Written by Graeme & Scott on Thursday, April 13th, 2017
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The NHL playoffs are under way, and it opened with 5 low scoring games. Fans of the under would have been in the money last night.
If you bet the underdog in all 5 games yesterday you were laughing as well, as 3 road underdogs won in the Rangers, Blues and Sharks.
Looking forward to some of the Game 2s tomorrow. Some nice tight games(other than the Penguins game) to open the playoffs.
Today we’ll be doing our final series analysis of the first round as we cover the three games taking place tonight.
That’s the Maple Leafs vs Capitals, Predators vs Blackhawks and Flames vs Ducks.
Let’s get to it.
Flames vs Ducks Series Betting Tips:
Graeme: Prior to the season beginning, I said that Carlyle was brought in to lead the Ducks in the post-season. They surprised me by taking down the Pacific I have to say. Now it’s playoff time and this is why he was brought in.
This is what he’s been preparing for and why he’s in the job and that’s enough for me to go with the Ducks to win the series. Ducks were weak on the road this season but I think they steal one there. Ducks in 5.
Scott: This is going to be a great, physical series. The Ducks won the season series 4-1.
Tkachuk had a good year and Giordano and Hamilton are a great top D line. Goaltending was an issue for the Flames until Elliott grabbed the starting role and got the Flames into the postseason.
The Ducks finished the regular season strong going 11-0-3 and won the Pacific division. They have 3 great centers with Getzlaf, Kesler and Vermette and good wingers up and down the lines like Perry, Eaves, Rakell and Silfverberg. They have some good offensive D-man with Fowler, Lindholm and Vatanen.
As much as I want the Flames to go through to the next round I just can’t see them being able to match up with the Ducks and their experience and depth.
Ducks in 6
Canada: Bet the series correct score at Sports Interaction. It’s at “NHL Futures” under “Hockey”.
USA: Bet the series correct score at Bovada. Go to “Hockey” on the sidebar, then use the dropdown in the top menu to choose “NHL Playoffs Series Prices”.
Everyone Else: Bet the series correct score at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv or BetOnline.. At B365 it’s under “Hockey” and then right at the very bottom – NHL Futures 2016/2017. Pinnacle has it under “Specials”, “Hockey”, “NHL”.
Blackhawks vs Predators Series Betting Tips:
Graeme: I absolutely hate the Nashville Predators. Absolutely bloody hate them. They were the team that cost us the most money this season. Their inconsistency and inability to win games where they really, really should have was frustrating as all hell.
I’ve seen nothing from Nashville all season that suggests they can progress here. The Blackhawks are more experienced and have a better team and know how to fight. I’m a bit concerned about the Predators home record but that’s the only thing.
Blackhawks in 4
Scott: This is another series that could go the distance. The Hawks won the season series 4-1.
The Predators have an amazing top 4 defense and got some solid contribution from their offense mainly Forsberg and Arvidsson. Rinne had a better year this year than last but his playoff numbers are weak at best.
The Hawks didn’t look great at the start of the year but it was expected with so many rookies being brought into the lineup. Once they became familiar with the team and their roles the Hawks started playing strong and won the Central division and were ranked first in the West. They brought back Campbell in the off-season and then grabbed Oduya at the trade deadline. So those 2 join Keith, Seabrook and Hjalmarsson to form a strong defense. Toews, Kane, Panarin and company up front can score with the best of them.
But the experience the Hawks have from the recent 3 Stanley Cups will help push them forward.
Blackhawks in 6
Canada: Bet the series correct score at Sports Interaction. It’s at “NHL Futures” under “Hockey”.
USA: Bet the series correct score at Bovada. Go to “Hockey” on the sidebar, then use the dropdown in the top menu to choose “NHL Playoffs Series Prices”.
Everyone Else: Bet the series correct score at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv or BetOnline.. At B365 it’s under “Hockey” and then right at the very bottom – NHL Futures 2016/2017. Pinnacle has it under “Specials”, “Hockey”, “NHL”.
Leafs vs Capitals Series Betting Tips:
Scott: The Capitals won the season series 3-2. They had yet another fantastic season winning the Presidents trophy.
The Maple Leafs rebuild got put into high gear as they weren’t expected to be in the playoffs this soon. But they had success this year thanks to their rookies. Matthews, Marner and Nylander are amazing talents who will be getting their first taste of NHL playoff hockey.
But the Caps are a deep team at every position. The addition of Shattenkirk only strengthens their blueline. They are the better team in basically every category including offensive, defense and goaltending.
But recent results would suggest that the Capitals are a great regular season team who has little to no success in the post season.
As much as I want the Leafs to win this series I just can’t see it happening. They weren’t guaranteed a playoff spot right up until the last couple games of the year where the Caps have been at the top of the league for a while now.
Capitals in 5
Graeme: In the words of Andy from Cougar Town:
Capitals in 4.
Canada: Bet the series correct score at Sports Interaction. It’s at “NHL Futures” under “Hockey”.
USA: Bet the series correct score at Bovada. Go to “Hockey” on the sidebar, then use the dropdown in the top menu to choose “NHL Playoffs Series Prices”.
Everyone Else: Bet the series correct score at Bet365 (Americans: We recommend http://www.bovada.lv or BetOnline.. At B365 it’s under “Hockey” and then right at the very bottom – NHL Futures 2016/2017. Pinnacle has it under “Specials”, “Hockey”, “NHL”.
Hi guys,
Agree with all your picks. Would love to see the Leafs win but the reality is, it’s not in the cards. They could steal a win…maybe game 3 but game 1 (no disrespect) belongs to the Caps. They’ll be so energized tonight and experienced enough to know you can’t take your opponent lightly and play for 60min with confidence and win in reg or -1.5.
Good luck tonight!
Good day guys; I’m lost with these fantastic series due to the SPORT BOOK I’m using. I can’t find any options on series. Supabet.com Ghana
Please what other options can’t I employ now. Thank you
So, what do you think about Capitals in regulation tonight?
To WIN Thursday: Washington, Chicago
Under Thursday: Washington
Leans? …..Watching for favored teams in home games. While UNDER is the draw in the playoffs, with the emphasis on defense, the intensity heats up and Wednesday gave us fast action and very close calls around the nets where the goal count could have been much higher. Chicago and Nashville have a home/away trend of going UNDER recently but when playing each other, it often goes OVER. I lean to the UNDER in that game, because I expect Chicago to dominate the play. I’m leaning UNDER for Anaheim, for Round 1 games played in Anaheim.
Ducks PL.
All homes to win tonight, all matches go to Under, maybe Blackhawks to Over.
I think Anaheim win 3-1 and Capitals to win 4-2
Anyone got o/u bets for the first period
Something won’t recommend to take, but the full time O/U. Predators defense is nice.