Boston-Carolina Matchup Highlights Busy NHL Weekend

Before The Saturday Chaos

There are three games on Friday night. 

New Jersey plays on the road in Buffalo, trying to bounce back from a Tuesday night home loss. The Devils fired nearly 50 shots on goal and scored once. They lost on a Matt Boldy overtime goal. Talk about a bad beat. 

The Devils are trying to catch the Carolina Hurricanes while holding off the New York Rangers for the second seed in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey is stuck in the middle. Check to see if the Over drops to 6.5. It might be wise to pivot off that game. 

Even the Colorado and Arizona game could be a bit of a trap, along with the Islanders and Blue Jackets. It is a Friday night slate where maybe looking at the underdogs may be worth one’s while. 

A Split ESPN+ And ABC Doubleheader

ABC and ESPN+ split a doubleheader in a way on Saturday. First, Buffalo squares off on Long Islanders against New York at 5:00 pm ET. Then, in primetime, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin clash from Pittsburgh at 8:00. Pittsburgh and Washington are battling for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Expect more goals in the ABC game. Washington and Pittsburgh are not playing much in the way of defense lately. Even Pittsburgh’s 5-2 win in Colorado was followed up by a 3-2 loss in Dallas, where the Stars could have easily scored five or six times. Washington has scored six goals in each of their last two contests. 

Player props may be an option too. Consider the usual Crosby and Ovechkin goal and shot props. And looking at power-play points via John Carlson could be interesting. Carlson returned from a horrible skull fracture injury to score and got an assist on Thursday. His time will be monitored, but Pittsburgh’s defense is unhealthy with four regulars out. 

The games featuring four bubble teams could provide some extra fun on Saturday. See how New York handles the early start against a shorthanded Buffalo team playing unrested. 

More On the Weekend

Hockey bettors get a nice treat on Sunday too. That Boston-Carolina matchup expects to feature goals and plenty of playoff intensity. Those teams still detest one another from last season.

Nashville and Toronto face off Sunday evening after both playing on Saturday. Nashville sleeps in its beds, while Toronto flies from Carolina to Nashville. Yes, it is a short flight, but two consecutive starts in the evening and a slight time change adjustment are not ideal.

For Sunday, there is a late game with Los Angeles up against St. Louis at 10:30 pm ET. This is out of the normal for Sunday night, but that may be because of that Elite Eight and college basketball tournament. The Over on Los Angeles goals and, in general, maybe a bet to wager.

Wall-to-wall coverage is coming this NHL playoff season, and here at gambling.com, we are pumped to deliver. 

Some Quick Points To Be Mindful Of

• Arizona has made several top teams sweat large moneylines lately. Just ask Edmonton on Wednesday.
• Washington and Pittsburgh. Expect playoff intensity and defensive breakdowns. The goalies may not be able to hold the dam. 
• New Jersey faces two of the younger teams in the league. Can they snap out of their goal “funk”? 
• Nashville has quite a few regulars out. Can they find a way to mount another push to put some pressure on Winnipeg? They play Seattle at home again on Saturday. 
• Connor McDavid is at 60 goals? Can he get close to 70? Check out some creative player props this weekend. Can Mikko Rantanen get to 50 by Sunday for Colorado?
• See our note below.

Good luck, and once more, thanks for reading! Expect a few more plays and tips via social media later.

Thanks to BetMGM.com's weekend lines. TSN and ESPN.com give us easy-to-follow schedules.