2018 NHL Playoffs Betting Preview & Predictions

The playoff seedings in the National Hockey League came down to the very last night of the regular season, as the Florida Panthers played the role of the spoiler, knocking the Boston Bruins out of the top spot in the Atlantic Division with a 4-2 win, giving Tampa Bay the division title (and an opening round against the wild-card New Jersey Devils. In the Western Conference, Nashville was able to hold off Winnipeg in the Central Division and take that title. As you consider your sports betting for the NHL’s postseason, take a look at our bracket and NHL playoffs betting predictions.

2018 NHL Playoffs Betting Preview & Predictions

It’s go time. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/EaHCpFLdRm

— NHL (@NHL) April 9, 2018

Eastern Conference

• Tampa Bay (A1) vs New Jersey (WC2)
• Boston (A2) vs Toronto (A3)
• Washington (M1) vs Columbus (WC1)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs Philadelphia (M3)

Western Conference

• Nashville (C1) vs Colorado (WC2)
• Winnipeg (C2) vs Minnesota (C3)
• Vegas (P1) vs Los Angeles (WC1)
• Anaheim (P2) vs San Jose (P3)

The Tampa Bay Lightning led the East for most of the season, and their success came primarily from their offense. Nikita Kucherov posted 100 points on the season, and Steven Stamkos added 86. Their defense was stout for most of the season, but the last month has seen a decline. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has slipped to just 16th in the league in save percentage at .919. They face a New Jersey team that rode goalie Keith Kinkaid and Taylor Hall to the postseason. The Lightning has a much better roster on paper, though, so while the Devils may pull out a couple of plucky wins, I see Tampa Bay in six. The Boston Bruins have ridden a combination of dynamic offense and shutdown defense to the postseason, and they have veterans Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron leading a young crew that includes Olympic hero Ryan Donato and Charlie McAvoy. However, they face a Toronto Maple Leaf squad that can match their youth and speed with William Nylander, Auston Matthews and MItchell Marner. I see the youth movement pushing the Bruins hard, but I also have Boston in seven. As long as Alex Ovechkin has played for the Washington Capitals, they have never made it to a conference finals. However, they open against a pedestrian Columbus Blue Jackets team that ground its way to the playoffs but doesn’t have the talent or speed to stop the Caps. I have Washington in five. How about the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins? The Flyers have a lengthy Stanley Cup drought, and the Penguins have a porous defense. However, the Penguins have been able to stop the Flyers in their meetings this season and may be in the Flyers’ heads. I have Pittsburgh in five. Then we have the Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche. The Preds have that hunger from coming up short in the Stanley Cup Finals last year, and they have showed it down the stretch. Colorado has plenty of hustle, but the Predators are more solid on both ends. Give me Nashville in five. Winnipeg has a core in Nikolaj Ehlers, Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler who can skate with anyone — they’re the speediest team that you haven’t heard of yet. However, once Winnipeg rolls over the Minnesota Wild, you’ll know all about them. The Wild just don’t have the speed up front or the skill in the back to stop the Jets. I like Winnipeg in five. The Vegas Golden Knights have written a no-name roster to a Pacific Division title. Their goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, was built and battle-tested in two Stanley Cup runs in Pittsburgh, and I see his leadership carrying the Knights into the first round. The Kings have experience, but they don’t have any big go-to scorers. Give me Vegas in six. The Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks will provide a bristling first-round series. These are two teams with a lot of postseason experience, and I expect this series to go the distance. Can Anaheim shake off the curse of losing elimination games at home? I say yes, so give me Anaheim in seven.