2018 NHL Conference Finals Betting Preview

And then there were four. That’s right — there are just four teams still pursuing the Stanley Cup, with the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Lightning squaring off in the Eastern Conference Finals, and with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets tangling in the Western Conference Finals. Washington and Tampa Bay get their series underway on Friday night — with the Caps making the final four for the first time since 1998, while the Lightning are back for the third time in four years. Let’s see what the 2018 NHL Conference Finals odds are looking like for each game.

2018 NHL Conference Finals Betting Preview

The https://t.co/D5CMtvvLtP staff shares its Conference Final predictions. #StanleyCup https://t.co/QiFIA3GxXd

— NHL (@NHL) May 11, 2018

Eastern Conference: Washington vs Tampa Bay

Why should you bet on Tampa Bay?

The Lightning haven’t had to work nearly as hard to get here. They took down New Jersey in five games, with each of their wins coming by at least a pair of goals. They also beat Boston in five games, losing the opener at home but then sweeping the next four. While the Devils were simply happy to be in the postseason, the Bruins were a top-notch team that the Lightning dispatched. Why is Tampa Bay so scary? They have two players who each have an argument for league MVP, in Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Alex Kilborn and Tyler Johnson are also forwards who could skate on any team’s top line. But a lot of teams have great first lines…only to see things fall off when the other lines come in. J.T. Miller has emerged as a solid forward, playing on multiple lines, scoring 18 points in the last 19 games of the regular season and posting seven points in the 10 postseason games so far. Brayden Point also has ten points in the postseason and had 30 goals in the season. Tampa Bay has four lines that can all score in bunches. The Lightning also have three top-notch defensemen. Victor Hedman has averaged 26:08 of ice time in the postseason so far, and Anton Stralman and Ryan McDonagh are also top-tier. While Dan Girardi and Braydon Corburn represent a bit of a dropoff, having three front-line skaters on the blue line is a huge advantage. Then there’s goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. He was good enough in the regular season but has improved in the postseason. His GAA has come down, while his save percentage has gone up. He did have one awful game (that series opener against the Bruins), but other than that has played at an elite level.

Why should you put your money on the Capitals?

Washington has had a lot more adversity on the way to the conference finals. They lost two games to Columbus to open the postseason and then won the next four, with two of those victories coming in overtime. Then they lost the opener against Pittsburgh — who had eliminated the Caps in each of the last two seasons — but then won four of five, including a thrilling overtime victory to eliminate the Penguins. So there are those intangibles. The Capitals have a terrific offense, but it’s not quite as high-flying as it has been previously. Been. Alex Ovechkin tallied 49 goals in the regular season and has been productive in the playoffs. Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov have had elite seasons as well. However, the other lines for the Caps aren’t as dangerous as the lower lines for the Lightning. John Carlson is having the best year of his career on the blue line. He has had career bests in goals, assists and total points, and average time on the ice. Matt Niskanen has averaged four more minutes per game in the postseason than he played in the regular season. Dmitry Orlov has been solid in the playoffs as well. Brooks Orpik and Michal Kempny can hold the line as well — but the Caps don’t have a lot of depth. Braden Holtby has taken his net back with a vengeance. He finished the regular season in a real tailspin, which is why Phillipp Grubaer started in net when the playoffs began. However, that turned into a disaster, and Holtby returned with his usual form Series Prediction: Tampa Bay in 7

Western Conference: Vegas vs Winnipeg

Why should you wager on the Jets?

It’s not like Winnipeg came out of nowhere. Two years ago, they got swept by a veteran Anaheim team in the first round of the playoffs, and then they didn’t make the tournament last year, thanks in large part to awful goaltending. Connor Hellebuyck is the big surprise this year, taking charge of that net and getting named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Blake Wheeler has become a dominant power forward, and other scoring threats up front include Patrik Laine, Mark Scheifele and Nik Ehlers — not to mention the 31 goals by rookie Kyle Connor. Then there’s that Winnipeg defense. Dustin Byfuglien, whose nickname is “The Great Equalizer,” has four goals and seven points in the last four games. He also delivers mammoth hits. Jacob Trouba has two postseason goals, including a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist and a fight) in Game 3’s comeback win. Tyler Myers has two goals and two assists in the postseason and shows terrific balance, with responsibility on defense and aggressiveness on offense.

Why should you take the Golden Knights?

Momentum is a huge thing in the National Hockey League. However, it’s hard for momentum to carry a Cinderella all the way to the Cup. No expansion team had ever swept a postseason series until Vegas did it to Los Angeles. Only two other expansion teams have made it to a conference final, but the other two did it in 1918, when the league was in its first season, and then St. Louis did it — when their whole conference was expansion teams. So Vegas really is in uncharted territory. William Karlsson has tallied 43 goals on the season, and Marc-Andre Fleury has taken charge of that net. Fleury had motivation, after leading Pittsburgh to the Cup Finals last year, only to get replaced in net by Matt Murray (who is now heading into the off-season). Deryk Engelland has provided solid leadership, but this team really is a collection of no-name players. But can Vegas keep Winnipeg at bay as well? Series Prediction: Winnipeg in 6