It's the greatest two words in sports: Game 7. There are three Game 7s on today's Stanley Cup Playoff slate followed by another pair of games tomorrow night. I'm putting together a parlay today that will sprinkle in a little bit of action from each game. This NHL parlay pays +413 via FanDuel.
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Bet $10, Win $200 if Either Team Scores a Goal
Boston Bruins (+110) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-132) O/U 5.5
(Puck Drop: 4:30 p.m. ET)
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes is set for a 4:30 ET puck drop from Raleigh, NC. The location is the most significant piece of the previous sentence considering the home team has won all six matchups in this series. I won't attempt to buck that trend tonight, so I'll be rolling with the Canes to win tonight's game and advance to the next round.
Carolina has outscored Boston 15-4 when playing at home in the postseason and that's a trend carried over from the regular season, where the Canes were 1-0 at home with a 3-0 win. Carolina was one of the best teams at home this season, boasting a record of 29-8-4. There isn't much of a statistical advantage to be had in this game and it's pretty clear how evenly matched these two teams are when it comes to both skill and the "will to win". I like for the Canes to edge out the Bruins at home today.
Leg 1: Hurricanes ML
Tampa Bay Lightning (+105) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-126) O/U 6.5
(Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET)
Perhaps the most anticipated game on today's slate comes north of the border, as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7. The Bolts are putting their back-to-back titles on the line tonight while the Leafs are looking to make it out of the first round for the first time since 2003-2004. You can expect a little bit of everything in this game, but most importantly, I expect a Tampa Bay win as slight underdogs. This game gets underway at 7:00 ET in Toronto.
I have to take a flier on the Lightning with a plus-money payout to advance tonight. They're the back-to-back reigning champs and they're taking on a team that's become the laughing stock of the league in recent history due to their inability to escape the first round. There are a couple of reasons that I like the Lightning to advance in the series. For starters, they have the more experienced team, particularly at goaltender. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the most dependable netminder in playoff hockey over the past two-plus seasons. While his GAA (3.37) is a little inflated due to facing one of the more powerful offenses in the game, there's no one else that I'd rather rely on between the pipes than Vasilevskiy when it comes to playoff hockey. Additionally, Tampa Bay has been better on both the power play and penalty kill this series. The Bolts have the seventh-ranked PP (22.6%) compared to the 11th-ranked Leafs' PP (16.0%). With penalties likely to be scarce tonight, look for Tampa to capitalize on any man-advantage opportunities and win this game.
Leg 2: Lightning ML
Los Angeles Kings (+180) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-220) O/U 6.5
(Puck Drop: 10:00 p.m. ET)
It has been a gutty performance from the Los Angeles Kings to push their season and this series to this point. Not many people expected the Kings to be in contention to advance to the second round of the playoffs, yet here they are. However, I think their magical run ends here and we see the Edmonton Oilers punch their ticket to the next round. I'll add the Oilers moneyline to round out today's parlay.
In my opinion, these two teams are polar opposites in their style of play. The Kings are a more well-rounded and structured team as opposed to the Oilers being an up-and-down ice team that loves to trade chances and rely on their top line to produce offense. With the way that the playoffs have gone this year, I lean towards backing the high-powered offense in Edmonton in this matchup. If the Oilers are able to put together a full game of quality hockey, they're unstoppable.
Evander Kane has stepped up in the series, providing some depth aside from the normal top performers of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Kane has seven goals and two assists and is averaging 18:44 of ice time in the series. And finally, something that hockey bettors would've never thought they'd say: "The Oilers have the edge in goaltending." Mike Smith has posted a 2.67 GAA and 0.931 SV% through six games while Jonathan Quick is at a 3.66 GAA and 0.893 SV%. The Oilers should have a field day against Quick if he's off his game by even a smidge. Take the Oilers to close out the series at home tonight in Edmonton.
Leg 3: Oilers ML
Total Odds: +413 via FanDuel
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you're new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section - including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners - or head to more advanced strategy - like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread - to learn more.