 25, 07:00 PM EDT (ESPN)
- Game 6 (at NYI): April 28, TBD
- Game 7 (at CAR): April 30, TBD
No. 3 New York Rangers Lead No. 2 New Jersey Devils, 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Rangers (-275) / Devils (+230)
The Rangers dominated the Devils in the first two games at Madison Square Garden by identical 5-1 scores but New Jersey coach, Lindy Ruff, decided a change in net would do his team a world of good. The switch from Vitek Vanecek to 22-year-old rookie, Akira Schmid, proved to be prescient, at least for one game, as the Devils skated to a 2-1 overtime victory to keep from losing control of the series.
Schmid stopped 35 of 36 shots in his playoff debut and ended the regular season with a 9-5 record and a 2.13 goals-against average to go with an impressive .922 save percentage. The teams will go at it again on Monday night in New Jersey with Schmid likely tending the twine.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at NJ): Rangers 5, Devils 1
- Game 2 (at NJ): Rangers 5, Devils 1
- Game 3 (at NYR): Devils 2, Rangers 1 (OT)
- Game 4 (at NYR): April 24, 07:00 PM EDT (ESPN)
- Game 5 (at NJ): April 27, 07:30 PM EDT (ESPN2)
- Game 6 (at NYR): April 29, TBD
- Game 7 (at NJ): May 1, TBD
Central Division
No. 1 Colorado Avalanche Leads No. 4 Seattle Kraken, 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Avalanche (-625) / Kraken (+485)
The Kraken made their franchise playoff debut only two years into their history and Game 1 turned out to be a shocker as Seattle fashioned a 3-1 victory over the highly-favored defending Stanley Cup champions from Mile High.
However, Colorado wrested a 3-2 Game 2 victory followed by a 6-4 win in Game 3, spoiling the Kraken’s maiden playoff voyage in front of the home crowd at the Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken will get another bite at the apple on Monday night in front of the fan friendlies.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at COL): Kraken 3, Avalanche 1
- Game 2 (at COL): Avalanche 3, Kraken 2
- Game 3 (at SEA): Avalanche 6, Kraken 4
- Game 4 (at SEA): April 24, 10:00 PM EDT (TBS)
- Game 5 (at COL): April 26, 09:30 PM EDT (ESPN)
- Game 6 (at SEA): April 28, TBD
- Game 7 (at COL): April 30, TBD
No. 2 Dallas Stars Tied With No. 3 Minnesota Wild, 2-2
- Updated Series Odds: Stars (-150) / Wild (+130)
The Stars claimed a 3-2 win in Game 4 to knot the series at two apiece. Tyler Seguin scored two power-play goals to propel Dallas to victory while 24-year-old Jake Oettinger sparkled with a 33-save performance.
Filip Gustavsson had been sensational in backing up veteran goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, during the regular season and ultimately seizing the starting spot for the payoffs. But after another stellar performance in leading his team to a 3-2 overtime win in Game 1, head coach, Dean Evason, made a head-scratching decision to summon MAF in Game 2 which proved disastrous as Fleury allowed seven goals on 31 shots in a 7-3 loss.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at DAL): Wild 3 – Stars 2 (2OT)
- Game 2 (at DAL): Stars 7 – Wild 3
- Game 3 (at MIN): Wild 5 – Stars 1
- Game 4 (at MIN): Stars 3 – Wild 2
- Game 5 (at DAL): April 25, 08:00 PM EDT (TBS)
- Game 6 (at MIN): April 28, TBD
- Game 7 (at DAL): April 30, TBD
Pacific Division
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights Lead No. 4 Winnipeg Jets, 2-1
- Updated Series Odds: Knights (-325) / Jets (+270)
The Jets are not making it easy on the Pacific Division winners, thrashing the Golden Knights, 5-1, in the opening game of the series before falling 5-2 in Game 2 and 5-4 in a double overtime Game 3 loss. Vegas will try to put a stranglehold on the series by winning in Winnipeg on Monday night.
It won’t get easier for the Jets as they lost their All-Star defenseman, Josh Morrissey, to what appeared to be a knee injury in the first period of their Game 3 defeat.
“He’s got a lower-body (injury) and he’s done for the series,” coach Rick Bowness said. “Now, when we get into next week, I’ll be able to give you a better answer. I just know he’s done for the series.”
Schedule
- Game 1 (at VGK): Jets 5 – Golden Knights 1 | Recap | Replay
- Game 2 (at VGK): Golden Knights 5 – Jets 2 | Recap | Replay
- Game 3 (at WPG): Golden Knights 5 – Jets 4 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
- Game 4 (at WPG): April 24, 09:30 EDT (ESPN)
- Game 5 (at VGK): April 27, 10:00 PM EDT (ESPN2)
- Game 6 (at WPG): April 29, TBD
- Game 7 (at VGK): May 1, TBD
No. 2 Edmonton Oilers Tied With No. 3 Los Angeles Kings, 2-2
- Updated Series Odds: Oilers (-285) / Kings (+240)
The Oilers and Kings have played into the overtime session in three of their four playoff meetings and Game 4 was the biggest thriller of them all. Trailing by three goals after the first period, the Oilers ramped up their attack and answered with three of their own to enter the final frame of regulation all tied at three apiece.
But Kings defenseman, Matt Roy, would put his team ahead early in the third period but the Oilers still had one last gasp as Evander Kane flicked a wrist shot over the glove hand of LA goalie Joonas Korpisalo to send the game into overtime.
Left winger, Zach Hyman, would roof a shot over JKorpisalo’s blocker side to complete the unlikely comeback with a 5-4 OT victory and tie the series at two all. The teams will return to Edmonton on Wednesday night for Game 5.
Schedule
- Game 1 (at EDM): Kings 4 – Oilers 3 (OT)
- Game 2 (at EDM): Oilers 4 – Kings 2
- Game 3 (at LA): Kings 3 – Oilers 2 (OT)
- Game 4 (at LA): Oilers 5 – Kings 4 (OT)
- Game 5 (at EDM): April 25, 09:30 PM EDT (ESPN)
- Game 6 (at LA): April 29, TBD
- Game 7 (at EDM): May 1, TBD
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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