After winning two series' that were loaded with drama, the Canadiens now play against a Hurricanes team that has won two series' that have been anything but dramatic. Although Carolina has bullied teams on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, Montreal has had their number this year. This one has the makings of a much longer series than the Hurricanes have played thus far. It all begins tonight!
I have picked out my Canadiens vs Hurricanes Same Game Parlay picks for Game 1 on Thursday, May 21, with lines and odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Also be sure to check out our NHL predictions for the game tonight and EVERY game throughout the playoffs.
Hurricanes ML (-205)
Under 5.5 (+114)
Logan Stankoven over 0.5 points (-125)
The Canadiens somewhat surprisingly swept the season series against the Hurricanes this year. The games were not particularly close, either. This one looks a little bit different, though. Now, the Hurricanes enter this matchup against the Canadiens on a 9-game winning streak and 7-game home winning streak. In Carolina’s undefeated run to the Eastern Conference Finals, they have outscored teams 24-10, have 2 shutouts, and their penalty kill is at 95%. The Hurricanes are absolutely buzzing.
Even though the Canadiens got the best of the head to head matchups this year, the Hurricanes have earned the benefit of the doubt. This is a great team to ride while they are this hot. If the Canadiens win, tip of the cap and move on. But it’s difficult to justify fading Carolina because they “might” be due for a loss against a team that has already beat them. In addition to their phenomenal form, the Hurricanes also have a true differentiated home-ice advantage. Carolina was the best home team in the NHL this year, with a 29-10-2 home record and 3.88 goals scored per game. The atmosphere will be electric, this team is more rested, they are healthy, and they have not showed a single sign of slowing down. This is a team to ride.
The under has been rolling in Hurricanes games in this postseason. They have completely shut down opponents to the tune of just 1.25 goals allowed per game on 25.1 shots allowed per game. If they can carry over a form of that strength even close to what they have shown this postseason, the under will have a great look. They are scoring a respectable 3.00 goals per game, but that is middle of the pack of all 16 playoff teams. But they don’t need to score any more than that because of how much they have limited their opponents. Carolina’s goal prevention strength and style of play bodes well for another under.
To no surprise, the under has hit in 10 out of Carolina’s last 11 games. Montreal had a high-scoring series against Buffalo, but a low scoring series against Tampa. The last time the Canadiens played against a team that excels in goal prevention, the under followed suit. The Lightning ranked 3rd in the NHL in the regular season in goals allowed per game, and 2nd in these playoffs behind the Hurricanes. With that, the average total in the Canadiens-Lightning series was 4.43 goals. Now facing the only team better in goal prevention, the Canadiens could have a tougher time generating offensive chances than they did in their prior series against Buffalo. The goal prevention strength of Carolina and the trends of both teams bode well for a nice plus-money under.
Although this could be a low-scoring affair, there is still some very high-end offense in this series. One such high-end offensive player is Logan Stankoven. Someone will have to score in this game at some point. Getting Stankoven to be involved at -125 to bring better value to this same-game parlay is decent value. Stankoven is just 22 years old, and has already played in 2 Conference Finals'. This is a guy that has become one of the more important pieces on an elite team. He continues to be so in the playoffs.
During the regular season, Stankoven had 21 goals and 44 points which was the best of his 3 seasons. He is still learning and getting better and better, while simultaneously scoring big goals and making plays in high-leverage games along the way. Stankoven has 7 goals and 8 points in 8 games played this postseason, along with a +8 rating in nearly 17 minutes of ice-time per game. His strong play has rightfully earned him a consistent spot in the team’s top 2 lines and power play. He is currently centering Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, both of whom have been great this postseason, and is on the 2nd power play with those guys, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Alexander Nikishin. Every time Stankoven steps on the ice is a chance to produce with fellow excellent players.
