Best Bets For Friday’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Games

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Friday night with two Game 2s. 

The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers take the ice in an Eastern Conference matchup at PNC Arena in Raleigh at 8 p.m. ET. Carolina leads the seven-game series, 1-0.

That matchup is followed by the Battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. The puck drops in this Western Conference showdown at 10:30 p.m. ET, so this is the perfect time to get in on the NHL betting action. Calgary is up 1-0 in the series. 

Carolina Looks To Hold Home Advantage

In Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday will try to maintain their home mastery. The Hurricanes are 5-0 at home in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Game 1 in the current series was the first time that run was in jeopardy. While New York played an excellent road game for 40 minutes, Carolina delivered the goods late and won in overtime. 

So far, the NHL playoffs have featured several Under outcomes on goals scored. In Game 1, Carolina and New York had a low-scoring affair, with a 2-1 Hurricanes win. That three-goal total pushed the Game 2 Over/Under a bit. It comes in now at 5.5 goals. 

When looking at which bets to make, here are some options to consider:

1. Carolina wins in regulation: 1.81

2. Seth Jarvis Over 0.5 Points: 1.95

3. Mika Zibanejad AND Andrei Svechnikov anytime goal: 10.00

4. Adam Fox Over 2.5 shots: 2.30

5. Chris Kreider Over 2.5 shots: 1.77

6. Andrei Svechnikov Over 2.5 shots: 1.74

Heated Battle of Alberta Resumes

The matchup in Raleigh is followed Friday by the Battle of Alberta between Calgary and Edmonton.

These two Pacific Division rivals played an exciting game on Wednesday, featuring 15 goals combined.

In that game, defense was fleeting as the offenses took over. However, the likelihood of that happening in Game 2 is remote, though the excitement and physicality could be more intense.   

In looking at betting opportunities, keep these in mind:

1. Total Over 6.5 Goals: 1.83

2. Calgary Flames win in regulation: 1.80

3. Jacob Markstrom save prop to the Over

4. Johnny Gaudreau Over 1.5 points: 2.70

5. Matthew Tkachuk anytime goal: 2.60

6. Matthew Tkachuk Over 2.5 shots: 1.62

7. Tyler Toffoli Over 2.5 shots: 1.80

8. Calgary Race To Three Goals: 1.7

9. Connor McDavid anytime goal: 2.35

10. Connor McDavid Over 1.5 points: 1.80

Florida Series Moves To Tampa  

In the other two NHL betting playoff series, Thursday was not good for home teams. 

The Florida Panthers lost on home ice to the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 2-1 score, and and the Colorado Avalanche dropped a home contest to the St. Louis Blues, 4-1.

In the East, the Florida versus Tampa Bay matchup featured a goaltending duel between Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky. 

The Battle of Florida appeared headed to overtime until the Lightning’s Nikita Kucheov found an open Ross Colton near the goal. Colton scored with a few seconds left in regulation, securing the win. Tampa Bay heads home with a 2-0 series lead.

In the West, the visiting Blues struck first on the man advantage for the eighth consecutive game, and goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 road win in Denver against the Avalanche. 

The Avalanche and Blues take to the ice again on Saturday in St. Louis, with the series tied 1-1.

The matchup between Tampa Bay and Florida resumes Sunday.