All four teams on Wednesday’s NHL playoff odds board will be coming off at least a two-day respite. To say the break was welcomed would be an understatement, seeing that all four squads needed seven games to dispatch their first-round opponents. Not only that, but each series clincher came with a side of high-stress, high-stakes drama.
Two teams (New York Rangers and Calgary Flames) needed overtime goals to advance; another (Carolina Hurricanes) barely held on for a one-goal Game 7 victory; and the last club (Edmonton Oilers) was involved in a 1-0 nailbiter before getting a late insurance goal for a 2-0 win.
So, yeah, it’s safe to assume everyone involved — players, coaches, fans — was grateful for the two-day mental and physical breather. Come Wednesday night, though, it’s back to the grind, with the Rangers and Hurricanes hooking up in the East, and the Flames and Oilers battling for Canadian supremacy in the West.
Props.com breaks down NHL playoff odds and action for Game 1 of these highly anticipated conference semifinal matchups.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 5 p.m. ET on May 18.
New York Rangers vs Carolina Hurricanes (Game 1)
Puck Drop/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN
Moneyline: Hurricanes -180/Rangers +150
Puckline: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150)/Rangers +1.5 (-180)
Total: 5.5 (Over -121/Under +100)
Season series: Carolina won, 3-1.
Series odds: Carolina -200/New York +165
Rangers slap shots: New York (56-27-6) took the longest, most stressful route possible to the second round, falling behind the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 before rallying for three straight come-from-behind wins to close the series. In Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, New York forced overtime with a late third-period goal, then netted the game-winner on the power play nearly five minutes into the extra session. … Pittsburgh outscored New York 29-28 in what was by far the highest-scoring first-round matchup, with all seven games going Over the total. … Center Mika Zibanejad ranks tied for third in the playoffs with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists). Defenseman Adam Fox posted near identical numbers (3 goals, 7 assists). … Goalie Igor Shesterkin, the likely Vezina Trophy winner, was yanked in Games 3 and 4 at Pittsburgh, and finished the series with an ugly 3.43 goals-against average. However, he stopped 99 of the final 108 shots he faced. … The Rangers head to Carolina just 5-6 since April 23. That includes a 4-3 home loss to the Hurricanes.
Hurricanes slap shots: Home ice held up throughout Carolina’s opening-round series against Boston. The Hurricanes (60-23-8) won Games 1, 2 and 5 at home by near identical scores of 5-1, 5-2 and 5-1, but were blown out in three contests in Boston (4-2, 5-2 and 5-2). Back home for Sunday’s Game 7, Carolina opened leads of 2-0 and 3-1, then held on for a 3-2 victory (the only one-goal game of the series). … The Canes are 12-2 in their last 14 games. They’ve tallied at least four goals in 12 of their last 16 contests and finished with 24 goals against the Bruins. … Defensemen Tony DeAngelo (1 goal, 7 assists) and Jaccob Slavin (2 goals, 6 assists) each had a team-high eight points against Boston. … Carolina is 33-8-4 on home ice this season, but split its two home games against Rangers (6-3 win; 2-0 loss). The Hurricanes posted two victories in New York in April by scores of 4-2 and 4-3.
Betting Nuggets
- New York is still just 4-9 in its last 13 playoff games
- New York is 15-36 in its last 51 as a playoff underdog
- Carolina is 5-0 in its last five conference semifinal contests
- Carolina is 25-8 in its last 33 as a playoff favorite (4-0 this year)
- New York has topped the total in seven straight overall and four of five on the road
- Carolina is on Over streaks of 8-1-1 overall and 4-1 at home
- In recent Rangers-Hurricanes clashes, the favorite is 5-2 and the visitor is 4-1
- The Over was 3-1 in the four regular-season meetings
Game 1 prediction: Hurricanes 3, Rangers 2
Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames (Game 1)
Puck Drop/TV: 9:30 p.m. ET/ESPN
Moneyline: Flames -165/Oilers +140
Puckline: Flames -1.5 (+150)/Oilers +1.5 (-180)
Total: 6 (Over -131/Under +110)
Season series: Tied 2-2.
Series odds: Calgary -200/Edmonton +165
Oilers slap shots: Edmonton rallied from a 3-2 series hole against the Los Angeles Kings, taking Game 6 on the road (4-2) and Game 7 at home (2-0). It was the Oilers’ first playoff series triumph since 2017 and just the second since losing the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. … Edmonton (53-30-6) is 17-5-1 in its last 23 games overall (7-3 on the road). … Led by superstar captain Connor McDavid (NHL-best 10 assists and 14 points) and controversial left wing Evander Kane (seven goals), Edmonton outscored the Kings 27-17. The 27 goals were third-most in the first round behind the Penguins and Rangers. … Goalie Mike Smith posted two shutouts and finished with a 2.29 goals-against average and .938 save percentage. … The Oilers beat the Flames in the first two meetings this season at home (5-2 and 5-3), but lost the next two in Calgary (3-1 and 9-5).
Flames slap shots: Calgary entered its first-round series against the Stars as a big favorite. However, it needed to win three of the final four games to earn a trip to the second round for the first time since 2015 and just the second time since 2009. The Flames (54-23-11) twice trailed in Game 7 (1-0 and 2-1) but tied it midway through the second. Johnny Gaudreau netted the game-winner late in the first overtime. … Calgary only outscored Dallas 15-14 in the series. The 29 goals were the fewest of any first-round matchup. Gaudreau had a team-best eight points (2 goals, 6 assists). … Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom was spectacular against the Stars, allowing 1.53 goals per game while posting a .943 save percentage. … Calgary is just 4-5 (one OT loss) in it last nine games, but 7-2 in its last nine at home.
Betting Nuggets
- Edmonton is 2-5 in its last seven as an underdog
- Edmonton is 1-4 in its last five conference semifinal games
- Calgary is 6-3 in its last nine playoff games as a favorite
- Calgary is 1-4 in its last five conference semifinal games
- Edmonton is 7-2 to the Under in its last nine road contests
- Calgary is on Under runs of 6-2-1 overall and 3-0-1 at home
- The home team has won five straight Oilers-Flames battles, with the favorite going 4-1
- The Over is 13-6-1 in the last 20 series meetings in Calgary
Prediction: Flames 4, Oilers 3
NHL Playoffs Odds & Action Updates
Oilers vs Flames
UPDATED 2 P.M. ET WEDNESDAY: PointsBet USA still has Calgary at -165 and Edmonton at +140 for Game 1, same as the opening moneyline. Action is running in the Flames’ direction at 56% bets and 68% money. The total is holding steady at 6, but the juice has adjusted from Over -115 to Over -131. As with Rangers-Hurricanes, there’s heavy action to the Over, at 82% wagers/93% cash.
UPDATED 11:10 A.M. ET WEDNESDAY: BetMGM opened Calgary as a -155 home chalk for Game 1 back on Monday morning, and the moneyline held there until ticking up to Calgary -160 at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. The number on BetMGM’s NHL playoff odds board remains Flames -160/Oilers +135, with betting splits of 56% tickets/52% money on Calgary. The puckline was initially set at Flames (-1.5) +165/Oilers (+1.5) -200 but has since adjusted to Flames +150/Oilers -180 and then the current number of Flames +155/Oilers -190). Almost all the puckline action is on the home team at 89% wagers/88% cash. The total opened and remains at 6, with a slight juice move from Over -115 to the current price of Over -120. Bettors expect a high-flying Game 1, as 77% of the tickets and 92% of the money is on the Over.
UPDATED 5 P.M. ET TUESDAY: Calgary opened as a -165 favorite on PointsBet USA’s Game 1 NHL playoff odds board, quickly dropped to -160 and remains there. The Oilers have gone from +140 to +135 on the take-back. Puckline odds are unchanged from the opener of Flames (-1.5) +155/Oilers (+1.5) -185. The total opened at 6/Over -115 and held there until a juice adjustment to 6/Over -120 about four hours ago.
Rangers vs Hurricanes
UPDATED 2 P.M. ET THURSDAY: About two hours before puck drop, the Hurricanes have stretched out to a -180 favorite in Game 1 at PointsBet USA, with the Rangers at +150. That’s a shift from PointsBet’s opening moneyline of Carolina -165/New York +140. Tickets (76%) and money (74%) are running at about 3/1 on the Hurricanes. The total opened and remains at 5.5, but the juice has dipped a bit from Over -125 to Over -121. That said, a whopping 88% of all bets and 94% of all dollars at PointsBet are on the Over.
UPDATED 11:10 A.M. ET WEDNESDAY: BetMGM initially posted Game 1 of this series at Carolina -160/New York +135 on its NHL playoff odds board. The odds remain the same on the Rangers, but the Hurricanes have nudged up a bit to -165. Most of the tickets written at BetMGM (71%) are on the home team, but the money is more evenly split at Carolina 55%/New York 45%. The puckline opened and remains at Hurricanes (-1.5) +155/Rangers (+1.5) -190, with 74% of the bets and 77% of the cash on Carolina. The total also remains pinned to the opening number of 5.5/Over -120, with 68% of all wagers and 71% of all dollars on the Over.
UPDATED 5 P.M. ET TUESDAY: PointsBet USA installed Carolina as a -165 Game 1 favorite early Monday morning on its NHL playoff odds board. The moneyline has since bounced between Hurricanes -160/Rangers +135 and the current price of Hurricanes -176/Rangers +145. The puckline opened and remains priced at Calgary (-1.5) +150/New York (+1.5) -180. The total hit PointsBet’s board at 5.5/Over -125 but quickly dropped to the current price of 5.5/Over -121.
