The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs keep rolling along, and the second round is starting to become set-in-stone with Friday being the first matchup between the Rangers and Hurricanes. Damn, this shit moves fast! But we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, as there were a few teams last night that staved off elimination, keeping the golf clubs in the garage for the time being.
It all started with the Leafs vs Bruins marquee matchup and my lord, the Bruins did not look ready to play on home ice. These boys must’ve had their head in the clouds, completely spacing out during the game because of how much they’ve dominated the Leafs to this point. Well, that came back to bite em’. The Leafs looked better without Matthews in all honesty, and there couldn’t be a worse look for Marchand than getting absolutely bundled by the linesman. That was a symbol for what was to come in a night where the only Bruin of note was Jeremy Swayman (again). The Leafs want to play more hockey, and I can’t wait for game six.
Then, there was the Islanders vs Canes. Just not an exciting enough brand of hockey for me, but the Isles hung around with Carolina through game five, just as they have all series. The Canes shoved it up my hoop after I said in my last article that they can’t generate enough offence: 20+ SOG in the 1st period is pretty damn good offence last time I checked. The Canes (especially at home) are a nightmare situation for any team – it’s like going into the lion’s den with 50 pounds of raw meat strapped to you. That’s what happened to the poor Isles throughout the series; on to the NYR for the Canes.
And then the most heartbreaking of the matchups on the night, Colorado vs Winnipeg. Well slap my ass and call me Sally – this Avs team is for real. The offence is a cheat code similar to the unlimited money cheat code in GTA. Winnipeg is a damn good team, and they were made to look like fraud artists out there. Just look back at the Nichushkin goal in the first. Innocent entry into the zone, hit the trailing defenseman, and Nichushkin already had his stick cocked near the bottom of the circle on the opposite side of the ice to nail the one-tee. Like, how do you defend that? You don’t, and that was a common theme throughout the series. This may have confirmed my next futures bet for the Avs in round two.
And last but not least, the snoozefest in Vancouver. Another game of under 50 shots total between the two teams, another 1-1 game heading into the last ten minutes. Proud of Nashville for gutting that out, but I was about ready to be done with this series. Nevertheless, you can never complain about getting too much Playoff Hockey.
On to tonight, where we only have two games on the slate. But never fear, we have ten player props with good data to back them up, and another two same-game-parlays after nailing one of them last night at over +400. Let’s go people!
*Units for me will be $100 bets. Bet responsibly.
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Game: Vegas Golden Knights vs Dallas Stars, 5:30 p.m. CST
Uh oh, Dallas is starting to take this series over. Stealing two games on the road is rare. Both teams stealing two games on the road is absurd. But give credit to the Stars, they were the best road team in the regular season.
The Stars seem to be hitting on all cylinders right now, with the offence stepping up in a big way due largely to the play of Wyatt Johnston. This kid is a stud, and he generates offence and scoring chances like it’s what he was born to do. I implore Dallas fans to start the “SUCK MY JOHNSTON” chant in the arena tonight. We’re also finally starting to see some of that superior forward depth show through after both teams’ forwards are starting to get worn down with the physical play in games one, two, and three. Oettinger gets better every game, and big daddy Heiskanen is a stalwart on the back end.
VGK has to get their big guys going. Eichel with three shots last game, Stone yet to make a very big impact; and the depth isn’t getting on the score sheet either lately. Meanwhile, it appears as though this defence is sleepwalking at times, and Logan “Brodeur” Thompson is legitimately the only reason this series isn’t 3-1 or 4-0 DAL. The only period VGK looked superior was the last game in the third period, so some of that may carry over. Then again, that’s when the Stars went full shell mode to protect the lead, so I wouldn’t bet on it.
Picks:
- Eichel Over 3.5 SOG (+100) 0.25u – He failed us last time out with 2 SOG, but still hit 6 and 5 SOG the two games before that, and he leads this series in shot attempts at 33 (~8 shot-attempts-per-game (SAPG)). If he’s ripping the cover off the puck that much, count me in for positive regression.
- Hanifin Over 1.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u – Hanifin is due tonight with how many shots he’s been attempting, along with the big minutes he’s been getting. 21 shot attempts in the series (~5 SAPG) and he only has to get two on net tonight? He’s done this in his last two games, and I expect that trend to continue here.
- Marchessault Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u – I’m no stranger to taking Marchy’s over on SOG, and for good reason. He blasted 7 SOG through last game, and has 24 shot attempts in the series (6 SAPG). Before last game, he had 3, 2, and 3 SOG. Let’s take a ¾ hit rate and high SAPG number to the bank.
- Robertson Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u – This should be 3.5 SOG, no doubt about it. Robertson is second in this series with 29 shot attempts (~7 SAPG) and has hit over this line in three out of the four matchups. The primary sniper for the Stars, expect him to keep firing tonight.
- Hanifin Over 1.5 Blocked Shots (-150) 0.25u – That’s right, double bubble for Hanifin! He gets SOG, but he also loves to wear some rubber for the boys. At 8 total blocked shots in this series (hitting this line in ¾) this is too good to pass up.
Game: LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers, 8:00 p.m. CST
There sure as hell isn’t going to be any Hollywood ending for this LA team in a third straight first round series against Edmonton. Sorry King’s fans, I’m betting the Oilers beat the wheels off your team tonight.
Edmonton has to feel #blessed coming away with that win in game four. They had no business winning that game, only getting off 13 SOG total; it was a disgrace. And yet, there was Skinner, a knight in shining blue and orange armour, nabbing the first shutout of the playoffs. The kid showed up huge, and I hope the boys untied his skates and took his equipment off for him after saving their ass like that. But hey, it’s a new night, and McDavid is still on this team. And Draisaitl. And 50 goal man Hyman. And offensive dynamo Bouchard. I mean, c’mon now, it’s EDM and COL at the top offensively and then there’s every other team.
The Kings will still come out stingy as they did in game four, but Edmonton won’t be sleep walking through the game again, as they’ll want to finish this series at home early to get some more rest before round two. Rittich or Talbot tending the cage, it won’t make much of a difference. Oiltown, get ready for the easiest second round matchup there is, where they’ll have the winner of VAN/NSH. Great to be an Oiler fan right now.
Picks:
- Fiala Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u – Fiala should tear this line up with how he’s been playing in this series. 34 shot attempts over the 4 games (8.5 SAPG) and 4, 3, 4, and 3 SOG. That’s good for a 100% hit rate in the series, so sure, why not.
- Kempe Over 3.5 SOG (+110) 0.25u – A little bit juicy at +110, Kempe is averaging almost 8 SAPG and hits the net a bit more than Fiala, racking up 2, 4, 7, and 5 SOG in the four games this series. Good for a ¾ hit rate, add it to the list.
- Kopitar Over 1.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u – I find this line to be quite low considering Kopitar plays ~20 minutes a night and averages almost 4 SAPG in this series. The guy hits the net too, hitting over this line in the last three games. Let’s go tinted visor twine tickler.
- Bouchard Over 2.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u – C’mon, quarterback for Edmonton’s PP1? This line should be higher. 28 shot attempts in this series (7 SAPG) and 2, 5, 4, and 3 SOG for a ¾ hit rate. Bobby Bouchard is gonna be slinging the rubber tonight.
- Draisaitl Over 2.5 SOG (-140) 0.25u – Similar to Bouchard, what are we doing here? Sure, Drai only had 2 SOG last game. The three games before that? 4, 8, and 3 SOG, good for a 100% hit rate. Drai is ripping anything he can at the net right now, averaging a little over 6 SAPG. Tail this German fireball.
AND …. last but not least, the same-game parlays for tonight’s action:
SGP – VGK vs DAL:
- Over 1.5 Goals VGK + Under 7.5 Goals + Robertson 2+ SOG + Marchessault 2+ SOG + Eichel 3+ SOG + Hanifin 2+ Blocked Shots (+450) 0.1u
SGP – LAK vs EDM:
- Over 2.5 Goals EDM + Over 5.5 Goals + Fiala 2+ SOG + Bouchard 2+ SOG + Draisaitl 2+ SOG + Desharnais 2+ Blocked Shots (+350) 0.1u
Well that’s it people. I will be posting another betting article soon with more NHL Playoff game bets. If you want to make sure you don’t miss these articles, follow me on X at @plusmoneypost as I will be sharing them there.
Summary of Picks
Game: Vegas Golden Knights vs Dallas Stars, 5:30 p.m. CST
Picks:
- Eichel Over 3.5 SOG (+100) 0.25u
- Hanifin Over 1.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u
- Marchessault Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u
- Robertson Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u
- Hanifin Over 1.5 Blocked Shots (-150) 0.25u
- Over 1.5 Goals VGK + Under 7.5 Goals + Robertson 2+ SOG + Marchessault 2+ SOG + Eichel 3+ SOG + Hanifin 2+ Blocked Shots (+450) 0.1u
Game: LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers, 8:00 p.m. CST
Picks:
- Fiala Over 2.5 SOG (-150) 0.25u
- Kempe Over 3.5 SOG (+110) 0.25u
- Kopitar Over 1.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u
- Bouchard Over 2.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u
- Draisaitl Over 2.5 SOG (-140) 0.25u
- Over 2.5 Goals EDM + Over 5.5 Goals + Fiala 2+ SOG + Bouchard 2+ SOG + Draisaitl 2+ SOG + Desharnais 2+ Blocked Shots (+350) 0.1u