After an impressive first round of the NHL postseason has wrapped up, fans all over the globe are ready for the second round to arrive. As we inch closer to the Stanley Cup Finals, squads out there will be ready to give it their all to try and advance to the next stage. In this article, we have our NHL futures picks for the second round of the playoffs. Will the Colorado Avalanche keep plugging along?
On Saturday, the Bruins and Islanders are ready to face off for Game 1. In this one, Boston should have no issues taking down New York in Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. We’re not talking just about the first game here, folks. No, we mean that Boston should handedly beat New York in the series to move on to the next round. No disrespect to the Islanders, but the Bruins are the superior team.
They also have the superior players, with the Bruins led by Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and others. Marchand was downright awesome in the regular season, as he led the team with his 69 points. Marchand and Pastrnak tied for second on the list with their 48 points. That 21-point difference really lets you know how great Marchand was, though the two others were rock solid as well.
| NHL Round 2 odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston to win | -205 | -205 | -205 | -205 |
| NY to win | +162 | +162 | +162 | +162 |
| Carolina to win | -700 | -700 | -700 | -700 |
| Nashville to win | +470 | +470 | +470 | +470 |
Ahead of the second-round showdown, the NHL odds are out and they’re in favor of Boston. The Bruins have been listed at -205, while the New York Islanders are at +162. If you’re an Islanders fan, even you have to be thinking that taking down Boston is surely going to be a difficult task. While New York was impressive in the first round, trying to defeat the Bruins is a whole new animal.
In their first-round series, Boston had little trouble taking down the Washington Capitals, as they came away with a 4-1 series win. They’re not ready for the second round, and they’ll have plenty of confidence on their side leading up to Game 1. There’s no doubt here that our pick is to rock with Boston. We strongly believe the Bruins will win the series and do so in 5-6 games.
In a highly-anticipated showdown before we reach the second round, Minnesota should take down Vegas in Game 7 on Friday night. The Wild just beat the Golden Knights on Wednesday in Game 6, and now the momentum has surely swung onto their side. The Golden Knights have been facing some adversity off the ice, which has affected their potential lineup for the Game 7 contest.
That’s because on Thursday it was announced that both Ryan Reaves and Peyton Krebs have been placed on the COVID list. Their status for Game 7 is up in the air. While Krebs is yet to appear in a postseason game for Vegas this season, the same most certainly can’t be said about Reaves. The right winger has played in five of six games against the Wild and been stellar.
If he can’t out on his skates, it will be simply awful for Vegas. With their season on the line, the last thing they need is for a key player on the ice to not be able to go. The Las Vegas sportsbooks have given Minnesota -205 odds for Game 7, while Vegas is now the underdog at +168. Earlier this postseason, Vegas was among the favorites to compete for the NHL Stanley Cup title.
Now, the team is one loss away from having its season come to a close. They’re also underdogs too, which isn’t going to help them mentally going into things. So, with all of that said, who will win and advance to the second round? While Game 7 should be a close contest, we’re going to go with the favorites and pick Minnesota to take down Vegas and send them home packing.
Earlier this week, the Avalanche were set at +275 to win it all. Now, Colorado’s Stanley Cup odds keep on climbing, as they now hold +250 odds to be crowned the Stanley Cup champions. Colorado swept St. Louis 4-0 in the first round, outscoring the Blues 20-7. That’s what we like to call a complete and total domination by the Avalanche over St. Louis.
Now, the team is getting ready for the second round of the playoffs. First, the Avalanche must wait and see who wins Game 7 between the Wild and Golden Knights, as the winner of this intense series will then go on to play Colorado in the second round. With Colorado sweeping St. Louis, having extra rest and then going on to face a team that just finished a seven-game series… this is obviously huge for the Avalanche.
They should have quite a simple time winning their series against either Minnesota or Vegas. As we’ve stated for a while here at Vegas Betting, Colorado is our pick to win the Stanley Cup title. If you’re feeling confident in them too, those +250 odds would give you quite the handsome payout.
