The first night of Stanley Cup hockey was a wild one, with both Winnipeg and Colorado scoring five times each in victories. What will day number two bring? That is correct. There are three games on the menu from 3:00 pm ET till after Midnight.
Sunday presents various options and choices, along with a few standards. It will be tough and tempting to ignore several early trends.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Picks for April 20 Games
Carolina Hurricanes Best Bets For Game 1
The Carolina Hurricanes do face a lot of pressure, but typically, Round 1 is not a problem. Five of the past six postseasons have seen them get out of the first round of Stanley Cup Playoff action. Carolina is a -215 to -225 favorite to win the series opener.
New Jersey could not have been happy being locked in to face Carolina so soon. Both teams are well-rested. The difference is that the Devils are missing Jonas Siegenthaler and Jack Hughes. Add in several players who are less than 100% likely to play, and one has the recipe for a short series.
Now, every Carolina win was against the spread in that 2023 playoff series. The second-round matchup then featured plenty of goals as Carolina’s relentless attack was too much for New Jersey’s defense. There was one game where New Jersey finally broke free from containment. That was the one Devils win.
The numbers favor Carolina right down to the anytime goal for Seth Jarvis, which is now +170. Even Sebastian Aho is at +180, which indicates the sportsbooks are keen on Jarvis opening the series, making his usual playoff presence. Jarvis is only 23 and has had five goals in each of his last two postseason runs.
So, the best bet is likely the Hurricanes to win by 2+ goals on Sunday afternoon. Two seasons ago, Carolina opened the second round, routing New Jersey by scores of 5-1 and 6-1. While that may not happen this time around, the Hurricanes play downhill hockey better than anyone.
Picks: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+130) via DraftKings
Seth Jarvis Anytime Goal (+170) via DraftKings
Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs Player Props
Okay, this is going to be fun as the “Battle of Ontario” starts on Sunday night in Toronto. Toronto is favored to win this series and face the winner of the Florida-Tampa Bay matchup.
Toronto won nine of its final 10 regular-season games, however. This led to the Atlantic Division crown and the right to play their provincial rivals in the first round. There is an expectation for goals in this game, like the other two Sunday contests. However, our focus lies on some of the player props.
First, there is John Tavares. He averages 2.67 shots per game, and his total is 2.5 currently (+112 on FanDuel). Against Carolina and Montreal, he had 10 shots combined. Expect shots and chances to fall to Tavares, who will face bottom-six opposition.
If that is not enough, the Matthew Knies anytime goal scorer stands at +250 on BetMGM. Knies is one of those playoff options that rises to the surface. Between him and Knies, those are two solid bets heading into this opener.
Best Bet: John Tavares Over 2.5 shots (+112 via FanDuel)
Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Picks
The final Sunday game showcases the Vegas Golden Knights, who appear to be the healthiest they have been all season. Vegas goes up against a Minnesota team that still looks disjointed after getting Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek back in the lineup.
Both teams can score goals, and Vegas ranks fifth in goal scoring this season, averaging 3.34 goals per game. Minnesota was one of the better-scoring teams in the league until Kaprizov started experiencing groin issues. When the injuries piled up for the Wild, the numbers tanked. Do not let their 25th-ranked offense fool you.
The simplest method is to roll with the goals and the Vegas over of 3.5 goals (+124 via FanDuel) as 6+ combined tallies are likely this night.
Pick: Minnesota and Vegas Over 5.5 Goals -104 via FanDuel.
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