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Friday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview and odds
Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Friday night with Game 4 between the Lightning and Bruins in Boston and a critical Game 5 in Las Vegas between the Sharks and the Golden Knights.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins (-150, 6)
Lightning lead series 2-1.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have produced their most complete performance of the season last time out and look to take a stranglehold of the Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Boston Bruins for Game 4 on Friday night. Ondrej Palat scored twice in the first 3:19 of the contest and the Lightning limited the Bruins to 15 shots without a goal over the final two periods for a 4-1 victory Wednesday to take a 2-1 series lead.
"We have to expect that we're going to get their best game," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, who scored an empty-net goal for his first of the series in Game 3, told reporters Thursday. "They're a very good team for a reason. They've responded to these situations all year and we just have to elevate our game." Patrice Bergeron scored the only goal on the power play for Boston in the first period of Game 3, giving him three tallies in the series and four in the last four playoff games, but the Bruins struggled to get quality chances 5-on-5 for the second straight contest. “The last two games, we didn’t play enough of our game,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. “They’ve played their game better than we’ve played ours, and they’ve won both games. We were slow at times, and stubborn.” Bruins right wing David Pastrnak, who was tied for the league lead with 19 points in the playoffs entering Thursday, has six assists in the series but registered only one shot on goal in the past two games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVA
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: The Bruins opened as -150 home favorites for Game 4 and as of Thursday night that moneyline has been steady. 56 percent of wagers have come in on the favored Bruins. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Lightning - LW Adam Erne (Questionable, Lower Body).
Bruins - D Brandon Carlo (Out For Season, Ankle), LW Anders Bjork (Out For Season, Shoulder).
GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Andrei Vasilevskiy 44 17 3 2.62 .920 8
Tuukka Rask 34 14 5 2.36 .917 3
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (60-25-3-2, 53-34 O/U): Palat recorded two points in each of the last two games, helping to occupy the puck along with linemates Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point, and has been a consistent performer in his 54 playoff games (plus-6 rating, 37 points). “He’s a beast,” coach Jon Cooper said of Palat. “You probably get spoiled a little bit because I’ve watched that act before happening in playoff series in 2015 and 2016. Those guys that kind of go under the radar and don’t get the credit they deserve but they never seek it and they don’t care, that’s what you have in (Palat).” Versatile forward Yanni Gourde registered an assist in Game 3 after returning to the team Wednesday after witnessing the birth of his first child.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (55-25-9-3, 41-45 O/U): Cassidy is contemplating some lineup changes for Game 4 to add a spark as Boston has been outshot 104-73 in the series without much punch from the bottom two forward lines and rookie forward Ryan Donato could get a chance. “We’ve got some guys that weren’t dressed (for Game 3) that have played well for this team,” Cassidy told reporters. “. … Some guys (among the forwards) have had a tough time. … If they stay in, obviously, they need to be better.” Veteran left wing Rick Nash had an assist Wednesday and led the team with six shots on net, giving him 11 in the series, while rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy logged a game-high 27:09 of ice time without a shot, but recorded five hits.
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Lightning are 19-7 in their last 26 Conference Semifinals games.
* Bruins are 22-7 in their last 29 home games.
* Over is 11-4-2 in Lightning's last 17 road games.
* Under is 15-4-2 in Bruins' last 21 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Lightning are 8-33-4 in the last 45 meetings in Boston.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (-150, 5.5)
Series tied 2-2.
While their Western Conference semifinal is tied at two games apiece, the San Jose Sharks have slowly been imposing their will on the Vegas Golden Knights since absorbing a 7-0 drubbing in the series opener. The Sharks posted a decisive 4-0 victory Wednesday and have won two of three as the best-of-seven set shifts to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Friday night.
San Jose coach Peter DeBoer lamented the fact that his team had been continually playing from behind and "chasing the game the whole series," but the Sharks struck twice in the opening period of Game 4 and never looked back. "I know we're getting better every game," DeBoer said. "So I know we're going to get off the plane in Vegas and we're going to play a good game, and it's going to take a real good game to win in there. We're going to have to win a game in there in order to win the series." The Golden Knights lost for only the second time in eight postseason games and were blanked for the first time since Feb. 19, but they head back to Las Vegas with the series narrowed to a best-of-three -- and two of those (if necessary) to be held at raucous T-Mobile Arena. "Nobody thought it was going to be an easy series either," Vegas netminder Marc-Andre Fleury said. "We're in good shape 2-2, going home and obviously it (stinks) to lose this one. ... Put it behind and get ready for the next one."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
SERIES PRICE (PER LV SUPERBOOK):
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: Vegas opened as -150 home favorites for Game 5 and as of Thursday night that moneyline has been steady. 68 percent of wagers have come in on the favored Knights. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Sharks - C Joe Thornton (Questionable, Knee).
Golden Knights - D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).
GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Martin Jones 30 22 6 2.55 .915 4
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 13 4 2.24 .927 4
ABOUT THE SHARKS (51-28-8-3, 41-46 O/U): There had been speculation that veteran center Joe Thornton would play for the first time since Jan. 23 due to the uncertain status of Joonas Donskoi, who returned from a one-game absence and supplied a back-breaking goal in the final seconds of the opening period. Fourth-line forward Marcus Sorensen, who registered only five goals in 32 regular-season games, opened the scoring Wednesday and is tied for second on the team with four tallies in eight playoff contests. "All four lines played really good,” said Tomas Hertl, who netted his team-leading fifth goal of the postseason. “Everyone is scoring, not just one line."
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (57-25-5-3, 45-42 O/U): Vegas' No. 1 line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith was finally shut down in Game 4, combining for 11 shots on net after amassing 19 points through the first three meetings. Even though San Jose has pierced the Golden Knights for 11 goals in the last three games, the team has no concerns over the play of Fleury, who notched three shutouts in the first five games of the playoffs. "Amazing goalie, amazing person," defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "We're very fortunate to have him. Maybe we rely on him too much, but he's our backbone, and we're 100 percent confident in him back there."
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 22-5 in their last 27 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 13-1 in their last 14 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 7-1-3 in Sharks' last 11 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 13-1 in Golden Knights' last 14 Friday games.
Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues Friday night with Game 4 between the Lightning and Bruins in Boston and a critical Game 5 in Las Vegas between the Sharks and the Golden Knights.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins (-150, 6)
Lightning lead series 2-1.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have produced their most complete performance of the season last time out and look to take a stranglehold of the Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Boston Bruins for Game 4 on Friday night. Ondrej Palat scored twice in the first 3:19 of the contest and the Lightning limited the Bruins to 15 shots without a goal over the final two periods for a 4-1 victory Wednesday to take a 2-1 series lead.
"We have to expect that we're going to get their best game," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos, who scored an empty-net goal for his first of the series in Game 3, told reporters Thursday. "They're a very good team for a reason. They've responded to these situations all year and we just have to elevate our game." Patrice Bergeron scored the only goal on the power play for Boston in the first period of Game 3, giving him three tallies in the series and four in the last four playoff games, but the Bruins struggled to get quality chances 5-on-5 for the second straight contest. “The last two games, we didn’t play enough of our game,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. “They’ve played their game better than we’ve played ours, and they’ve won both games. We were slow at times, and stubborn.” Bruins right wing David Pastrnak, who was tied for the league lead with 19 points in the playoffs entering Thursday, has six assists in the series but registered only one shot on goal in the past two games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVA
SERIES PRICE (PER WESTGATE LV SUPERBOOK):
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: The Bruins opened as -150 home favorites for Game 4 and as of Thursday night that moneyline has been steady. 56 percent of wagers have come in on the favored Bruins. The total hit betting boards at 6 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Lightning - LW Adam Erne (Questionable, Lower Body).
Bruins - D Brandon Carlo (Out For Season, Ankle), LW Anders Bjork (Out For Season, Shoulder).
GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Andrei Vasilevskiy 44 17 3 2.62 .920 8
Tuukka Rask 34 14 5 2.36 .917 3
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (60-25-3-2, 53-34 O/U): Palat recorded two points in each of the last two games, helping to occupy the puck along with linemates Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point, and has been a consistent performer in his 54 playoff games (plus-6 rating, 37 points). “He’s a beast,” coach Jon Cooper said of Palat. “You probably get spoiled a little bit because I’ve watched that act before happening in playoff series in 2015 and 2016. Those guys that kind of go under the radar and don’t get the credit they deserve but they never seek it and they don’t care, that’s what you have in (Palat).” Versatile forward Yanni Gourde registered an assist in Game 3 after returning to the team Wednesday after witnessing the birth of his first child.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (55-25-9-3, 41-45 O/U): Cassidy is contemplating some lineup changes for Game 4 to add a spark as Boston has been outshot 104-73 in the series without much punch from the bottom two forward lines and rookie forward Ryan Donato could get a chance. “We’ve got some guys that weren’t dressed (for Game 3) that have played well for this team,” Cassidy told reporters. “. … Some guys (among the forwards) have had a tough time. … If they stay in, obviously, they need to be better.” Veteran left wing Rick Nash had an assist Wednesday and led the team with six shots on net, giving him 11 in the series, while rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy logged a game-high 27:09 of ice time without a shot, but recorded five hits.
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Lightning are 19-7 in their last 26 Conference Semifinals games.
* Bruins are 22-7 in their last 29 home games.
* Over is 11-4-2 in Lightning's last 17 road games.
* Under is 15-4-2 in Bruins' last 21 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Lightning are 8-33-4 in the last 45 meetings in Boston.
San Jose Sharks at Vegas Golden Knights (-150, 5.5)
Series tied 2-2.
While their Western Conference semifinal is tied at two games apiece, the San Jose Sharks have slowly been imposing their will on the Vegas Golden Knights since absorbing a 7-0 drubbing in the series opener. The Sharks posted a decisive 4-0 victory Wednesday and have won two of three as the best-of-seven set shifts to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Friday night.
San Jose coach Peter DeBoer lamented the fact that his team had been continually playing from behind and "chasing the game the whole series," but the Sharks struck twice in the opening period of Game 4 and never looked back. "I know we're getting better every game," DeBoer said. "So I know we're going to get off the plane in Vegas and we're going to play a good game, and it's going to take a real good game to win in there. We're going to have to win a game in there in order to win the series." The Golden Knights lost for only the second time in eight postseason games and were blanked for the first time since Feb. 19, but they head back to Las Vegas with the series narrowed to a best-of-three -- and two of those (if necessary) to be held at raucous T-Mobile Arena. "Nobody thought it was going to be an easy series either," Vegas netminder Marc-Andre Fleury said. "We're in good shape 2-2, going home and obviously it (stinks) to lose this one. ... Put it behind and get ready for the next one."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
SERIES PRICE (PER LV SUPERBOOK):
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: Vegas opened as -150 home favorites for Game 5 and as of Thursday night that moneyline has been steady. 68 percent of wagers have come in on the favored Knights. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has yet to move.
INJURY REPORT:
Sharks - C Joe Thornton (Questionable, Knee).
Golden Knights - D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, Abdominal).
GOALIE SHOWDOWN:
W L OTL GAA Save % SO
Martin Jones 30 22 6 2.55 .915 4
Marc-Andre Fleury 29 13 4 2.24 .927 4
ABOUT THE SHARKS (51-28-8-3, 41-46 O/U): There had been speculation that veteran center Joe Thornton would play for the first time since Jan. 23 due to the uncertain status of Joonas Donskoi, who returned from a one-game absence and supplied a back-breaking goal in the final seconds of the opening period. Fourth-line forward Marcus Sorensen, who registered only five goals in 32 regular-season games, opened the scoring Wednesday and is tied for second on the team with four tallies in eight playoff contests. "All four lines played really good,” said Tomas Hertl, who netted his team-leading fifth goal of the postseason. “Everyone is scoring, not just one line."
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (57-25-5-3, 45-42 O/U): Vegas' No. 1 line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith was finally shut down in Game 4, combining for 11 shots on net after amassing 19 points through the first three meetings. Even though San Jose has pierced the Golden Knights for 11 goals in the last three games, the team has no concerns over the play of Fleury, who notched three shutouts in the first five games of the playoffs. "Amazing goalie, amazing person," defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "We're very fortunate to have him. Maybe we rely on him too much, but he's our backbone, and we're 100 percent confident in him back there."
MATCHUP CHART:
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 22-5 in their last 27 vs. Pacific.
* Golden Knights are 13-1 in their last 14 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 7-1-3 in Sharks' last 11 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 13-1 in Golden Knights' last 14 Friday games.
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