NHL Stanley Cup quarterfinal action continues with four games on Monday, August 17th. SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking breaks down four NHL playoff best bets.
Four teams enter Game 4 quarterfinal matchups with a 2-1 series lead. Tampa Bay and Boston look to take a commanding 3-1 lead over Columbus and Carolina in the Eastern Conference. Colorado aims for a 3-1 lead on Arizona while Vancouver is up 3-1 on defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis in the Western Conference. There have been several close contests as one goal was the winning margin during 15 of the first 26 quarterfinal matches.
Underdog and UNDER bettors have cashed tickets regularly during the first 26 contests. Puck line favorites have struggled as underdogs own a 23-3 edge against the spread. Underdog moneylines have paid better than favorites as both sides have a 13-13 straight up record. Total scores have averaged 5.1 goals per game and UNDER has a 17-9 edge against OVER on game total wagers. Stumbling recently, I aim to get back on track with four picks today.
NHL Quarterfinal Playoff Picks Monday, August 17
Tampa Bay vs. Columbus – 3:00 PM ET Scotiabank Arena
Following a 3-2 win on Saturday, Tampa Bay has a 2-1 lead on Columbus in this best-of-seven series. Game 1 was the fourth longest match in NHL playoff history. The Lightning won 3-2 when Brayden Point scored at the 10:27 minute mark of the fifth overtime period. This game took 6:13 hours in real time and Tampa Bay outshot Columbus by an 88-63 margin.
Nikita Kucherov scored to give Tampa Bay an early 1-0 lead in Game 2 but it was all Columbus after that. Ryan Murray, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alexander Wennberg each scored once and the Blue Jackets bounced back with a 3-1 win. After setting an NHL playoff record, with 85 saves in Game 1, Joonas Korpisalo was sharp again as he stopped 36 of 37 shots for Columbus.
A solid mix of offense and defense led Tampa Bay to a 3-2 victory in Game 3. Alex Killorn, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman each scored once and nine Lightning players recorded one point on offense. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was lightly tested as Tampa Bay outshot Columbus by a 34-17 margin. I am 0-2 on the Lightning puck line so I am betting the moneyline.
Game 4 Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-162)
Colorado vs. Arizona – 5:30 PM ET Rogers Place Arena
After Colorado won the first two contests, Arizona fought back with a win in Game 3 to cut the Avalanche lead to 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. The Avalanche controlled Game 1 as they outshot Columbus by a 40-14 margin during a 3-0 victory. Nazem Kadri, J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen scored in a span of 1:23 with under seven minutes left in the game.
Colorado took a 2-0 series lead with a 3-2 victory in Game 2. Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche before Clayton Keller tied the game for Arizona. Tyson Jost gave Colorado a 2-1 second period lead but Michael Grabner seconds 29 later and the Coyotes tied the score again. Andre Burakovsky scored the game winner for Colorado with 2:53 left in the third period.
Arizona has new life after the Coyotes posted a 4-2 win in Game 3. Arizona had a 1-0 lead after the first period and went up 2-1 after the second frame. Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen traded third period goals before Lawson Crouse scored an empty net goal. Darcy Kuemper stopped 49 of 51 shots for the Coyotes. I am betting on Colorado kicking it up a notch on offense.
Game 4 Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+165)
Boston vs. Carolina - 8:00 PM ET Scotiabank Arena
Without top goaltender Tuukka Rask, who opted out of the NHL playoffs to be with his family, Boston looks to take a 3-1 series lead on Carolina. The Bruins posted a 4-3 double overtime win in Game 1 as Patrice Bergeron scored 1:13 into the second overtime period. Rask stopped 25 of 28 shots for Boston while Petr Mrazek allowed four goals on 40 shots for Carolina.
The Hurricanes bounced back with a 3-2 victory in Game 2 despite being outshot by a 35-26 margin. David Krejci scored late in the first period to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov scored for Carolina before Brad Marchand tied the game late in the second frame. Dougie Hamilton scored the game winner 8:30 into the third period.
Jaroslav Halak, who started 66 games over two seasons as the backup to Rask, is now the starter for Boston. The 15-year veteran was solid as he stopped 29 of 30 shots and the Bruins posted a 3-1 win in Game 3. After scoring just four goals, during three qualifying contests, Boston has scored nine goals over three games against Carolina. Bet on the Bruins moneyline.
Game 4 Pick: Boston Bruins (-127)
St. Louis vs. Vancouver - 10:30 PM ET Rogers Place Arena
Vancouver jumped out the 2-0 quarterfinal series lead as the Canucks defeated St. Louis 5-2 in Game 1 and 4-3 in overtime during Game 2. Canucks captain Bo Horvat scored twice in both games - including the OT winner in Game 2. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom was strong in goal for Vancouver as he stopped 63 of the 68 shots he faced during the first two contests.
Both teams scored twice in the second period and Game 3 was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation time. The Blues avoided a 3-0 series deficit when Brayden Schenn scored 15:06 into the first overtime to give the Blues a 3-2 victory. Jake Allen replaced Jordan Binnington in goal for St. Louis in Game 3 and stopped 39 of 41 shots. I like the Canucks Game 4 moneyline.
Game 3 Pick: Vancouver Canucks (+120)
SI NHL gambling analyst Roy Larking has been posting game day playoff predictions since August 3rd, 2020. His overall record is 15-18 (-78.80) through Sunday, August 16th, 2020.