Written by Graeme on Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
Follow @BetNHL
The NHL playoffs start TONIGHT! ARE YOU PUMPED?
We are. Oh boy are we ever. I’ll be hitting a sports bar tonight and probably most nights to watch all of the games. Going to put on some pounds over the next few weeks. I’ll probably eat so many wings that I’ll grow a set of them.
As noted yesterday – we will be providing tips from Game 2 onwards. The Game 2s begin on April 17th which is Friday. In todays article, we’ll be providing tips for the Eastern Conference series. If you missed it yesterday, we did one for the Western Conference.
For each series, we will provide you our opinions, who we think will win the series, and how many games it will go. We’ll also list the best place to bet that series based on the odds. In some cases it’s a very small difference(0.02) but in other cases it’s 0.10 or even higher.
If you’re serious about making money, you’ll take advantage of the best odds. On top of that, most sportsbooks have bonuses too. Here are the sportsbooks we are using for odds comparison and what bonuses they offer:
Americans:
Bovada: 50% up to $250 free bet.
5Dimes: 50% to $520 new player reward.
Carbon Sports: $100 free bet, plus a, $10k NHL Bracket Challenge Everyone Should Enter.
Everyone Else:
Sports Interaction: 100% to $125 deposit bonus, plus exclusive $20 bet for Canadians with this link.
B365: 100% to $200 deposit bonus, plus various other bonuses for betting on mobile.
888 Sports: Multiple free bets, triple winnings on your first bet.
William Hill: 100% to $100 deposit bonus.
Pinnacle: No bonus, but offer the best odds the majority of the time.
Carbon Sports: $100 free bet, plus a, $10k NHL Bracket Challenge Everyone Should Enter.
And without further ado – the tips:
Senators vs Canadiens Betting Tips:
Scott: The Sens have no business being in the playoffs, but thanks to Hammond they were able to climb in. The were the best team in the league in the last two months. But even without Pacioretty, the Habs are the better team. And Price has been the best goalie, and arguably player, in the league this year. He could win this by himself. I think the Sens great story ends here. They may take a game but I don’t see more than that. Habs in 5.
Graeme: This is one where we vastly disagree. Maybe it’s because I’m a Habs fan and I’m more pessimistic? The Senators had our number this season though, winning the last 3 games with relative ease. On top of that, Hammond is a level beyond beast mode. I just think with his ridiculous record – they can ride that wave going into the playoffs.Sens in 6.
Senators vs Canadiens Best Odds:
Americans:
Senators to win series: 2.45 at Carbon Sports
Canadiens to win series: 1.65 at Bovada
Everyone Else:
Senators to win series: 2.34 at Pinnacle
Canadiens to win series: 1.66 at B365
Series Ends on Game 5: 3.75 at William Hill
Series Ends on Game 6: 3.00 at Sports Interaction
Islanders vs Capitals Betting Tips:
Scott: This should be an amazing series. But I think that one person will be the difference. Ovechkin has been a beast this year. In a year where no one came within 13 points of breaking 100 for the year, Ovie managed to score 53 goals. 41 of those goals came in the last 55 games. Another factor is the Caps #1 ranked power play vs one of the worst penalty killers in the Isles. Capitals in 6.
Graeme: It’s nice to finally see the Capitals actually doing something, and looking good. I would really love to see it as their year. The two teams were very evenly matched in their games this season,and this is going to be a hell of a series. However Islanders have really stumbled to get in here the last few weeks, while the Capitals for the most part have been hot. Capitals in 5.
Islanders vs Capitals Best Odds:
Americans:
Islanders to win series: 2.20 at Bovada
Capitals to win series: 1.77 at Carbon Sports
Everyone Else:
Islanders to win series: 2.23 at Sports Interaction
Capitals to win series: 1.79 at Pinnacle
Series Ends on Game 5: 3.75 at Sports Interaction
Series Ends on Game 6: 3.00 at Sports Interaction
Penguins vs Rangers Betting Tips:
Scott: This is probably, in my opinion, the toughest series to predict. The Rangers won the season series 3-1. The Rangers won the Presidents Trophy thanks to putting together long winning streaks throughout the year. If the Penguins hadn’t had to deal with all of the injuries to their blueline, then they wouldn’t have had to fight so hard to get into the playoffs. But even without Letang, Maata and Ehrhoff the Pens still have Crosby and Malkin. But unless Fleury can stand on his head, the Penguins are going to have problems. Rangers have a hard time finishing off a playoff series. The have finished a series in less then 7 games once since 2008. Rangers in 7.
Graeme: It almost seems like a foregone conclusion that the Rangers will be in the next round, and most likely lifting the Stanley Cup. But there’s just something about them that leaves me wondering. Penguins have played so poorly of course, but I think as you’re getting 3.05 on the Penguins, that’s a value bet you need to make. That’s just a really good price. In regard to the series itself though, I’m going to believe the hype and go with Rangers in 4 as the price is hot. But yeah – 3.05 at Carbon Sports is an awesome value bet.
Penguins vs Rangers Best Odds:
Americans:
Penguins to win series: 3.05 at Carbon Sports
Rangers to win series: 1.50 at Bovada
Everyone Else:
Penguins to win series: 3.00 at Carbon Sports
Rangers to win series: 1.50 at Pinnacle
Series ends on Game 4: 7.00 at Sports Interaction
Series ends on Game 7: 3.00 at Sports Interaction
Red Wings vs Lightning Betting Tips:
Scott: The Lightning are deep. They have the top ranked offense in the league. The won the season series 3-1. It’s hard to ever bet against the Red Wings as they always seem to get things done no matter who they have missing from their lineup. But the Lightning just seem to have the edge over them in every way. Lightning in 5.
Graeme: Red Wings are the team that have surprised me so much this season. I remember at one point of the season looking at the standings and going “Woah – where did the Red Wings come from?”. They just seemed to be quietly winning games while the media was talking about everyone else. So I’ll go with them to get the surprise here, and I’ll take the Red WIngs at 2.80 or higher odds. Lightning are great obviously, and I do see where Scott is coming from. I’ll go with Red Wings in 6 for the ultimate upset.
Americans:
Red Wings to win series: 2.77 at Carbon Sports
Lightning to win series: 1.50 at Bovada
Everyone Else:
Red Wings to win series: 2.83 at Sports Interaction
Lightning to win series: 1.52 at Pinnacle
Series Ends on Game 5: 3.50 at Sports Interaction
Series Ends on Game 6: 3.00 at Sports Interaction
The experts (at the NHL) agree with you guys. In fact 100% picked TB..sorry Graeme; NYR at (99%) & Caps at (97%)
They’re about 60/40 on the Habs/Sens series favouring the Habs.
Good luck tonight!
Yeah my one friend messaged me to state that “in an infinite world of parallel universes, the Detroit Red Wings still do not beat the Tampa Bay Lightning.” which I quite enjoyed. One of those series where if the Wings lose I can say “oh well”, while if they win – well I’ll still be talking about it on here next playoffs 🙂