Daily NHL Odds and Betting Trends – 08/26/20

by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post

Here’s a look at the NHL odds and betting trends for the games on today’s schedule.

All NHL betting lines below are as listed at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Islanders vs Flyers | OddsShark Matchup Report

Opening NHL Odds: Flyers -120 Favorites

The Flyers have not lost consecutive games since January 7, and that trend will be put to the test on Wednesday when they battle the Islanders in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia lost to New York 4-0 on Monday as a -120 favorite and also fell 5-0 to the Montreal Canadiens in the previous round before rebounding with a pair of shutouts en route to a 4-2 series victory. The Islanders might be the most underrated team in the East despite knocking out the Washington Capitals 4-1 in the first round, as they have also won six of their past seven games and are 8-2 overall this postseason. New York’s opponents have been outscored 12-4 in the last four, with the UNDER going 3-0-1.

Lightning vs Bruins | OddsShark Matchup Report

Opening NHL Odds: Lightning -111 Favorites

The Lightning have life again following a 4-3 overtime victory against the Bruins in Game 2 on Tuesday, and both teams will now gear up for a key matchup in a back-to-back situation. Tampa Bay has seen eight of its 10 games decided by one goal in the postseason, including all seven of the team’s wins after Ondrej Palat scored at the 4:40 mark of OT on the 40th shot versus Boston goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who figures to draw the starting assignment again in Game 3 despite facing 77 shots in the first two. The Bruins did not really thrive in back-to-back situations during the regular season, going 5-5 in the second game despite having one of the top goalie tandems in the league with Halak and Tuukka Rask. The Lightning have been much better in back-to-back situations though with a 6-2 mark the last eight times in the second game. Boston saw its four-game winning streak end and has lost seven of nine to Tampa Bay.

Avalanche vs Stars | OddsShark Matchup Report

Opening NHL Odds: Avalanche -167 Favorites

The pressure is on the Avalanche, down two games in their second-round playoff series with the Stars even though they closed as favorites each time. Game 3 is no different, and Colorado will be counting on goaltender Pavel Francouz to come through in place of the injured Philipp Grubauer, who is not expected to return this postseason, according to head coach Jared Bednar. Francouz played well in stretches in Game 2 on Monday, but he had a very rough stretch in the middle of the second period in which he surrendered three goals in six minutes. The Avalanche went from leading 2-0 to trailing 3-2 in a short time and never recovered, so that is definitely something they will need to avoid here if they are going to get back in this series. The Stars ended up winning 5-2 as +130 underdogs, and they have gone 6-1 in the past seven meetings with the OVER cashing in both games here after a 7-0 UNDER run in the series.

Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for analysis on this week’s top games. As well, the OddsShark Computer serves up daily NHL picks for bettors.