Tuesday provided a decent bounceback on our NHL Stanley Cup Playoff picks with a 4-2 showing across the four-game slate.
For the first time this postseason, though, Wednesday night will only feature three games instead of four after the Colorado Avalanche breezed through the Nashville Predators — completing a series sweep on Monday night.
Of those three matchups, there’s only one in which we could see another series clincher as the Pittsburgh Penguins hold a surprising 3-1 series lead over the New York Rangers.
The other two series entering Game 5 are tied at two games apiece.
Remember, you don’t HAVE to bet on each game, especially in the uncertainty that is the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. We are giving you our best bets for every game, but if our analysis isn’t landing with you or you just don’t feel like a bet stands out, it’s fine to give that game a pass. There will always be more games to bet on.
New to betting? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Betting with a glossary of terms.
NHL odds and schedule, May 11
Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET
- Game 5 (PIT leads 3-1)
- Watch on ESPN
- Full series preview
Consider the panic button already pressed in New York.
Igor Shesterkin came up lame for a second straight start (and was nominated for the Vezina Trophy just hours later), as the Blueshirts yielded seven goals for a second-straight game against the Penguins.
The series returns to Madison Square Garden where the playing field should level out a bit, but Pittsburgh has run roughshod over New York for most of this series with answers for anything thrown its way.
Underdogs? Sure. But a veteran team that has constantly been on this playoff stage knows how to act, even with a third-string goalie manning the crease. That’s what we’re seeing from the Penguins.
The Pick:
Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
- Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
- Watch on ESPN2
- Full series preview
It’s no mystery at this point that the Panthers are having issues with the Capitals’ physicality. That said, the NHL’s best regular-season team did just enough to ensure they got a split in Washington to head home with this series tied.
And what a thriller it was.
Down 2-1, the Panthers tied the game with 2:04 left in regulation just moments after the Capitals hit the post on a long-range empty-net effort before Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime winner.
That’s a huge momentum getter for Florida heading back home to Sunrise.
The Pick:
Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m.
- Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
- Watch on ESPN
- Full series preview
The Flames had to weather an early Stars storm to take over midway through Game 4, scoring three unanswered goals — including a Johnny Gaudreau penalty shot conversion — to tie the series up.
This series hasn’t been nearly as easy as many expected it to be for the Flames, who finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference this season. That’s a testament to how well-organized the Stars have been to limit Calgary’s high-powered attack and the job that head coach Rick Bowness has done — even with his job seemingly on the line.
But now this series shifts back to Canada with the Flames coming off a massively important win to ease anxieties.
The Pick:
