NHL Playoffs Resume With Good Betting Opportunities

The NHL closed out its first playoff round this year with a bang, featuring five Game 7s. That included a few overtime games, as Sunday night turned into Monday morning.

The second round in the quest for the Stanley Cup begins Tuesday.

Battle Of Florida Highlights East Action

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning get the second round underway from the FLA Live Arena north of downtown Miami. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET.

Both teams in this Eastern Conference series are more than capable of scoring. 

The Panthers have averaged just over four goals a game at home. Tampa Bay has averaged more than 3.5 goals per game during the past month. Both power plays are among the NHL's best.

The goaltending also has been quite good. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy are upper-echelon players and Vezina Trophy winners. The difference is that Vasilevskiy has won two Stanley Cups.

As for Tuesday night, wait for the scoring props, as bettors should find a good deal of action. 

Meanwhile, here are some bets to consider:

1. Team Over 6.5 goals: 1.74 

2. Tampa Bay’s Nick Paul anytime goal: 4.80

3. Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos Over 3.5 shots: 2.30

4. Florida’s Claude Giroux Over 0.5 power-play points: 2.85

5. Florida’s Jonathan Huberdeau Over 1.5 points: 2.30

Colorado, St. Louis West Series Starts Tuesday

The rationale was that a Western Conference matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues would feature a good deal of goals. 

St. Louis ranked third in the league with 3.77 goals per game, while Colorado averaged 3.76 goals a night. St. Louis is one of the few teams that go toe-to-toe with Colorado.

The two teams connected on the Over in all three meetings during the 2021-22 season. 

It does not hurt that St. Louis can play Colorado much tougher than many realize. This is a Blues team that can shoot from anywhere and be accurate (12.4% shooting percentage). 

St. Louis also ranks second on the man advantage, and Colorado ranks seventh. Colorado also leads the league in shots on goal per game.

The first game is being played at Ball Arena in Denver. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Western Conference Betting Options

When considering prop bets, you can expect the Colorado-St. Louis matchup to be entertaining, as St. Louis starts to see some defensemen return to the lineup. 

Here are some picks.

1. Colorado Avalanche Team Over 3.5 goals: 1.69

2. Vladimir Tarasenko of St. Louis and Mikko Rantanen of Colorado anytime goal: 8.00

3. Colorado Avalanche regulation win and both teams score 2+ goals: 2.55

4. Colorado’s Cale Makar Over 2.5 shots: 1.63

5. Colorado’s Devon Toews Over 0.5 points: 1.77 

6. St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou Over 0.5 assists: 3.00