Top NHL Parlay Odds & Picks for Thursday, May 26th (2022)
The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tonight with a pair of game fives on the schedule. The New York Rangers head to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a series that’s tied at two games a piece. Following that Metropolitan Divisional clash, we head north of the border as the Edmonton Oilers look to finish off the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome.
Here’s a two-leg parlay (+242) that I’ll be locking in with a pick from each matchup:
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Bet $10, Win $200 if Either Team Scores a Goal >>
New York Rangers (+130) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-150) O/U 5.5
(Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. ET)
The home team has won each of the first four games and I expect that trend to continue tonight as the series shifts back to North Carolina. I’ll add the Hurricanes on the moneyline as the first half of this two-legger tonight.
Despite dropping the previous two games in New York, I still think the Hurricanes are the better overall team in this series. They’re a physical team who’s aggressive on the forecheck, and that usually weighs on their opponents in their own zone. Carolina kept the pressure on in games three and four, but just weren’t able to find the back of the net against Igor Shesterkin. With the Canes returning to PNC Arena, I think it’ll be a different story with their home arena rocking. I’m backing Carolina to win game five tonight.
Leg 1: Hurricanes ML
Edmonton Oilers (+135) vs. Calgary Flames (-160) O/U 6.5
(Puck Drop: 9:30 p.m. ET)
The Flames have their backs against the wall tonight as they host the Oilers down 3-1 in the series. This is a must-win game for Calgary and I expect that they will bring their A-game on the defensive end. Despite the numbers not being there to back it, I still believe that Jacob Markstrom can turn the tides in this series and save his team.
On the flip side, Mark Smith has found his mojo this postseason and he’s heating up at the right time. The veteran netminder now owns a 2.60 GAA and 0.931 SV% this postseason and he’s held Calgary to six goals over the last eight periods of play. That’s pretty impressive relative to his first outing against the Flames this series.
I think we’re in for a physical, but smart game tonight. We saw a lot of cross-checking and roughing penalties early in the series that led to power play opportunities. I think these players focus on playing clean hockey tonight as opposed to taking dumb penalties and putting their team at a disadvantage on the penalty kill. All things considered, I think it’s worth a shot on the plus-money payout with the under tonight.
Leg 2: Under 6.5 (+105)
Total Odds: +242 via DraftKings Sportsbook
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