NHL Picks

The Boston Bruins changed up the goaltender situation in Game 2, and it came back to burn them. While Linus Ullmark didn’t necessarily play poorly in Game 2, allowing just three goals on 34 shots, he took the loss. Jeremy Swayman sparkled in Game 1, allowing just one goal on 35 shots, and if he is able to grab the win in Game 3, fans will be up in arms if the goaltender rotation, which served Boston well in the regular season, is to continue. Despite the Game 2 loss, Boston has still won eight of the past nine meetings in this series, including each of the past three trips to Toronto, so the B’s are worth backing.

Aside from the Boston dominance, bettors should bet against history when considering Toronto. The Maple Leafs have been cursed in the postseason. This organization hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. It advanced to the second round of the playoffs last season, but that was just the first time since 2004 that it had been out of the first round. Toronto has lost the past four playoff series against the Bruins in the past 15 seasons. Whenever the Leafs take a step forward, such as Game 2, there has inevitably been a step back. If it is to win Game 3, there would still be a ton of ghosts to rid, should they have a series advantage into Game 4. Back the safer side, and that’s Boston.

Bruins ML (-105) at time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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The Boston Bruins look to re-gain home-ice advantage after losing it in Monday’s 3-2 loss at TD Garden in Game 2. The Bruins were limited to just two goals, which was their worst production in a game against the Maple Leafs since losing 2-1 on Nov. 5, 2022 in Toronto, a span of nine games. Despite the two goals in Game 2, Boston is still averaging a healthy 3.5 goals per game in the past nine times against Toronto, a total of 33 goals. The B’s have scored at least four goals in six of the past nine skates with the Maple Leafs, too, while outscoring Toronto 20-8 in four regular-season matchups and Game 1.

The Over has cashed in two of the past three meetings at Scotiabank Arena. And I believe the total goes Over, ever so slightly, with the change of venue for this pivotal Game 3. The Under result in Game 2 actually halted a six-game run to the Over for the Maple Leafs. This team scores a lot, it gives up plenty, and it likes to play an up-tempo style, relying upon its high-octane offense and expensive forwards to get the job done. The defense and goaltending is mediocre, at best, and that’s been the combination in Toronto for a while. Look for some fire-wagon hockey in Game 3.

Over 6 (+100) at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

Game 2 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars will take place tonight and it is certain to be a good one. Vegas was able to secure a 4-3 victory in Game 1 and steal home ice advantage. Now, the Knights want to take a stranglehold of the series by securing another road win. The Stars are a very good team, but they have to have a much better start in this game and they need a strong performance from Jake Oettinger in net. 

The Stars netminder saw just 15 shots on goal but gave up 4 goals, which is exceptionally rare for a goalie of his caliber. That’s just not going to cut it at this point of the year. Dallas did everything right by limiting quality chances and shots on goal, but they couldn’t get a save. Oettinger hasn’t been elite this season, but he can turn everything around with a strong start in Game 2. Vegas is going to want to find a way to generate more offense. They may have come away with the win, but if they don’t get more scoring opportunities, they aren’t going to win many more goals. This could end up being a defensive battle, which is what Dallas wants to see. They have the advantage at home and don’t really need to change their game plan, they just need their goalie to be better. Look for Dallas to even up the series with a regulation win.

Stars 3-Way ML (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

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The total for this game opened at 5.5 but has since moved to 6.0. Both teams combined for 7 goals in the first team, but they collectively scored on 8.5% of their shots. That is a very high number, so it’s unlikely that they maintain that number in Game 2. There is no shortage of offence on both sides, so we should still expect goals to be scored.

The wildcard tonight will be the play of Jake Oettinger. He stopped just 11 of the 15 shots towards him and that just isn’t acceptable. We’ve seen him struggle at different points in the season, but this is a new level. The Stars were able to limit chances but just didn’t get the goaltending. Vegas is going to want to generate more quality chances, so if Oettinger isn’t on his game, they will score just as many goals tonight. We might need an empty-net goal to get there or we could see both goalies fail to stop pucks.

Over 6.0 available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers return to the ice for Game 2 of their Round 1 matchup in the NHL Playoffs. The Oilers kicked off this playoff season in a tremendous way, by scoring 7 goals and earning a 1-0 series lead in emphatic fashion. This was the perfect way to start off, but the Kings proved they won’t fold, as they scored 4 goals of their own on the road. How will the second game of this series play out?

I think this game will be a lot closer than the first one. Edmonton came out flying, and made it impossible for the Kings to get chances early on. However, both teams now have their feet wet, and it may be difficult for the Oilers to get such a high energy level from themselves and the crowd. The Kings are a proud team that is full of veterans, so they are not going to give up this quickly. Even if they do not win this game, I think the Kings can shut the Oilers down far more than they did in the last game. Take the Kings +1.5 on the puck line to keep this game within one goal.

Kings +1.5 (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Game 1 was exciting and gave us 11 total goals. I believe it will be an offensive series, and while I don’t expect 11 goals, I expect to see another high-scoring affair. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers seem highly motivated to go deep, meaning their stellar offense will be on display. This will be tough for the Kings to stop yet again. Although, Los Angeles’ offense also looks alive, as they scored 4 times and took almost 40 shots. This will be another shootout of a game, so take the over.

Over 6.0 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.