Top NHL Playoffs Betting Odds & Picks for Sunday, May 22 (2022)
Game 3 is set to get underway in the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs for three different matchups on Sunday, with some great betting angles to attack. Below, I give out my two best bets for Sunday’s games.
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Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Florida Panthers (-110) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (-110), o/u 6.5 (+100/-120)
The Tampa Bay Lightning return home with a 2-0 series lead after winning both games on the road to start the Second Round against the Florida Panthers. A wise person once said, “if It ain’t broke, don’t fix Itâ€, and I am taking that to heart as I am backing the Tampa Bay Lightning once again.
Dating back to Game 6 of the First Round against Toronto, Tampa Bay has now won four straight games. During this four-game win streak, starting goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been dominant for the Lightning as he boasts a 0.955 save percentage and 1.39 goals against average.
Meanwhile, Panthers starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled against Tampa Bay not only in this series but all year long. Over his four appearances against the Lightning between both the regular and postseason, Bobrovsky possesses a mere 0.885 save percentage.
While Florida was much better in Game 2 than they were in Game 1, a brutal decision by defensemen MacKenzie Weegar resulted in Ross Colton being left wide open for the game-winning goal right before time expired. This deflating loss is obviously tough, but It is even worse now that Florida has to face Tampa Bay on the road with a 2-0 series deficit.
Beating Tampa Bay four times over a five-game span is tough enough, let alone when three of those five games would be on the road. It will be a massive mental hurdle for the Panthers to overcome what happened in Game 2 and then go on the road with a 2-0 series deficit and beat the back-to-back world champions, which is why I think this series is already over.
Best Bet: Tampa Bay Lightning ML (-110)
Carolina Hurricanes (-115) @ New York Rangers (-105), o/u 5.5 (+120/-140)
The Carolina Hurricanes travel to New York as they search for a 3-0 series lead following Friday’s 2-0 win over the Rangers. Each of the first two games in this series has now seen three or fewer total goals scored, and I expect a similar result to transpire in Game 3 as well.
With how slow the pace has been in this series, I see no reason why Game 3 will be much different than the first two. With both goaltenders playing outstanding and both offenses struggling to generate high-danger scoring chances, the under is a solid bet to make in this contest.
Antti Raanta, the projected starting goaltender for Carolina, has been the backbone for the Hurricanes in these playoffs. Through the first two games of this series, Raanta has stopped 48 of 49 shots for an otherworldly 0.980 save percentage.
Across the ice, Rangers starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin has also been outstanding in these playoffs. Through the first two games of this series, Shesterkin has stopped 44 of 47 shots for an outstanding 0.936 save percentage.
While both of these goaltenders have been great not only in this round but the entire playoffs, each of the offenses in front of them has not held up their side of the bargain. Amongst the remaining playoff teams, Carolina and New York rank sixth and seventh respectively in five-on-five expected goals for (xGF) per 60 minutes.
The juice is too heavy on the under at 5.5 for my liking, however, I am comfortable with taking the alternate under at five. With each of the first two games in this series going well beneath that total and no signs of life from either offense, I am willing to take a lower number and back both of these goaltenders at plus money.
Best Bet: Hurricanes/Rangers u5 (+125)
Best of luck!
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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.