The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs’ first round is just wrapping up, and we have some do-or-die games on the docket tonight that’ll bring enough excitement to get the fans real horned up.
But first, back to the action last night. This was the Leafs team that everyone expected to see in the Playoffs. I don’t know if the Core Four sat down after game four and had a heart-to-heart, crying on each others’ shoulders, listening to Alanis Morissette. I don’t know if they went on an absolute bender and put in a shift at the local stripjoint. Whatever they did, they figured it out. A stellar performance by Marner in game five backed up by a Hiroshima Nuclear performance on the part of Nylander in game six. And all of this without Pablo Matthews in the lineup. The Leafs’ defence has definitely tightened up, and are starting to look more like a middle-aged woman proficient in kegel exercises. Tight like a tiger. Woll has been a wall in the cage since coming in, as his name prescribes. And now, we head to game seven, where all of Southie will have their buttholes puckered, suffering from fever dreams of the 3-1 blown lead to Florida last year.
Tonight, we start with the matchup in Sin City, where Dallas has a chance to pull off the all-to-embarassing reverse sweep on the Golden Knights. Glass Banger got on the board for #TexasHockey at home in game five, and Biz is crying real tears after seeing ESPN analysts stroke him off for being a good fan. Then, we move back to Smashville for game six, with the gift of a matchup with Oiltown in round two. Canucks …. fraudulent. Nashville …. overmatched. Zadorov …. absolute beauty.
So let’s get to the action. A couple of game picks for the slate, coupled with some player props to get everything in motion. Let’s get to it, champs.
*Units for me will be $100 bets. Bet responsibly.
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Game: Vancouver Canucks vs Nashville Predators, 5:00 p.m. CST
We play hockey on ice right? Well, let’s take a look at this. An Orca (mascot for the canucks) gets stuck on the ice and is surrounded by a pack of sabre-tooth tigers. I think the sportsbooks are going to have those predators as a -10000 favourite to tear that Orca’s shit up. And I think the same thing happens here.
Juuse Saros has been the weak link for Nashville, yet the numbers look like hot garbage for a reason. Van City just hates to shoot the puck on the net. HATES IT. They wouldn’t even shoot the puck if there was a fire.
But c’mon now, let’s give some credit to Smashville. This squad has really stuck to their zone defence throughout the series, limiting chances for the Canucks with enough shot blocks to make Mutombo’s finger sore. The offence has responded in kind, with Forsberg looking like his distant uncle out there (love me some Petey Fors) and O’Reilly bringing the culture and leadership (well, not the same culture as he was known for in the past):
And this Canucks team just isn’t built for the playoffs. Petey = soft. Hughes = fragile. Tyler Myers = bricks for feet. While they do have some pieces to help get things done at this point in the year, and I just don’t think they have that Big Dick Energy to close this one out on the road. Regardless of my feelings on the male anatomy of this squad, here are the results through the series, with a little description of what happened in those games:
- Game One: VAN plays a pretty good game, gets 21 SOG, wins 4-2
- Game Two: NSH bonecrushes VAN 4-1, VAN has 18 SOG
- Game Three: VAN sneaks out a 2-1 win where they were heavily outplayed and outshot 30-12
- Game Four: VAN is losing by two with three minutes left. Scores two empty netters and wins in OT 4-3 with 21 SOG
- Game Five: NSH gets the 2-1 W in Regulation and VAN has 20 SOG.
There’s a very good case for Nashville 4-1 in the series. Couple that with the fact that the Under has hit in ⅗ games (would have been ⅘ had the Canucks not scored two EN’s in game four), and these two picks are easy.
Picks:
- Nashville Moneyline (-125) 0.5u – See above
- Under 5.5 Goals (-110) 0.5u – See above
- Zucker Over 1.5 SOG (-175) 0.5u – Zucker is the only guy we can trust for an Over on his SOG prop. The line is pretty minus heavy, but this guy is about as auto as it gets. 4, 3, 2, 1, and 3 SOG throughout this series, good for a ⅘ hit rate. He’s also hit this mark in 85% of his last 20 games. Nails.
- Boeser Under 2.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u – A little flyer on Brock to keep missing nets and hitting shin pads. 1, 1, and 1 SOG the first three games of the series, and 2 SOG last game, good for a ⅘ hit rate.
Game: Dallas Stars vs Vegas Golden Knights, 8:00 p.m. CST
Oh jeez, I really hope that the Dallas boys didn’t hit the Vegas strip last night before this huge game. Who am I kidding, this ain’t the hockey players of the 80’s anymore. The boys probably had liquid IV’s in their arms while they were chilling in cryo chambers last night, drinking their kale smoothies. Nerds.
Nah, but for real. This is gonna be a hell of a game. The Knights are trying to stave off elimination, and with the way these playoffs have gone between close teams, I can’t count them out. With all the LTIR hate I give these guys, they can play puck. Stone has to be the meanest looking motherfucker out there, and Eichel has been flying around out there like the world’s fastest carrier pigeon. Give em’ credit, they’ve put up a fight against the Stars. It’s just not enough, and that’s on the back of goaltending from Thompson and Hill that would melt your socks off faster than Usain Bolt sprinting down a concrete runway.
(Sorry Jon Jones fans, this one was too good to pass up)
Watching every game of this series, it’s clear Dallas is driving the play. VGK has been opportunistic, but the Stars make their own opportunities at a much higher rate. There’s some work for Oettinger to do, as that Carrier goal last game made him look like a Junior B level goaltender. Nevertheless, Dallas is playing like the better team right now. Add to it that the Stars should have had 1-2 more goals last game with some missed wide-open nets, and Vegas hasn’t scored less than two goals this whole series. While elimination games are always tight, this one has the offensive firepower to just clear this Over.
Picks:
- Dallas Stars Moneyline (-115) 0.5u – See above
- Over 5.5 Goals (-120) 0.5u – See above
- Marchessault Over 2.5 SOG (-160) 0.5u – I’m expecting Marchessault to bounce back here after only 2 SOG last time. He had 7, 3, 2, and 3 SOG through the other games in this series. While the hit rate isn’t stellar (⅗), he only missed the line by 1 SOG the two times he’s missed, and he averaged 3.24 SPG on the season.
- Robertson Over 2.5 SOG (-160) 0.5u – He’s automatic, ma-ma-matic. This guy is sick when it comes to shooting rubber. 5, 3, 4, 2, and 3 SOG through the series, good for a ⅘ hit rate. Also, he has nearly 7.5 shot attempts per game. Hit that shit DJ.
Well that’s it people. I will be posting another betting article soon with more NHL Playoff game bets, along with an article on Futures. 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: Vancouver Canucks vs Nashville Predators, 5:00 p.m. CST
Picks:
- Nashville Moneyline (-125) 0.5u
- Under 5.5 Goals (-110) 0.5u
- Zucker Over 1.5 SOG (-175) 0.5u
- Boeser Under 2.5 SOG (-125) 0.25u
Game: Dallas Stars vs Vegas Golden Knights, 8:00 p.m. CST
Picks:
- Dallas Stars Moneyline (-115) 0.5u
- Over 5.5 Goals (-120) 0.5u
- Marchessault Over 2.5 SOG (-160) 0.5u
- Robertson Over 2.5 SOG (-160) 0.5u