The NHL playoffs continue on Friday night, and it’s now crunch time in the two series I’m looking at for my latest free NHL betting picks.
The only one-sided series we’ve seen so far involved the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators.
The Avalanche won that series 4-0, underlining why they’re the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. Below are the odds swept from all the best NHL betting sites.
| 2022 Stanley Cup Winner Odds |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +200 | +200 |
| Florida Panthers | +650 | +460 |
| Calgary Flames | +1000 | +590 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1000 | +620 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1200 | +1325 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1000 | +780 |
| New York Rangers | +1800 | +1300 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1600 | +1150 |
| Boston Bruins | +1400 | +2200 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1400 | +1200 |
| St. Louis Blues | +2200 | +2300 |
| Pittsburgh Pengiuns | +1800 | +2200 |
| Dallas Stars | +2500 | +3300 |
| Washington Capitals | +3300 | +4000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +4000 | +6400 |
The Stars are back on home ice for Match 6 of the series and they now know they can’t afford any more losses if they are to make it through to the next round of the playoffs.
The series now stands at 3-2 to the Flames after they won Match 5 by three goals to one.
The Stars were winning the match 1-0 going into the third period. But a strong finish from the Flames saw them scoring three unanswered goals from Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, and Trevor Lewis, turning the match – and possibly series – in the favour of Calgary.
Wednesday night’s win is more evidence that the tide has well and truly turned in this series.
After the first three matches, the Stars led 2-1 and were going into Match 4 on the ice at the American Airlines Arena, knowing a home win would see them go 3-1 up in the series.
And this after losing Match 1, by one goal to zero.
What happened in Match 4 could well be the turning point. Ramos Anderson opened the scoring for the Flames after 10 minutes of the second period. But by the time Tyler Seguin had pulled one back after 15 minutes of Period 3, the Stars were already 3-0 down.
The match finished 4-1 to the Flames, and it was a hammer blow to the Stars.
So can Dallas fight back in Match 6? The top Las Vegas Sportsbooks don’t seem to think they will.
They make the Flames favorite on the Moneyline, and this is with the Stars having a home advantage.
Moneyline
Handicap
Total Goals
From what I’ve seen, the momentum has switched. And I can see the Flames finishing the series off with a match to spare.
Of the Flame’s three wins so far in this series, two have been by two goals or more.
So with the Flames starting with a minus away from home on the Moneyline, I’m going for the better value odds on the Handicap.
My pick for this match is Calgary Flames to win on the Handicap line at +165.
Next, it’s off to Washington to see if they can take their series against the Florida Panthers into a series-deciding seventh match!
Indeed, the Panthers are another team that has had to dig deep to turn a series on its head.
The Panthers now lead the Capitals 3-2, but going into Match 4, they were 2-1 down, having just been thrashed 6-1 at the Capital One Arena.
At that point, all the momentum was with the Capitals, and the Panthers seemed in disarray.
The possible turning point to the whole series could have been Carter Verhaeghe’s O|T goal for the Panthers, which squared the series at 2-2.
Just how pivotal that goal was we won’t know until the end of the series. But already, it feels like it was a game-changer.
In Match 5, the Capitals seemed to have bounced back though. At 3-0 up after 4 minutes of the second period, it looked like the Verhaeghe O|T goal had just been a blip, and the Capitals were set to take control of the series again.
But wait a minute, the Panthers aren’t second-favorites in the 2022 Stanley Cup betting odds for no reason.
An inspired comeback, started by that man Carter Verhaeghe again, saw the Panthers level the match at 3-3 by the end of the second period.
And then Verhaeghe again scored the opener in the third period, and eventually, the Panthers went on to record a 5-3 win and finally take control of the series.
So can the Capitals fight back again? Well, given their start in Match 5, it certainly can’t be ruled out.
On the Moneyline, the Vegas NHL odds are edging towards the Panthers, though, as we would naturally expect.
The Panthers are just -180 to win on the Moneyline, with the Capitals at +155 to take the series to Match 7.
Moneyline
Handicap
Total Goals
I yet again almost feel obliged to take the price on the Panthers to win on the Handicap. I don’t see great value in -180, away from home.
I’m also tempted by Over 6.5 goals, mainly as I’m expecting goals. But with only two of the five games having seven or more goals, I’m going to leave that alone.
So that just leaves me with the Panthers winning on the Handicap line as my betting pick.
