The first week of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been nothing short of amazing.
They always say that the NHL has the best playoffs in all of sports, and they are proving that this season. If you are lacking sports drama in your life, then watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs because you will definitely find it there.
There will be four games on tap tonight, but there are two bets to really watch for. We will also give you are "gun to the head" picks for the other games tonight, but our focus is on our best bets of the night.
Every game tonight has a high level of importance, so we can expect some great hockey. Hopefully, we all get to cash a few tickets along the way. Anyway, let's talk some puck.
Here are tonight’s winners.
*Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals
Projected Goalies:
Panthers: Sergei Bobrovsky
Capitals: Ilya Samsanov
Pickwatch Experts:
Straight Up: Florida Panthers 78%
Puck Line: Washington Capitals 53%
The Washington Capitals have a surprising 2-1 lead in this series over the Florida Panthers. It has not been that close of a series, as the winning team has scored at least four or more goals in each game.
Florida won the Presidents’ Trophy during the regular season, and they can’t afford to go down 3-1 after Game 4. The Panthers are in the must-win territory and the Capitals are playing with house money in this round.
Florida has 98 shots on net in this series against Washington, and they have yet to score a power-play goal, which is surprising considering the Panthers had the second-most power-play goals during the regular season.
Washington has 96 shots on the net in this series against Florida. They have already scored four power-play goals, and are connecting on the power play 33.3% of the time. The Washington Capitals' penalty kill is currently 100% in this series, which may end up being the key to beating the regular season's best team.
Jonathan Huberdeau scored the lone goal in Game 3 for the Panthers, and the offense just looks flat, putting up only 2.7 goals per game this postseason.
Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 25 saves in Game 3 for the Panthers. We will see if head coach Andrew Brunette decides to switch from him to Spencer Knight, who only has two playoff starts in his career, but has a .933 SV%.
The Washington Capitals feel like a great story right now, but the Florida Panthers feel like the destined team to get it done in Game 4.
Things have not gone their way, but on paper, they are one of the more dangerous teams in the NHL. The Series is leaning heavily in Washington's favor, which makes tonight the perfect night to pivot towards the Panthers.
Pick: Florida Panthers (-1.5)
Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars
Projected Goalies:
Calgary Flames: Jacob Markstrom
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger
Pickwatch Experts:
Straight Up: Flames 70%
Puck Line: Stars 64%
Goaltending has been the story of this series as the Dallas Stars lead the Calgary Flames 2-1. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Oettinger have traded punches and saves in this series.
Scoring chances have been a rarity between these two teams, and that may also be the case tonight.
Elias Lindholm scored his second goal of the series for the Flames. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk have gone missing, however, and they need to reappear in Game 4 or things can go sideways fast.
Joe Pavelski scored the game-winning power-play goal in the third period and it was also his second of the game. He has scored three goals for the Stars, proving that he can still be an impactful player in this league.
Dallas has recorded the fewest shots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far with only 71 shots. They have a 9.1% power-play percentage in this series and also a 91.7% penalty-kill percentage.
The Dallas Stars will keep this game close, but the Calgary Flames feel like they are bound to even up this series in Game 4.
Pick: Calgary Flames (-1.5)
Other Game Picks:
Colorado Avalanche (-1.5) at Nashville Predators
Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-1.5)