Series Prices and Futures: NHL Playoffs Betting Preview
by Online Sports Betting – Sponsored Post
The Tampa Bay Lightning finished behind the state-rival Florida Panthers in the Central Division standings, but they’ve still been listed as the favorites at online sports betting sites for the first-round playoff series between the two teams as the NHL postseason gets underway.
Looking to defend their championship, the Lightning are set as -140 betting favorites (wager $140 to win $100) against the +120 Panthers (wager $100 to win $120) on the playoff series prices. Florida, which finished four points ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings, also trails at +1400 compared to the Bolts’ line of +800 on the odds to win the Stanley Cup this spring. However, the Lightning only won three of their eight meetings during the regular season.
The other Central Division series has the Carolina Hurricanes facing the Nashville Predators, with division-winning Carolina the clear -300 favorite to win the series on the NHL betting lines, and Nashville at +250. Meanwhile, the West Division playoff matchups have the Colorado Avalanche taking on the St. Louis Blues and the Vegas Golden Knights facing off against the Minnesota Wild. The Avs claimed the West title with a victory on Thursday night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Washington Capitals for the East Division title during the regular season, and they’re -145 betting favorites against the New York Islanders (+125) for their first-round playoff matchup. The Penguins won the head-to-head matchup with the Islanders during the regular season, with six victories in their eight meetings, but they have just a slight edge (+1400) on the Stanley Cup odds against the Isles (+2000) this spring.
The Capitals will face off against the Boston Bruins in the other East Division first-round matchup, with Washington at +135 and Boston at -155 on the series prices. The North Division matchups then have the Toronto Maple Leafs (-300) taking on their Original Six rival the Montreal Canadiens (+250) and the Edmonton Oilers (-200) battling the Winnipeg Jets (+170). The Maple Leafs picked up seven wins in 10 games against the Canadiens this year.
Head over to Online Sports Betting, your one-stop shop for wagering on the NHL postseason.