If you needed any more evidence that the NHL had the wildest postseason of all, you got it in the first round. Both the reigning Stanley Cup champions (Avalanche) and the winningest regular-season team in history (Bruins) were eliminated on their home ice in a Game 7. Given this, you might need help picking the NHL playoff second-round series winners. If you keep reading, we’ll give you three teams worthy of betting on!
Both these sides surprised in the opening round. Florida were the ones to stun Boston in overtime of Game 7, while Toronto won its first playoff series in 19 years versus the three-time Eastern Conference champions. The higher-seeded Leafs are comfortable favorites to advance in the series, per the top NHL betting sites below:
When previewing this Leafs-Panthers series, it’s important to consider the prior results in the regular season. Toronto took three of four games, outscoring Florida 15-10. Two of those meetings took place toward the end of the season, which each of those games going into overtime (the teams split the matchups). So if anything, those latter games show these two teams are more even than the betting odds initially let on.
When looking at the two rosters, there’s no question the Maple Leafs are more “top heavy.” The team has been led by the “core four” of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares for years now. The group was rightfully criticized for its history of one-and-done playoff performances, but they “exorcised the demons” already. The four-player group combined for 13 goals, 21 assists, and 34 points in the first round. Any collective performance even close to that could make them a rough beat for Florida.
Honestly, we think this series will be won and lost on power plays. This has been the Panther’s big bugaboo most of the season, and now they’re matched up with a Toronto squad that ranked second-best in the regular season. We expect this series to be high-scoring but ultimately ends with the Leafs advancing on.
Of the four playoff series this second round, the most lopsided in terms of odds is this Dallas vs. Seattle clash. Stars are a strong -190 to advance, as seen below:
Here’s one trend to look out for in this matchup: road team advantage. Part of what makes playoff hockey so unpredictable is that home teams lose quite regularly. Just ask these two teams, who both clinched their first-round series on the road. As the higher seed, Dallas has the home-ice disadvantage — yes, you read that correctly.
You see, when these two sides battled in the regular season, the road team won each time — the Stars won twice, the Kraken the other. If anything, Seattle prefers playing away from home. Three of their wins against Colorado last round came on the road. With a 26-11-4 record, the Avs were one of the best road warriors league-wide.
But here’s one more reason the Kraken will score the upset: goaltender Philipp Grubauer is a menace. He had a .926 save percentage against a loaded Avs team and stopped 33 tries in Game 7. Our belief is Grubauer does even better against a less powerful Stars attack. Seattle is going to steal this series, bank on it!
After the upset-filled first round, Edmonton is the new favorite to win the Stanley Cup trophy across bookmakers (Toronto is close behind, or in some books, slightly ahead). Knowing that, no one should be surprised that the Oilers are pegged as favorites over the Knights — despite Vegas being the one seed out West. Here are the current odds for both teams:
It just feels like Edmonton has LA’s number as of late. Over the past two seasons, the Oilers own an impressive 6-1-1 record over the Kings. If LA is going to have any semblance of a chance in this one, they’ll need to slow down Edmonton’s two-headed monster of an attack. Behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers led the league in scoring with almost four per game.
To their credit, the Golden Knights do possess a solid defense. Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, and Brayden McNabb form a solid top-four. But still, they need to play out of their minds to keep Vegas in this series.
We can’t see Edmonton losing this series unless the Golden Knights exceed their usual in every area — offense, defense, and goaltending. That’s too big of an if for us, which is why the Oilers get our money here.
Want more 2023 NHL playoff bets? You’ll find every type of hockey bet — moneyline, over/under, props, futures, etc. — at one of the bookies below. With three rounds left, that’s still plenty of opportunities left for the next two months. The bookmakers you see listed below ranked high in our sportsbook review section so any one of ‘em will serve you well the rest of the postseason.
About the Author
Eric is uniquely suited to be a writer for SBS. For one, he's a journalist by trade. Eric spent a large part of his career, covering sports — high school, college, and professional — for newspapers and online-based sites. However, Eric is a bettor himself too. He has first-hand experience hanging out in smoky sportsbooks and casinos, dealing with the ebbs and flows of gambling, and an understanding of how bookies operate. Both these unique qualities make him an expert bet picker for SBS. You'll also see Eric report on the sports betting industry as a whole.
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