Looking for some serious Stanley Cup playoffs drama? You’ll find it Tuesday night in two different countries, where a pair of pivotal Game 4 contests are on tap. The fact both home teams are barely favored in the NHL playoff odds market suggests we could be headed for some down-to-the-wire tension.
Dare we go so far as to predict — dare, dare! — an overtime or two?
Before a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, the Rangers will attempt to even their best-of-7 series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Then up in Edmonton, the Battle for Albert continues with the Oilers aiming for a 3-1 series stranglehold against the Calgary Flames.
Props.com breaks down NHL playoff odds and action for all Tuesday’s pair of Game 4 matchups.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 6:15 p.m. ET on May 24.
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Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers (Game 4)
Puck Drop/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN
Moneyline: Rangers -110/Hurricanes -110
Puckline: Rangers (-1.5) +215/Hurricanes (+1.5) -265
Total: 5.5 (Over +110/Under -130)
Best-of-7 series: Carolina leads, 2-1.
Series odds: Carolina -320/New York +250
Game 3 recap: After scoring just one goal in a pair of losses at Carolina, New York got back in the series with a 3-1 victory in Sunday’s Game 3. The Rangers, who never trailed in the contest, cashed as a -115 home favorite after opening as a -115 underdog. Once again, the Under was an easy winner, as Game 3 never came close to the 5.5-goal total. The teams have combined for just nine goals in three games.
Slap Shots
Hurricanes: The Hurricanes are 6-0 at home in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 22-7. However, they are 0-4 on the road, having been outscored 17-7. … Carolina is 12-4 in its last 16 games dating to April 18. … After allowing an empty-net goal late in Game 3, the Hurricanes have seen eight of 10 postseason games decided by multiple goals. They are 4-4 in those contests. … Carolina is still 5-2 against the Rangers this season, with a 19-14 goals advantage. Five of the seven contests were decided by 2+ goals.
Rangers: With Sunday’s win, New York evened its playoff record at 5-5, including 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. The home team has won eight of the team’s last nine contests. … The Rangers have tallied at least three goals in 10 consecutive games at the Garden dating to the regular season. That includes 17 goals in the opening round against Pittsburgh. … Eight of New York’s last nine games have been decided by 2+ goals. The lone exception was Carolina’s 2-1 overtime win in Game 1. … Goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who had a rough start to the playoffs against Pittsburgh, turned in yet another brilliant performance in Game 4, stopping 43 of 44 shots. Over his last six games, the presumptive Vezina Trophy winner has turned aside 186 of the last 199 shots he’s faced (87 of 91 vs. Carolina).
From the Penalty Box
Carolina went 0-for-3 on the power play in Game 3. The Hurricanes are now 5-for-43 in the playoffs (11.6%) and 9-for-92 (9.8%) dating back to the regular season. Carolina has killed 29 of 36 penalties in the playoffs (80.56%) after posting a league-best 88% penalty kill in the regular season.
New York cashed in one of two power-play chances Sunday and is now 7-for-26 (26.9%) with a man advantage in the postseason. The Rangers have killed 24 of 30 (80%).
Betting Nuggets
- Carolina is 17-5 in its last 21 conference semifinal contests (7-1 last eight)
- As an underdog, Carolina is in funks of 0-4 overall and 6-20 in the playoffs
- New York is 24-9 in its last 33 as a home favorite (4-0 last four)
- Under is 4-0 in Carolina’s last four overall
- Over is 19-7-2 in Carolina’s last 28 road games
- Over for New York is on runs of 7-3 overall, 4-1 at home and 9-1-2 as a playoff favorite
- Carolina is 8-2 in its last 10 vs the Rangers
- New York is 22-7 in the last 29 series meetings at the Garden
- Favorite is 8-2 in the last 10 Rangers-Hurricanes clashes
- Under is 7-3 in the last 10 series battles
Game 4 prediction: Rangers 3, Hurricanes 2
Calgary Flames vs Edmonton Oilers (Game 4)
Puck Drop/TV: 9:30 p.m. ET/ESPN
Moneyline: Oilers -115/Flames -105
Puckline: Oilers (-1.5) +195/Flames (+1.5) -240
Total: 6.5 (Over -105/Under -115)
Best-of-7 series: Edmonton leads, 2-1.
Series odds: Edmonton -190/Calgary +160
Game 3 recap: Evander Kane netted a hat trick in less than seven minutes in the second period, during which Edmonton raced out to a 4-0 lead on the way to a 4-1 home victory Sunday night. It was Kane’s second hat trick of the playoffs. The game went off at a consensus pick ’em price. After the first two games soared over the total (23 combined goals), Game 3 fell short of the 6.5-goal consensus total.
Slap Shots
Flames: Calgary is just 5-7 (one OT loss) in its last 12 games (5-5 in the playoffs). Seven of the last eight contests have been decided by multiple goals. … The Flames scored 12 goals in the first two games against the Oilers, but have produced just 16 goals in their other eight postseason contests. … Calgary is 1-5 (one OT loss) in its last six road games. … The home team is 7-1 in the last eight meetings in this rivalry. Only exception was the Oilers’ 5-3 win at Calgary in Game 2. … The Flames are 0-4 in their last four contests in Edmonton, getting outscored 18-7. … The Oilers lead this year’s Battle for Alberta 4-3. Each of the past 10 meetings have been decided by 2+ goals.
Oilers: Kane now leads the league with 10 playoff goals. … Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid had three assists in Game 3, giving him 10 points in the series (1 goal, 9 assists). He’s up to 17 assists and 23 points in the postseason, both tops in the NHL. … The Oilers are 20-5-1 in their last 26 games overall (6-4 in the playoffs). They went 13-0-1 in their final 14 regular-season home games, but remain just 3-2 in their barn in the postseason. … Eight of Edmonton’s last nine contests — including five in a row — have been decided by multiple goals.
From the Penalty Box
The teams combined to go 0-for-9 on the power play Sunday night. They’re now 3-for-28 with the man advantage in this series, as 25 of 28 goals have been tallied at even strength. The Oilers are 8-for-34 on the power play in the playoffs (23.5%), while Calgary is 4-for-36 (11.1%).
Edmonton has killed 31 of 36 power plays (86.1%); while the Flames have allowed just three power-play goals in 39 chances this postseason (92.3%).
Betting Nuggets
- Calgary is 7-21 in its last 28 games as a playoff underdog
- Calgary is 1-5 in its last six road games
- Edmonton is 21-7 in its last 28 at home
- Edmonton is 38-17 in its last 55 as a home favorite
- Over is 3-1-1 in Calgary’s last five overall
- Over is 16-7 in Edmonton’s last 23 at home
- Favorite is 5-2 in the last seven Oilers-Flames battles
- Edmonton is 7-1 in its last eight home games vs Calgary
- Over is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head meetings (4-2 this season)
Game 4 Prediction: Oilers 5, Flames 3
NHL Playoff Odds and Action Updates
Hurricanes vs Rangers
UPDATED 6:15 P.M. ET TUESDAY: About an hour before puck drop, the moneyline on DraftKings’ NHL odds board for Game 3 has dropped from Hurricanes -115/Rangers -105 to pick ’em. Ticket count is 59% in favor of New York, while money is running 71% in the home team’s favor.
The puckline remains unchanged at at Rangers (-1.5) +215/Hurricanes (+1.5) -265. Unlike the moneyline, the action on the puckline leans slightly toward Carolina at 52% wagers/57% cash.
After bouncing between 5 and 5.5, the total is currently sitting 5.5/Under -130. Ticket count (73%) and money (74%) are running nearly 3/1 on the Under.
UPDATED 6:50 P.M. ET MONDAY: New York was installed as a -115 home favorite on DraftKings’ NHL playoff odds board for Game 3, with Carolina priced at -105. That moneyline is unchanged, even though two-thirds of the early wagers and three-quarters of the early dollars at DraftKings are on the home team.
The puckline opened at Rangers (-1.5) +200/Hurricanes (+1.5) -250 and has bounced around a bit, with the current price at Rangers +215/Hurricanes -265. Ticket count is nearly split on the puckline (52% New York/48% Carolina), but money is 68% in favor of the visiting Canes.
The total opened at 5.5 with heavy juice on the Under, quickly fell to 5 with big juice on the Over, and is now back at 5.5/Under -135. Ticket count is running 4/1 on the Under, with 56% of the cash also on the Under.
Oilers vs Flames
UPDATED 6:15 P.M. ET TUESDAY: The moneyline for Game 4 at DraftKings has toggled between the opener of Oilers -115 and Oilers -120. It’s currently back at the opener, with the Flames catching -105 on the other side. Edmonton is drawing a modest majority of the betting action, at 68% wagers/71% dollars.
The puckline has shifted once again, this time from Oilers (-1.5) +190/Flames (+1.5) -235 to the current price of Oilers +195/Flames -240. Tickets are split 50-50, but 73% of the puckline dollars are on Edmonton.
The total is stuck to 6.5, but the juice has flipped to Under -115 amid two-way action of 57% bets on the Over and 52% money on the Under.
UPDATED 6:50 P.M. ET MONDAY: Edmonton has shifted from -115 to -120 on DraftKings’ NHL playoff odds board for Game 4. Calgary has moved from -105 to +100, on early betting spits of 73% wagers on the Oilers and 52% money on the Flames.
The puckline is holding has bounced around considerably, from an opening high of Oilers (-1.5) +215/Flames (+1.5) -260 to the current price of Oilers +190/Flames -235. Early action at DraftKings is split here as well, with 75% of the bets on Calgary +1.5 goals but 84% of the money on Edmonton -1.5.
The total once again is pegged to 6.5, but the juice has moved steadily downward from Over -125 to the current price of -110 both ways. As with the moneyline and puckline, there’s a difference of opinion on the total, with two-thirds of all tickets (67%) on the Over but nearly every early dollar (92%) rolling with the Under.
Check back prior to puck drop for NHL playoff odds and action updates on Tuesday’s Game 4 matchups.
