The Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun, in part, with the second round with just one matchup on the docket: A Saturday matchup in Raleigh between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. I've got you covered from a sports betting angle, as I've narrowed it down to the best bet. Here are my top NHL picks and bets for Saturday, May 2nd.
Saturday's Best NHL Bets
Postseason: 1-1| Last: 5-4 | Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Philadelphia Flyers (+190) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-230) | O/U 5.5 (-120/+100)
To say offense should be at a premium tonight is an understatement, as both goaltenders are playing elite hockey at the moment. Frederik Andersen is playing at a historic clip this postseason. Coming into this round, the 36-year-old Dane carries a .955 SV% and 1.10 GAA from the first round. Dan Vladar is fresh off a 42-save shutout to defeat the Penguins and clinch the first-round series. The 28-year-old Czech had never previously started every game of a series for the Flyers so he is as confident as he has ever been right now.
All four regular-season meetings went to extra time, with three resolving by a single goal. Carolina’s defensive structure under Brind’Amour is suffocating, as evidenced by holding Ottawa without a single lead across their entire sweep. Philadelphia’s offensive identity is grinding and possession-based, not high-event, as their 16 goals in SIX games against a porous Pittsburgh team were underwhelming, to say the least. The Flyers’ power play, the league’s worst at 15.7% in the regular season and 11.8% in the postseason, is unlikely to generate the extra-man goals that push totals over, while Carolina’s penalty kill was a near-perfect 20-for-21 in Round 1. Add in Carolina’s week of rest, and we should see a controlled, deliberate pace in Game 1. Ideal for our purposes, indeed.
The +100 price on the Under is essentially free money on a matchup where everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, points in the same direction. Take the Under 5.5 Goals.
Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (+100)
