This article focuses on today’s two-game NHL evening slate, going over the NHL odds and giving you a few potential wagers against the spread. Feel free to jump in our sports betting Slack channel for additional information and updates when it comes to tonight’s action.
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NOTE: The Eastern Conference games are played in Toronto and the Western Conference games are played in Edmonton. There is no “home ice” advantage other than last line change.Â
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NHL Odds + Best Bets
The biggest game on the slate
Tampa Bay vs. Columbus, 7:30 PM ET – After two games of this series, it is clear that it should grind on to what could be the distance. Columbus has been able to contain Tampa’s top six for the most part except for a few moments while the third line is the one that has created the most scoring chances. Go figure.
Tampa Bay has had problems, like last year, in stopping the low to high play that Columbus likes to focus on. If they do not adjust to that, Columbus has a real chance in gaining the upper hand in this series.
The morning money line hovered at -170 for Tampa Bay while Columbus was seeing around a +150 on their side of the ledger.
The over/under projects to stay at 5. The current expected goalie matchup is again Andrei Vasilevskiy versus Joonas Korpisalo. A key matchup once again will be Seth Jones versus the Patrice Bergeron line (watch to see how John Tortorella tries to switch that up as well).
Occasionally, the Pierre-Luc Dubois line may go strength versus strength here. Do not be surprised to see one or two more small fluctuations betting wise for this game.
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Games Against the Spread
Columbus (+150) vs. Tampa Bay – Again, Columbus at +150 is a bet which must be explored. The Blue Jackets enjoy the bubble it seems. Overall, the team has been downright stingy playing in Toronto. Most of that is thanks to Joonas Korpisalo. The Columbus goalie is 3-2 in these playoffs with a 1.29 goals-against average and .962 save percentage. This includes two shutouts in those six contests. Andrei Vasievskiy made the key saves in Game 1 — especially early in the fifth overtime. Korpisalo was able to close the door on Tampa Bay in Game 2. It is the kind of series where the teams are even enough that goaltending will decide Game 3 as well.
A better effort should be expected from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday evening. However, the books have slid back from an opening at -180 for Tampa, which is interesting. If that number with Columbus goes below +150, it may be wise to pass here.
Notable Score And Other Props
So, the puckline for Tampa Bay stands at +160 (-1.5 goals). Their 60-minute line is not very enticing either to be honest. Also, there is that first period over/under from the Chicago/Vegas game. If one can still get that at 1.5, it has been a trendy pick as Chicago keeps hammering that over. Even the game over is something to look at obviously.
The Vegas money line at -220 is just too much to consider. However, the Chicago puckline could be something to consider. That (+1.5/-145) is not terrible. If that were to balloon past -150, then consider passing.
If you have any NHL questions, find me in the sports betting channel on the Awesemo.com premium Slack chat or @ChrisWasselDFS on twitter.
A special thanks have to be given to all of the Awesemo staff as this column has returned once again. We will be here one to two times a week as the slate warrants. There will also be picks in the slack chat and on social media.Â
