The Stanley Cup Playoffs have had a little bit of everything this year. From triple-overtime thrillers to 50+ save performances by top goalies to last night's Battle of Alberta ending in a yard sale on the ice with all of the sticks and gloves everywhere.
The NHL continues to prove that it hosts the most entertaining playoff in professional sports. We're back at it tonight with a pair of Game 2s on the ice as the Lightning take on the Panthers, followed by the Blues squaring off against the mighty Avalanche. Here's a two-leg parlay that I'm locking in tonight that pays a modest +182.
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
Bet $10, Win $200 if Either Team Scores a Goal >>
Tampa Bay Lightning (+140) vs. Florida Panthers (-160) O/U 6.5
(Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET)
This year, the Battle of Alberta isn't the only cross-state/province matchup in the playoffs. The Lightning look to build on a 1-0 series lead tonight as they take on their in-state rival, the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay notched a 4-1 win on Tuesday night in Sunrise thanks to a 33-save performance from Andrei Vasilevskiy and four different goalscorers for the Bolts.
The first thing you think of when the Panthers come to mind is how dynamic their offense has been this season. Florida averaged 4.1 goals per game during the regular season, making them the only team in the league to score four-plus goals per contest. However, the mighty Panthers' offense has slowed down in the postseason, averaging 3.0 goals per game. That's completely natural, considering the maximized level of competition and efforts come playoff time.
I expect to see Florida's goals per game average continue to slide tonight as they take on one of the best playoff netminders in recent history. The back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Lightning will return Andrei Vasilevskiy to the net tonight, and he's only heating up at this point. It took some time for the 27-year-old goalie to settle in the first round, but once game seven of the first round rolled around, it was back to business for Vasilevskiy.
He limited the powerful Maple Leafs' offense to one goal in the 2-1 win and continued to build on that performance in a 4-1 win against the Panthers in Game 1 of the second round. Those two winning efforts dropped his playoff GAA to 2.79 and increased his SV% to 0.907 through eight starts this postseason.
There is a huge discrepancy in special teams in this matchup. The Panthers are 0-21 on the man advantage, while the Lightning are 27-31 (87.1%) on the penalty kill this postseason. All things considered, I don't see the Panthers scoring too often in Game 2 tonight. The Lightning are the more experienced team, and they have arguably the best goaltender in the game right now. Look for them to stifle Florida in their defensive zone, control the game’s pace, and that should be enough to keep this game under seven goals.
Leg 1: Under 6.5 (-105) TB/FLA
St. Louis Blues (+200) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-225) O/U 6.5
(Puck Drop: 9:30 p.m. ET)
On Tuesday night, the Avalanche picked up an overtime win in Game 1 of the series. It was a 3-2 win for Colorado, thanks to Josh Manson's game-winning tally in the extra period. Colorado goaltender Darcy Kuemper didn't have too heavy of a workload in Game 1, but he was serviceable, stopping 23 out of the 25 shots faced.
Colorado is starting to look like a team of destiny at this point in the year. They were one of the best teams in the league during the regular season, and they continue to score at will in the postseason, averaging 4.8 goals per game. Now that they’re fully healthy, this is a team that no one wants to run into. I expect this powerhouse team to keep rolling tonight and leave home with a 2-0 lead in the series.
The Blues are a worthy opponent, and they'll scratch and claw to stay in these games, but the Avalanche are simply a more talented bunch this year. Even with Jordan Binnington looking like he's returned to elite form (51 saves in Game 1), I don't think they can stop the freight train that is the Avalanche. The Avalanche are 7-19 (36.9%) on the power play this postseason, so look for them to take advantage of any opportunities on the man-advantage tonight and win this game at home. Let's add the Avs to round out this two-leg parlay tonight.
Leg 2: Avalanche ML
Total Parlay Odds on BetMGM Sportsbook: +182
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