Ryan Hodges
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The only thing better than playoff hockey is playoff hockey on the weekend. Fans get a full Saturday to enjoy spring weather or be productive and knock out any chores before the action begins. Toronto-Tampa Bay, New Jersey-New York, and Edmonton-Los Angeles have been must-watch series for hockey fans. With 3 clinching opportunities on Saturday, these games will bring every bit of intensity as these 6 teams will leave it all out there on the ice. These Game 6s will be a treat to hockey and sports fans all around for a great Saturday night.
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning Over 6.5 (-110)
New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils Under 5.5 (-120)
Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+150) vs Los Angeles Kings
NHL parlay odds: +775
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning Over 6.5 (-110)
Game 5 is the only one in this series thus far to stay under 6.5. It didn’t miss by much, as the total was still 6 with a 4-2 Lightning win. It’s not that Toronto and Tampa Bay are abandoning the defensive side of the puck. But when it comes to the question of which side of the puck they are stronger on, the answer for both teams is the offensive side. The Lightning and Maple Leafs finished ranked 8th and 9th, respectively, in the NHL in goals scored per game. They also finished 2nd and 3rd in the league in powerplay percentage. The offense on display in this series is no surprise and also aligns with season-long trends of each team.
Thursday’s under was the 2nd one in the last 8 head-to-head games between these teams combining the regular season and postseason. In both unders, the game needed just 1 more goal to push or go over. Toronto and Tampa Bay don’t play 2-0, 3-1 games against one another. Totals climb when these teams share the ice. Sheldon Keefe is not telling Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander to go out and keep the other team from scoring. Their job is to produce and they do their job well. The same can be said on the other side concerning Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and company. Offensive talent is too deep and these teams are too familiar to not keep the trends rolling.
Make sure to check out our full NHL predictions for Saturday’s slate.
New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils Under 5.5 (-120)
One of the Rangers and Devils has been held to 1 or no goals in all 5 games of this series. In Games 2-5 not a single total went above 4 goals. The Rangers ranked 4th in the NHL in goal prevention during the regular season and the Devils were not far behind at 8th in the league. Despite the strong goal prevention, the over was 3-1 in Devils-Rangers games this season. It looked like the Devils’ strong scoring the Rangers’ deadline acquisitions would neutralize solid defense to keep overs trends rolling. But that just has not happened. There is a very thin margin of error right now and they will continue to play tight as to not allow those potential errors.
The Devils appeared to have not made a single adjustment after losing the series opener 5-1 because they lost Game 2 by the exact same margin. Adjustments were made after that, though, as New Jersey has allowed just 2 goals in 3 games since. Considering the talent and pedigree of the Rangers’ roster as well as the high stakes of the series, that is extremely impressive. Whatever they figured out, the Rangers have not adjusted themselves. If they have tried, it has not been successful. That’s not to say that can’t change. Hockey is a game of adjustments. But despite the sparse play of each team, the constant has been low totals. There has been no indication that will change any time soon.
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Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+150) vs Los Angeles Oilers
The Kings and Oilers traded punches in the first 3 games of this series. But in the last 5 periods, Edmonton has taken full control on the scoreboard. Since going down 3-0 in Game 4, the Oilers have outscored the Kings 11-4 and took both games along the way. The Kings have a very balanced team that had a great regular season and that has kept them in this series. But the 2–arguably 3–best players in this series are all on the Edmonton side. Los Angeles does not have a Connor McDavid or a Leon Draisaitl. It arguably doesn’t have a Ryan-Nugent Hopkins or Zach Hyman, either, as all of those guys had more points than the Kings’ top point producer this season. If Edmonton’s big guns come out blazing, Los Angeles is in trouble.
This is another series where there has been a thin margin of error…until Game 5, that is. The Oilers were solid against the spread this season which Tuesday’s game reinforced. The Kings were good against the spread this season as well, but more so on the road. To replicate this game, the Kings’ home record against the spread is 21-22 while the Oilers’ road record against the spread is 24-19. Edmonton will not be rattled going on the road again and they have already proven that they can produce in the Kings’ barn. Edmonton wants to get this series over with and 2 of the best players in the world will make sure that is the case.
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