Top 3 NHL Betting Picks for Tuesday, August 4 (2020)
After a rough start on Saturday, we rebounded Sunday, going 3-0, as all three dogs prevailed in their respective games. After a few days of play, we’re starting to gain a feel for how players and teams are performing as a whole. Tuesday’s slate offers a few matchups that look advantageous from a betting perspective.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Columbus Blue Jackets (+130) vs. Toronto Maple Leaf (-150)
The first game of this series was tightly contested as expected. Columbus suffocated the Leafs defensively and kept them on the perimeter for the majority of the night. Joonas Korpisalo was stellar in net, making 28 saves en route to his first career postseason shutout.
After two scoreless periods, Cam Atkinson opened the scoring early in the third, which proved to be the game-winning goal. The Jackets would later add an empty netter to seal the deal.
While Toronto didn’t necessarily bring their best game, they weren’t bad and surprisingly played well defensively – typically their biggest deficiency. Auston Matthews was absolutely robbed by Korpisalo on a one-timer and Toronto had a few other high-danger chances.
Columbus is a matchup nightmare for Toronto, but the first game really could have gone either way. Look for Toronto to respond strongly and even the series.
Pick: Toronto -150
Calgary Flames (-130) vs. Winnipeg Jets (+112)
Calgary dominated the first game in this series, but not without controversy. Matt Tkachuk injured Jets star, Mark Scheifele, on a rather innocuous play, which would spark increased animosity between the two squads. Additionally, the Jets also lost star winger, Patrik Laine, to a wrist injury.
These two played yesterday as the Jets were considered major underdogs due to their depleted roster. However, they came out with incredible energy, no doubt motivated by the injury to Scheifele. They would go on to win 3-2 as the Flames couldn’t withstand the pressure and were exceptionally sloppy – especially on the powerplay, where they went 0-6.
Currently, there is no update as to when Scheifele and Laine will return. While the Jets were able to knot the series at 1-1, I don’t believe they’ll be able to sustain the level of emotion and compete demonstrated in game 2.
I believe we’ll see Calgary rebound and take the series lead.
Pick: Calgary -130
Carolina Hurricanes (-150) vs. New York Rangers (+117)
Much of the narrative surrounding this matchup was centered around the season series sweep Carolina suffered at the hands of the Rangers. However, that has been much ado about nothing as Carolina has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead.
On Monday, Carolina dominated the Rangers, defeating them 4-1, thanks in part to Andrei Svechnikov’s hat trick. The Rangers’ biggest problem has been mediocre play by both of their stars – Mike Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. While they have one goal each, they’re the driving force of this team, as it sorely lacks scoring depth.
Facing elimination, we’re going to see high-event hockey. New York is going to have to push the pace and take chances. With that typically comes goal scoring and also poor defensive play.
The total has gone under the first two games, but I think we see the over hit here.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-110)
Overall Playoff Record: 5-3
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Jordan Anderson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jordan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Jordan_A03.