The NHL returns with four more games on Tuesday night, including an opener that many have been waiting for. With the Battle of Florida expected to erupt, Tuesday night is expected to be just as exciting as Monday night, with close games and intrigue galore.
Monday night was headlined by a comeback from Edmonton that ultimately fell short. However, there was overtime in Washington, a defensive-first game in Winnipeg, and Dallas fending off Colorado.
What comes next?
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Picks for April 22
The Song Remains The Same In Carolina
The New Jersey Devils do not like playing in Carolina. It is no secret, and this has been well documented since 2006. Carolina thumped New Jersey 5-1 and 6-1 at home two years ago in Round 2 on the way to a five-game series win. Sunday afternoon felt much the same as Carolina cruised to a 4-1 victory, totaling 45 shots in the process.
The Devils were overwhelmed early and never got into the contest until it was too late. Again, the third period was better, but the start and physicality never synced together. Playing Carolina requires hitting back often. This helps draw penalties and puts a nervous penalty kill on their heels. New Jersey never did that in Game 1, never got Carolina even a bit jittery, and the result was an easy cover.
Does a bettor try some of the same things again? Some internal results of the game may differ, but the feeling is that New Jersey lacks the weapons to push Carolina off its game at the Lenovo Center, truly.
Carolina should cover again, and maybe an extra goal gets scored by the two teams on Tuesday night.
Best Bets: Carolina -1.5 goals at +105 via DraftKings, Game Total over 5.5 goals at +110 via DraftKings.
The Battle Of Florida Explosion
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers series will start with a bang on Tuesday night. Yes, they have waited long enough. Now, the question is, do we see Matthew Tkachuk? At press time, Tkachuk expects to be a game-time decision.
Another factor to consider is the start time. Yes, that 8:40 pm ET puck drop is no misprint. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky will do battle in goal. Keep in mind that one of Tampa Bay or Florida has played in the last five Stanley Cup finals. Tampa Bay won twice and Florida once. This is a battle within the battle.
These games take on a life of their own and an intensity that resembles later rounds. Florida won two close contests to open the series last year, then shut the door in Game 5. Tampa has a healthy Vasilevskiy along with Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov.
Tampa Bay is currently the home team favorite at -115. This number may change depending on Tkachuk’s status. It is hard to repeat, and few teams know that better than the Lightning. Consider the win in regulation at +140.
Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning moneyline at -115 via BetMGM
A Very Late Night In Las Vegas
The Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights cannot be pleased with their start after 11:00 p.m. ET. There is potential for this game to last well into the wee hours of the morning on the East Coast. These teams do play Game 3 on Thursday night.
Game 1 was marred by some questionable officiating, an unfortunate linesman injury, and Minnesota’s inability to kill penalties once again. The Wild were scored on twice via the Vegas man advantage in the 4-2 defeat.
Alas, Minnesota still has not learned its lesson from past playoff failures. Vegas has a dynamic power play that ranked 2nd in the NHL at 28.3%. The Wild’s penalty kill improved slightly to 72.4%, but that is not good enough.
Several options with the Vegas game totals are reasonable choices. However, one risk is to look for an empty-net goal, similar to Game 1. A late Vegas lead plays into the potential for the spread to cover and the empty netter in one neat bow.
Best Bet: Empty Net Goal to be scored +115 via BetMGM
Read the full article here
