Parlays

The Stanley Cup playoffs get underway on Saturday afternoon as the Carolina Hurricanes will be hosting the Ottawa Senators to lead things off. As winners of the Eastern Conference, the Hurricanes will have the home ice advantage in this series. This is important because they are were tied for the most regular season wins on home ice by any team. Their record at the Lenovo Center this season was 29-10-2. These teams split the regular season series, each winning one game. The Senators are among the most popular picks to pull off a first-round upset. However, I am still worried about their defensive play and goaltending. After all Linus Ullmark went through this season, he finished very strong. If this solid play continues into the playoffs, the Senators stand a real chance to beat the Hurricanes. Ullmark has not been good in the playoffs throughout his career, as he has a 5-10-0 record in 15 starts, with a 3.28 GAA and .885 SVP. The Senators will not be able to score their way through this series as the Hurricanes were the 5th-best defensive team in the league during the regular season, averaging 2.88 goals against per game.

The Hurricanes play a very fast and aggressive forechecking style of game that I think is going to wear down the Senators defense as this series progresses. I expect some nerves in the first game from Ullmark and the Senators, and the veteran lineup of the Hurricanes should be able to capitalize on this. Give me the Hurricanes to get it done in the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Senators vs. Hurricanes prediction: Hurricanes ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs will finally be underway for the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild when the puck drops on Saturday afternoon. The Stars have the home ice advantage in this very evenly matched first round matchup and I believe it will help give the Stars an edge. These 2 teams split the regular season series with two wins apiece. Both of these teams are very good on the defensive side of the puck. They both ranked inside the top 5 teams in the NHL for goals against. The Wild ranked fourth, averaging 2.87 goals against per game and the Stars were the second-best team in that category, averaging 2.71 goals against per game. Both starting netminders had impressive regular season numbers, Jesper Wallstedt of the Wild had a 2.62 GAA, while Jake Oettinger for the Stars has a 2.59 GAA.

I expect these teams to ease themselves into the playoffs with a buttoned up defensive first period as neither team will want to be the first to make a mistake. Playoff games are typically lower scoring, and I think that is what we will see in game one between the Stars and Wild. Give me the under in this one.

Wild vs. Stars prediction: Under 5.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins will begin their best-of-7 first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs when they clash in Game 1 in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Don’t be alarmed by the Penguins’ 3-game losing streak to end the regular season — they had already clinched a playoff spot and home-ice advantage in round 1 prior to that skid. The Pens had previously won 3 in a row before pretty much waving the white flag on the remainder of the regular season. When motivated, this club has been playing good hockey. The Flyers, on the other hand, emptied the tank with a late surge to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2019-20 earlier this week. Although plenty of days off helps, it’s still an advantage for Pittsburgh to have basically rested while Philadelphia was making an emotionally draining push for the playoffs. That’s part of the reason why my Flyers vs Penguins pick is Pittsburgh on the money.

It should also be noted that their split of the 4-game regular-season series hardly tells the real story. The Flyers picked up both of their wins in shootouts; the Pens dominated their 2 victorious contests by a combined 11-4 margin. For those counting, that means (not including shootouts) Pittsburgh outscored Philly by 7 goals in the 4 head-to-head encounters. Sidney Crosby heads into another playoff campaign having recorded multiple assists in 3 of his last 4 outings. In the series opener, I’m backing Crosby and the rest of the Penguins’ veterans to ride their experience to a hard-fought victory over an upstart Flyers squad.

Flyers vs Penguins prediction: Pittsburgh ML (-142) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

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The Atlanta Braves will look to stay red-hot as they hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta has been one of the best offensive teams in baseball this season, batting .276 and averaging 5.6 runs per game. As for the Phillies, they have struggled at the plate, hitting just .229 while averaging 4 runs per game. Taking the mound for the Braves will be the left-hander, Martin Perez, who enters with a 0-1 record and a 3.14 ERa through 3 starts this season. Taijuan Walker will take the mound for the Phillies as he tries to slow down this red-hot Braves offense to keep his team in it. On the season, Walker has struggled, going 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA. 

Atlanta holds the clear advantage offensively and also has the more reliable pitching situation in this matchup. If Walker runs into trouble early, it could spell more trouble for a Phillies bullpen that owns a 4.66 ERA on the season. Walker has yet to pitch beyond 5 innings in any starts this season, which only increases the likelihood that bullpen becomes a factor. While Perez hasn’t gone deep into games either, the Braves bullpen has been far more dependable, posting a 3.06 ERA. The Phillies are just 5-7 at home and have struggled against left-handed pitching, hitting only .178 this season – another key advantage for the Braves. At the end of the day, I don’t think the Phillies have what it takes to keep this game close. Look for the Braves to win big, making them my best bet of the day. 

Braves vs Phillies best bet: Atlanta Braves ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -125.

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Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins have struggled heading into this 3-game series. The Brewers have lost 6 of their last 10, averaging 3.9 runs per game while supporting a 4.65 ERA. For the Marlins, they’ve lost 7 of their last 10, averaging the same 3.9 runs per game while holding a 4.19 team ERA. As the Brewers look to get back on track, they’ll be handing the ball over to the rookie Robert Gasser, who will be making his first start of the season. In spring training, Gasser allowed 14 hits, giving up 7 runs and striking out 14 in 12.1 innings pitched. For the Marlins, Janson Junk will be looking for his first win of the season, entering with a 0-2 record and a 4.32 ERA through 3 starts. 

Despite their recent struggles, the Brewers still hold a 10-8 record and have shown signs of improvement on the mound, allowing just 2 earned runs over their last 2 games against Toronto. While the offense hasn’t been firing on all cylinders, this is still a dangerous lineup, as William Contreras (.317), Christian Yelich (.314) and Brice Turand (.300) offer plenty of production to challenge Junk in this matchup. The Marlins are averaging 4.6 runs per game this season compared to the Brewers 5.1, and they hold a slight edge in the bullpen with a 3.30 ERA versus the Brewers’ 4.00. Still, the overall lineup advantage sits with the Brewers.

While there’s a question mark around Gasser and how he’ll perform in his first major league start this season, Milwaukee has what it takes to get to Junk early and pick up a convincing win.

Brewers vs Marlins prediction: Milwaukee Brewers ML (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The red-hot Los Angeles Dodgers will travel to the Mile High City to take on the Colorado Rockies on Friday night. The Dodgers come into this game riding a 3-game win streak and have won 8 of their last 10 games. Tyler Glasnow is projected to get the start for the Dodgers, and he has been solid in his first 3 outings with a 4.00 ERA across 18.0 innings pitched, having struck out no fewer than 6 batters in each of them.

The Dodgers are leading the MLB in runs scored per game, averaging 5.8 per game. In fact, they are leading all major offensive stat categories, and I expect this to continue at Coors Field. Much of the Dodgers lineup has not faced the Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sogano, but look out for Shohei Ohtani, who is 2-for-2 against the right-hander with 2 home runs. Outside of 1 or 2 bats in their lineup, the Rockies do not have much offensive power. Going up against Glasnow does not make things any easier. I think the Dodgers will continue their good play and take the win by the necessary margin. Give me the Dodgers in this one.

Dodgers vs Rockies prediction: Los Angeles -1.5 (-185) available at time of publishing. Playable to -200.

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The Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic meet in a win or go home Eastern Conference play-in matchup, and the contrast in momentum couldn’t be more pronounced. Charlotte enters with confidence after an impressive late season push, showcasing one of the more explosive offenses among play-in teams. Charlotte is not led by one player which makes them unique. The Hornets have leaned into a fast paced, high scoring identity, consistently generating efficient looks from three and in transition. They’ve also had success in this matchup, winning the season series and finding ways to exploit Orlando’s perimeter defense. For a franchise that hasn’t had much recent postseason success, the opportunity to make a playoff run adds another layer of urgency and energy to this group.

Orlando, meanwhile, continues to trend in the wrong direction following a late-season collapse — including a damaging loss to Boston’s reserves that raised serious concerns about its mental state. Despite the presence of Paolo Banchero, the Magic have struggled to generate consistent offense — particularly from beyond the arc — and have lacked rhythm in high-pressure situations. The overall vibe suggests a team that may simply need the offseason to reset, especially compared to a Hornets squad playing with confidence and momentum. From a betting perspective, Charlotte appears to be the right side given current form and matchup advantages — although the heavy public backing (around 66 percentof bets) introduces some hesitation. Still, in a game likely decided by shot creation and confidence, the edge leans toward Charlotte’s dynamic offense and upward trajectory.

Hornets vs Magic prediction: Charlotte -3.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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After an electric, come-from-behind win in Los Angeles against the Clippers, the Golden State Warriors will try to sneak their way into the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Stephen Curry looked like the best version of himself with 35 points, while Draymond Green sealed the win with 2 big steals near the end of regulation.

To escape the play-in, the Warriors will need to go through the Phoenix Suns. The Suns lost their previous game 114-110 to the Portland Trail Blazers, as Jalen Green led the Suns with 35 points. However, Phoenix could not do enough to slow down Deni Avdija, who finished the game with 41 points. So far, each play-in game has been competitive, and I’m not expecting anything different between division rivals tonight. The Warriors won 3 out of 4 games against the Suns this season, but the last time these teams played was February 5th, a game won by the Warriors 101-97. That game was played in Phoenix but did not feature Devin Booker or Stephen Curry.

The Suns will be near full health, and the Warriors should feature the same lineup displayed against the Clippers. The only uncertainty is Kristaps Porzingis being listed as a gametime decision with an ankle injury, but I expect he ends up playing. The Warriors will need Porzingis against a Suns team that loves to crash the offensive boards. Phoenix has been a tough team all season that has punched above their talent level on the glass. The Suns rank 4th in the NBA with 13 offensive rebounds per game. The Warriors will need to try to limit second chance points with the aging bigs of Draymond Green and Al Horford, and on top of that, an injured Porzingis. The Warriors have struggled on the glass all season, ranking 24th in the NBA in defensive rebounds.

After the loss against Portland, I expect Phoenix to feel the pressure and turn up the defensive effort in this game. The Suns rank 4th in the NBA in steals with 9.5 per game. This may not be a problem for Curry, but Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II could struggle with turnovers. As much as I would love to see Curry in the postseason, this feels like a letdown spot after an emotional win for the Warriors. The Suns have shown they have consistently been the better team all season, and I believe that shows in tonight’s game.

Warriors vs Suns best bet: Phoenix Suns -3 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -5.

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