The opening round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs is officially in the books. Now the postseason continues on Monday night with a 2-game slate. The action begins with Game 2 between the Flyers and Hurricanes, which will be followed by Game 1 between the Ducks and Golden Knights.
If you will be tuning in and want to have some action, I have picked out my 2 NHL best bets for the playoff slate on Monday, May 4, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also be sure to check out our NHL predictions for both games tonight and EVERY game throughout the playoffs.
NHL best bet: Hurricanes -1.5 over Flyers (+110)
The Hurricanes carried over their domination from the first round into Game 1 against the Flyers. Carolina beat Philadelphia 3-0 to take a 1-0 series lead. A 3-0 final does not exactly sound like a complete beatdown, but after 2 periods Carolina was outshooting Philadelphia 21 to nothing and already had 3-0 lead. The Flyers never really threatened and the Hurricanes spent the third period playing conservatively to seal the win. With that result, the ‘Canes are now 5-0 in this postseason with a +9 goal differential, as well as 25.8 shots allowed per game and just 1.00 goals allowed per game.
At this point, the Hurricanes are a great team to ride until or unless they prove otherwise. With all due respect to the Senators and Flyers, the Hurricanes have arguably the easiest path to the conference finals than any of the other 15 teams that made the playoffs. They are proving as such right now, and they know the importance of closing out teams efficiently. Carolina is now 4-0-1 against Philadelphia in 5 games played this year between the regular season and playoffs. Somewhat surprisingly, all 4 regular-season matchups went beyond regulation. So the ‘Canes played even better against the Flyers in the playoffs than they did in lower-leverage games in the regular season. The Hurricanes have given no reason to fade them, and Monday at home sets up well for them to once again win in convincing fashion.
Get our Flyers vs Hurricanes prediction
NHL best bet: Ducks vs Golden Knights Over 6.5 (+105)
High totals have been rolling for both the Ducks and Golden Knights in these playoffs. The average game total in the Golden Knights’ opening series was 6.83, and for the Ducks it was 7.83. That is not horribly surprising for an Anaheim team that ranked 29th in the NHL in the regular season in goals allowed per game. Combined with their strong offensive production, the Ducks’ average game total during the regular season was 6.74. Team strengths and weaknesses have both been amplified in the playoffs.
The Ducks have scored the most goals per game in the playoffs so far with 4.33. Just behind them, ranked third among playoff teams, are the Golden Knights at 3.83. On the goal prevention side, Anaheim and Vegas rank 13th and 10th, respectively, in goals allowed per game with 3.50 and 3.00. These teams are both loaded with offensive talent that drove them to success in the first round. But neither team is keeping the puck out of the net. Until one of those strengths subsides or weaknesses improve, the over still has a great look in Anaheim and Vegas games. The pure matchup between these teams looks great for high totals. The plus money here, as well, is decent value.
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