NHL Playoff Preview & Picks – May 18th, 2024

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Tonight in the NHL, we’re in for a thrilling lineup of two playoff games. Let’s delve into the matchups that promise excitement and highlight some intriguing player props worth your attention.

Matchups:

Florida Panthers @ Boston Bruins

  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Series: Florida Panthers 3 – Boston Bruins 2
TeamOpening MLCurrent MLSpreadTotal
Florida Panthers-166-148-1.5 (+180)o5.5 (+110)
Boston Bruins+140+124+1.5 (-218)u5.5 (-130)

FLA: Sergei Bobrovsky [CONFIRMED]

BOS: Jeremy Swayman [EXPECTED]

Dallas Stars @ Colorado Avalanche

  • Time: 10:00 PM ET
  • Series: Dallas Stars 3 – Colorado Avalanche 2
TeamOpening MLCurrent MLSpreadTotal
Dallas Stars+100-102+1.5 (-250)o6.0 (-118)
Colorado Avalanche-120-118-1.5 (+205)u6.0 (-102)

DAL: Jake Oettinger [EXPECTED]

COL: Alexandar Georgiev [EXPECTED]

Picks:

  • Florida Panthers (-144) – FanDuel

The Panthers will look to close out the Boston Bruins tonight as they squandered their opportunity in Game 5. Florida is desperately trying to avoid a Game 7 scenario after having a 3-1 lead. Last season we saw the Bruins hold a 3-1 lead over the Panthers before the Panthers rattled off three straight wins which ultimately propelled them to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Bruins have struggled throughout the series but remain competitive thanks to their goaltender, Jeremy Swayman, who leads the postseason with a +12.9 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx). While he has been great in the playoffs I think the depth of the Panthers will prevail tonight.

  • Dallas Stars (+100) – FanDuel

Colorado staved off elimination in Game 5 by defeating Dallas 5-3. Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger struggled, posting a .815 save percentage, his worst performance of the postseason. However, Oettinger has demonstrated an ability to rebound from poor outings, and I expect him to do so tonight. During the regular season, Dallas boasted the best away record at 26-10-5 and has continued to excel on the road in the playoffs, winning both away games in this series and two of their three road games in the first round.

Player Props:

  • Sam Bennett over 0.5 Points (+130) – DraftKings

Since returning from injury, Sam Bennett has notched at least one point in two of his last three games. However, he was held scoreless in his most recent outing. Positioned on Florida’s second line with Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk, Bennett adds depth and skill to the team’s offensive lineup.

  • Aaron Ekblad over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-130) – DraftKings

Aaron Ekblad occupies a key role on Florida’s top defensive pairing alongside Gustav Forsling, forming a formidable pair. Ekblad has consistently met his shots on goal quota in four out of his last five games. He’s also thrid on the Panthers roster in Total Ice Time per Game averaging just under 22 mintues per game.

At home this season, Ekblad was much better recording over 1.5 shots on goal in 62.5% of the games compared to just 51.9% on the road.

Additionally, Ekblad boasts an impressive track record against Boston, recording over 1.5 shots on goal in thirteen of his last eighteen encounters.

  • Charlie McAvoy over 2.5 Blocked Shots (-135) – BetMGM

McAvoy has recorded more than 2.5 blocked shots in each of his last two games against the Panthers. As the Bruins face elimination tonight, I anticipate McAvoy will continue sacrificing his body to block scoring chances. In the first round of the series, he surpassed 2.5 blocked shots in four of the seven games.

Same Game Parlay:

Linemate and Shot Propz provide all Player Prop Data.

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.

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