NHL playoffs picks: 4 best bets for Friday
Andrew Berkshire picks out his four best NHL bets for Friday, with two second-round matchups continuing.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have avoided the indignity of a sweep at the hands of the Florida Panthers, and their reward for that is to live another day and face elimination once more in Game 5, this time on home ice, where they have a 1-4 record this postseason.
The Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, have a chance to capitalize on the suspension of Alex Pietrangelo and take control for the first time against the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s going to be a fun day of hockey.
Toronto Maple Leafs to beat Florida Panthers & under 5.5 goals
The way this series has played out has been unexpected to say the least. The Panthers are a high-octane offence team with loose defence and poor goaltending, while the Maple Leafs are also offensively charged, but far more balanced. Still, the expectation was a lot of goals.
That just hasn’t been the case so far, with Sergei Bobrovsky being incredible, and Joseph Woll looking like the goalie of the future for the Leafs. Expect another game where these teams walk a tightrope towards each other, each trying to eke out a win in a very close matchup, with the Leafs extending the series to six games.
John Tavares to score anytime vs Florida Panthers
His game-winning goal to send the Maple Leafs to the second round for the first time in 19 years set Tavares up as the hometown hero, but he’s been held without a point through four games against the Panthers. That’s just not good enough for the captain.
Last game, two of the big four at forward stepped up for the Leafs, with William Nylander leading the way and Mitch Marner netting the game winner. After putting five shots on net and coming up empty, Tavares will find a way to score tonight.
Edmonton Oilers to beat Vegas Golden Knights
Which team will be more affected by their top defenceman serving a one-game suspension? Alex Pietrangelo is out for Vegas, Darnell Nurse is out for Edmonton. For my money, Pietrangelo is the much bigger loss.
Nurse plays heavy minutes, but often he plays them chaotically, and every time the Oilers have put extra responsibility on the shoulders of Evan Bouchard, he’s risen to the occasion. Fewer shots from the blue line probably won’t hurt the Oilers either, as they look to take over this series and get a lead for the first time.
Leon Draisaitl over 3.5 shots on goal vs Vegas Golden Knights
A bit of an off week so far for Draisaitl, who has just one assist in his last two games after lighting the world on fire up to that point. Still, he’s averaging 3.8 shots per game in this postseason.
One consequence of losing Nurse for a game due to a suspension is that his propensity to take shots is now out of the dynamic for the Oilers, which should lead to more shots for forwards.