In today’s NHL betting guide, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers lock up in an attempt to gain better playoff positioning, while the Nashville Predators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Boston Bruins (-135) vs New York Rangers (+110)
This game lines up to be a heavyweight matchup of possibly overlooked teams in the East. The Bruins sit in the first wild card spot, while the Rangers have been hanging around the top of their division all season. Both have very good teams but the Bruins have the disadvantage in this one due to their nagging injuries that have caused their recent slump.
Bruins are 2-4-0 in their last six and have been knocked off by the likes of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. For teams in the Eastern Conference, they should be trying to do anything they can to not slip into the second wild card spot and play the Florida Panthers in round one.
The Rangers have been rolling, winning four in a row and seven of eight, albeit all but one game vs non-playoff teams. This doesn’t lower the value of their wins, as they are heating up at the right time and have finally caught the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the division. If the Rangers overtake them, this is a likely first-round playoff matchup. The Rangers are too hot and have too good of value to not choose in this one. With the Rangers posting four shutouts in their past seven games and the Bruins keeping games close, the under (U5.5, -110) is also favourable here.
Tampa Bay Lightning (-175) vs Nashville Predators (+145)
Both the Lightning and the Predators are coming off big wins against likely first-round opponents. The Lightning just stomped the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-1 at home, while the Predators played the Calgary Flames extremely hard and won in overtime, showing they can keep up with the Pacific Division winner. Juuse Saros had a great bounce back game, but the Predators are also going up against the elite Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Lightning.
While the Lightning secured their playoff ticket some time ago, the Predators are still in the thick of things and nothing is set in stone yet. They hold the first wild card in the West with a four-point cushion for a playoff spot. They need to use these highly competitive games to get in the playoff mindset and get their team on track. They are 3-3-1 in the past seven games and have been mediocre at best.
The Lightning hope to have finally kicked their slump after winning three of four. They look to keep it going at home where they are a dominant 25-8-6. The Predators are only 19-14-5 on the road. It won’t get any easier from here on out for the Predators. Take the Lightning in this one to continue rolling, while the over (O6, -120) seems bound to hit with how these teams have scored and allowed goals lately.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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