The conference semifinal stage (second round) of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Tuesday night and with it, we look to keep nailing our NHL odds picks like we did last week.
A perfect 3-0 during two Game 7’s on Sunday night raised our record to 18-5, ranked No. 3 of all NHL experts on Tallysight.
As the field dwindles, the picks are only going to get more difficult, so remember, you don’t HAVE to bet on each game.
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, Picks: May 17
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m. ET
- Game 1
- Watch on TNT
- Full series preview
This feels like one of those series where the winner will be the team representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Lightning is looking to establish a legitimate dynasty by today’s standards as they are just 12 wins away from winning a third consecutive Stanley Cup. No one has done that since the New York Islanders won four straight Cups between 1980-1983.
A divisional rival in the Panthers might just prove to be their toughest test yet. Florida was the best regular-season team in the NHL this season and is desperate to take that next step as a legitimate Cup contender.
These two teams faced off in a heated first-round series last year with Tampa winning in six games.
Not only will some of the best skills be on display with two of the top attacks in the league facing off, but animosity will likely reach an entirely new level between the in-state rivals.
This has all the makings of being the most fun series of the playoffs.
The Lightning likely will not have Brayden Point available after he was injured in the first round during the Toronto Maple Leafs — which is a major absence.
Florida also has some uncertainty within its ranks. Anthony Duclair — a 30-goal scorer — was a healthy scratch during Game 6 due to struggles encountered against the Washington Capitals.
NHL Odds and The Pick:
St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 p.m.
- Game 1
- Watch on TNT
- Full series preview
This is exactly where everyone expected the Avalanche to be at this point of the season — one of the most dominant teams in the league just steamrolled the Nashville Predators in a sweep and now set their sights on a plucky St. Louis Blues side that got past the Minnesota Wild in six games.
St. Louis should give the Avalanche more of a fight in the Western Conference semifinals, but Colorado is still the overwhelming favorite here.
Still, we saw what good goaltending could do in the first round. Jake Oettinger and the underdog Dallas Stars pushed the high-powered Calgary Flames to overtime in Game 7 before ultimately falling.
It appears as though the Blues rediscovered their man in net with 2019 Cup winner Jordan Binnington wrestling the job away from Ville Husso — who was inconsistent during the first three games of the series against the Wild.
Binnington, who struggled mightily down the stretch of the regular season, stepped in for Games 4, 5, and 6 and looked like the young phenom who captivated the NHL three years ago.
The 28-year-old stopped 83 of 88 shots (.943 SV%) and won all three of his decisions to backstop St. Louis’ surge to the second round.
He’ll encounter a completely different test in an Avalanche team that scored five or more goals in three of their four wins over Nashville in the first round and got their captain in Gabriel Landeskog back after he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season in March.
But St. Louis actually averaged more goals per game than the Avalanche (ever-so-slightly), which will test its banged-up goalie ranks.
Starter Darcy Kuemper had to sit for Game 4 against Nashville due to an eye injury. He should be good to go with the swelling having significantly gone down.
NHL Odds and The Pick:
