Yesterday might have been Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you), but today is Revenge of the Fifth — and I came back with a vengeance with a 4-1 record on my NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs picks.
Four more Game 2’s on the NHL slate Thursday night means there are four teams who want to exact some revenge of their own and tie their respective series up.
Remember, you don’t HAVE to bet on each game. We are giving you our best bets for every game, but if our analysis isn’t landing with you or you just don’t feel like a bet stands out, it’s fine to give that game a pass. There will always be more games to bet on.
New to betting? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Betting with a glossary of terms.
NHL Odds and Schedule, May 5
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET
- Game 2 (PIT leads 1-0)
- Watch on TNT
- Full series preview
The Rangers learned a first tough lesson back on the playoff stage — and that’s not to take an experienced side lightly, even if they are underdogs.
The Penguins overturned a 2-0 deficit, came out on the right side of a questionable overturned goal call that wiped away what would have been Filip Chytil’s game-winner, lost their starting goalie Casey DeSmith in the second overtime due to an injury, and still managed to prevail in the third overtimes through an Evgeni Malkin deflection.
DeSmith’s backup, Louis Domingue, said that he expects to start Game 2 — a tall task at MSG with the Rangers expected to come out like gangbusters.
The Pick:
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Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m.
- Game 2 (WSH leads 1-0)
- Watch on TBS
- Full series preview
The coronation of the Panthers as the best team in the NHL this season was suddenly put on hold after the Capitals provided a hard reality check that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are an unpredictable gauntlet.
After falling behind 2-1, Evgeny Kuznetsov, TJ Oshie, and Lars Eller scored three straight goals for the Caps to cap off quite a Game 1 upset.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stood on his head for most of the night, too, meaning the team in front of him has to tighten things up big-time.
The Pick:
Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 p.m.
- Game 2 (COL leads 1-0)
- Watch on TNT
- Full series preview
Now, this was a Game 1 that we expected. The Avalanche buckled down against a Predators team it had trouble with all regular season and walked to a 7-2 victory on Tuesday night.
Five of those goals came in the first period as the Predators looked overwhelmed — and rightfully so. The only way Nashville has a chance at pulling out a win or two in this series is if they can pick up their physicality.
The Pick:
Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m.
- Game 2 (CGY leads 1-0)
- Watch on ESPN2
- Full series preview
The Flames’ offense might have sputtered, but the defense showed up in Game 1. The Stars had only 16 shots on Jakob Markstrom’s net in a 1-0 Calgary win — the lone goal coming just five minutes into the game on an Elias Lindholm power-play tally.
Shows just how big special teams are going to be in this series.
But the bad blood is already flowing, and the Stars are going to have to toe that line to jar the Flames’ focus as it did at times throughout Game 1. It’s their only avenue to get something done in this series.
The Pick:
