Date/Time: May 21st, 10:00 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from BetOnline Sportsbook

Moneyline: Sharks -125

Total: 4.5

The San Jose Sharks have done half of their job in NHL betting action. They were able to erase half of the deficit that they fell into in the first two games of this series, and now in Tuesday night’s Game 4, they have a shot to finish the job and level this series against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings always seemed to be a team that had their cool about them. They never panicked when they almost missed the playoffs last year, and they never panicked even though they were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference a campaign ago. They were down 0-2 to the St. Louis Blues in the first round this year, and they only had scored two goals in those two games. Alas, still no panic. Now though, the look of despair is on the faces of the men in silver and black, and it’s because they were killed, in their estimation, by the referees in Game 3 of this series. G Jonathan Quick actually was issued a game misconduct after allowing the final goal in overtime, and he has to keep his wits about him if he is going to come back and play a big time Game 4. Quick did have to face 40 shots in Game 3, and he has been under a lot of pressure in the last two games of this series, and we can see where and why he is getting flustered by what’s going on. Still, the opportunity is there to take a chokehold of this series, and it is only going to take one remarkable performance for that to happen.

The Sharks still aren’t in great shape at this point, as they are still heavy underdogs in this series and will remain as such even if they win Game 4. G Antti Niemi had his first really good game from start to finish in Game 3, as he stopped 26-of-27 shots to get the win in overtime. He knows that he has to be big in this series if he is ultimately going to win. The best thing that San Jose has going for it is the fact that its front line is really doing well. The foursome of C Logan Couture, C Joe Pavelski, LW Patrick Marleau, and C Joe Thornton had a great first four games of the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks, but now that the game became a lot more defensive-minded against the Kings, the series started off slow for all four. However, the four have combined for a bunch of opportunities here in the last two games, most notably in the overtime winner in Game 3.

The Sharks were only beaten two times this year during regulation, so if you can find a way to get them at +1.5, you’ve got yourself a great price, even if it’s -350 or so. That being said, at most sportsbooks, that’s not the option available to us. We’d like to take San Jose on the moneyline in regulation so a tie game going into overtime doesn’t botch us up, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll take the Sharks for as long as the game goes.

Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks Game 4 Pick: San Jose Sharks -125

Goalies To Back

Tomas Vokoun, Pittsburgh Penguins: We don’t really believe that Vokoun is going to be able to keep this up for the whole postseason, but in his first five games in net for the Pens, he is 4-0-1, and if not for a total breakdown by his defense, he would be 5-0 with two shutouts. Vokoun has been amazing in net, stopping shot after shot, especially in this series against the Senators. He has the second best GAA of any goalie that has played at least 100 minutes in the playoffs at 1.61, and he has a .949 save percentage, which is easily the best of the bunch that are still playing. Of course, Vokoun is helped out dramatically by the best offense in hockey, though that was tested in Game 3 versus Ottawa when Pittsburgh only gave him a goal of support. Still, just the fact that Vokoun nearly made that goal stand up was impressive in its own right.

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings: Could there be a second straight Conn Smythe Trophy going to Quick? If the Kings ultimately win the Stanley Cup, it would be really tough to argue with that fact. The net minder for LA has been out of this world at times, going 6-1-2 with a .947 save percentage and a 1.60 GAA on a team that hasn’t done a whole heck of a lot offensively in these playoffs. Quick has posted a pair of shutouts, including the shutout that opened Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against San Jose. This is a man that when he gets going, is one of the elite net minders in the league, and he is proving it again versus the Sharks.

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings: The holistic numbers for Howard in the postseason aren’t all that remarkable, but his numbers over the course of the last two games have been outstanding. Howard was particularly sharp in Game 3 against the Blackhawks, stopping 39-of-40 shots that he faced. He also stopped 19-of-20 in a Game 2 win on the road in the Windy City. Howard now has 19 career playoff wins under his belt, and he still has the ability to carry this team on his shoulders. There are probably better goalies, but there aren’t many that have the ability to catch fire the way that Howard does, and we’re wondering if he only is just getting started.

Goalies To Fade

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers: It’s really tough to complain about the work that Lundqvist has put in, but we have to complain about someone, and this is the man that we are going to do so about. The Swedish goalie still only has three overtime wins to his credit in the postseason in 13 games that have gone to the extra frame, and it almost seems like the tighter games get in these playoffs, the worse shape that he is in. Granted, the shutout in Game 7 against Washington was a thing of beauty, especially knowing that the game was played on the road, but so far in this series against Boston, the Rangers’ goalie has been nowhere to be found. In Game 2 in Beantown, the wheels absolutely just came off for Lundqvist, and the Bruins netted five goals.

Antti Niemi, San Jose Sharks: Niemi did get the win in overtime in Game 3 against the Kings, but we just don’t know if we totally trust him at the moment. He has only had one game since Game 1 of the playoffs against the Canucks in which he had better than a .935 save percentage, and that came in Game 3 against LA. In the middle, he allowed at least two goals in all five games, and though it isn’t a humongous sin to allow just two goals in a playoff game, the deeper you go into the playoffs, the more those goals seem more and more difficult to get. The Sharks are going to need better play out of Niemi, especially going against Quick and the Kings.

Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks: Again, it’s a little tough to nitpick against a guy who did post a 1.94 GAA in the regular season and has done better than that in the playoffs, but we are starting to become at least a little bit worried about Crawford. He has allowed seven goals combined in his last two games, getting the loss in both outings against the Red Wings. Now, those questions are starting to creep into the backs of people’s minds whether Crawford really has the goods to win a Stanley Cup, knowing that he really doesn’t seem to have the pedigree of a championship goalie. We’re going to find out over the course of these next several days against the Red Wings, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Presidents Trophy holders are on their way out of the playoffs because of the play of their net minder.

Monday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds: VietBet

Money line: Chicago (-134)    Detroit (+122)

Total Line: 5

Game Overview:

Chicago came into this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs as a heavy favorite to win the Western Conference. After eliminating Minnesota in five games in the opening round followed by a dominating 4-1 victory in Game 1 of this series as a 191 home favorite, it appeared that it was well on its way fulfilling that prediction. That may have all changed after Saturday night’s 4-1 loss in Game 2 as a 196 favorite at home.

After peppering Detroit with 42 shots in the series opener that resulted in a three-goal barrage in the third period to seal the win, the Blackhawks could only manage 20 shots in Saturday’s loss. Corey Crawford has gone the distance in goal for Chicago in the postseason and while his overall numbers still look great there has to be some level of concern with the fact that he gave-up four goals on 18 shots in the final two periods of that game. The Blackhawks other goalie Ray Emery is no longer listed on the team’s injury report so he should be ready to go if needed.

Detroit came into these playoffs as the seventh seed in the West but quickly established itself as a legitimate contender to win the conference after taking-out No. 2 Anaheim in seven games. It was not always pretty with five one-goal games either way, but in the end a 3-2 victory as a 126 road underdog in Game 7 proved to be the difference. The Red Wings followed-up a lackluster effort in Game 1 with perhaps their best showing in the postseason this past Saturday night. The big question for Game 3 is can they turn this momentum into a 2-1 series lead?

If Detroit is going to grab that edge it will be up to players such as Henrik Zetterberg, Damien Brunner and Johan Franzen on offense and Jimmy Howard in goal. These three have already combined for 11 goals in the playoffs, but the real key will be Howard’s play between the pipes. He has allowed three or more goals in five of the Red Wings first nine playoffs games, but he looked sharp this past Saturday night. If he brings that form into Monday night’s contest than the Red Wings has a good chance to win.

Free NHL Pick

While there is no doubt that these two Central Division foes know one another inside and out, the Blackhawks clearly remain the better team in every phase of the game. Look for them to reassert that fact on Monday night with a hard fought victory on the road.

Chicago 3     Detroit 2

Date/Time: May 20th, 7:30 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from BetAnySports Sportsbook

Moneyline: Blackhawks -120

Total: 5

The Detroit Red Wings did the job over the course of their first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals, earning a split at the United Center against the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, these two teams are going to meet on Monday night in Game 3 in NHL betting action, as these two teams try to break a 1-1 series deadlock.

The Blackhawks have officially run up against some adversity for the first time in this postseason, and really for the first time all season long. They were always the best team in the Western Conference this year, and they never had a shot of being knocked out of the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Wild as well. But now, they don’t have home ice advantage any longer, and they are going to need to win at least one of the three games played here at Joe Louis Arena if they want to end up making it to the Western Conference Finals. G Corey Crawford didn’t have a great game on Saturday, as he allowed four goals in that game. However, that was the first time that he had a miserable game in the postseason, and it was the worst game that he had all season long at the United Center.

The Red Wings are clearly a good enough team to win this series, but they are going to need to play a lot more like the team that was on the ice in Game 2 than the one that was out there for Game 1. LW Henrik Zetterberg was a superstar in Game 2, making all of the plays that had to be made to win this game, and he set up two of the team’s four goals. G Jimmy Howard didn’t face nearly as much pressure as he did in Game 1, and the end result was a flipping of the score line from a 4-1 loss to a 4-1 win. C Pavel Datsyuk has yet to pick up a point in this series, but he and his line mates did a heck of a lot better in Game 2 than they did in Game 1. Now, the dastardly eight-game losing streak at the hands of the Blackhawks is said and done with, and the end result has to be that there is a lot more confidence that they can get the job done.

We have seen this script play out once before. We saw the Red Wings go down 1-0 to the Anaheim Ducks and then ultimately end up winning Game 2 before getting shellacked in Game 3. That could be the way that this one plays out as well. We don’t have quite enough confidence in the Red Wings yet to be backing them as favorites (or near favorites) in a game in this series, so we want the Blackhawks on our side in Game 3.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings Pick: Chicago Blackhawks -120

Date/Time: May 19th, 3:00 PM ET

Television: NBC

NHL Betting Odds from BetOnline Sportsbook

Moneyline: Bruins -125

Total: 5

The Boston Bruins hold a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the New York Rangers, but it wasn’t easy. The win in overtime was a big one for the Bruins, and now, they are trying to get a 2-0 series lead in NHL playoff betting action on Sunday afternoon in the game of the day on NBC.

The Rangers have to be heartbroken about losing Game 1, but they had to see this coming with the amount of pressure that they had on them for the mass majority of this game. Not only did they allow the Bruins to rip off 48 shots on goal, but G Henrik Lundqvist was saved by the post three times on the night, including twice in overtime before conceding the game-winner. Don’t get us wrong. The Swede played a great game, as he stopped 45-of-48 shots. His defense though, has to do a better job of clearing the defensive zone, and it would really help if the team could get into the offensive zone with some confidence. Over the course of the entire overtime period on Thursday night, we could count on one hand how many times a Ranger carried the puck into the zone. Generally, it was just dump and chase, something that the Bruins rarely did. That’s why they ended up winning the first game of this series, and why New York is already in chase mode.

It was just another day at the office for Boston. The team poured all sorts of pressure on in the attacking zone, and the argument could be made that if not for the post, four or five goals should have been scored, and if not for the remarkable play of Lundqvist, perhaps another two or three would have gotten through. LW Brad Marchand was the hero on the stat sheet, as he assisted on the game-tying goal and scored the game-winner in overtime. He was the flashy man with the stats, but there were others that played remarkable hockey in spite of their suspect numbers. D Dougie Hamilton had an assist and put a ton of pressure on with his slappers from the point, and he finished with five shots on goal for the game. It wasn’t the goal and the assist that made the night for D Zdeno Chara. It was his nine shots and the fact that he poked the puck away to start what turned out to be the game winning goal. It was C Patrice Bergeron, who didn’t log a shot on net the entire night, who had the beautiful pass to Marchand that ultimately won the game. Oh by the way, we haven’t even mentioned any of the front line players that played so well for the Bruins in the opening round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We don’t think it is a shock that the Rangers were able to hang around in Game 1, but they weren’t the better team on the ice. Boston has the better side, and it is a bit insulting to think that it is only barely a -125 favorite, insinuating that the oddsmakers believe that the Rangers are actually the better of the two teams.

New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins Pick: Boston Bruins -125

Date/Time: May 18th, 1:00 PM ET

Television: NBC

NHL Betting Odds from WagerWeb Sportsbook

Moneyline: Blackhawks -200

Total: 5

The Chicago Blackhawks had everything go their way in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, and they took a 1-0 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings as a result. Now, the two meet in NHL betting festivities once again in Game 2 at the United Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Wings have been beaten and beaten badly before in these playoffs, and they haven’t let it deter them. They were outplayed just as badly by the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, and they were outplayed even worse in Game 3 back at Joe Louis Arena when those same two teams met. That said, Detroit is still here, and it still has a real chance to win the Stanley Cup if it can just focus and play more like it did in the first two periods and less like it did in the third of Game 1 of this series. The Blackhawks are the better of these two teams, no doubt, but the Ducks were better than Detroit as well. The boys from Motown need to simply spend more time on the positive side of the ice. Getting outshot 42-21 isn’t going to cut it, and though there were moments of brilliance and flashes of great play, there just needs to be more of it going forward. LW Henrik Zetterberg and C Pavel Datsyuk need to become important parts of the game once again as well, as both were rather MIA in Game 1.

The Blackhawks are just rolling right along, and they still only have one loss in the playoffs, and that came in overtime against the Minnesota Wild in Game 3. Amazingly, this team has only been beaten in regulation seven times in 54 games this year. G Corey Crawford’s numbers here in the playoffs look even better than they did in the regular season. He has a 1.27 GAA and has allowed just a total of eight goals in six games, posting a tremendous .950 save percentage. The team has a full set of skaters on its side now that it has C David Bolland back in the fold. However, the men of the hour are clearly going to be LW Patrick Sharp and his line mates on the power play. This top line with the man advantage features Sharp, RW Marian Hossa, RW Patrick Kane, and C Jonathan Toews, and it is as good of a power play line as there is in hockey. These guys only have three power play goals between them, but as individuals for the postseason, they have combined for 25 points.

The Red Wings could really get even in this series in a hurry. Don’t be shocked if this is a game that comes right down to the wire. We want Detroit and those plus odds on our side once again, knowing that things couldn’t possibly be as bad as they were in Game 1.

Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks Pick: Detroit Red Wings +180

Date/Time: Friday, May 17, 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds: VietBet

Money line: Ottawa (+173)    Pittsburgh (-191)

Total Line: 5.5

Game Overview:

The Ottawa Senators stunned the hockey world as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a relative easy 4-1 opening round series victory over No. 2 Montreal. It outscored the Canadiens 20-9 with an average of four goals a game after averaging just 2.3 goals in the regular season. Kyle Turris was the leading scorer for the Senators this year with just 12 goals, but he tallied three more in the series against Montreal.

This burst of offense came to a screeching halt in Game 1 of this series with a 4-1 loss as 170 road underdogs this past Tuesday night. The total stayed UNDER the 5.5 line in that game after it went OVER in four of Ottawa’s previous six games. Craig Anderson was spectacular in goal against Montreal with a goals-against-average of 1.8 in that series, but he looked very average on Tuesday night by allowing four goals on just 30 shots.

Pittsburgh came into the postseason as clearly the best team in the conference, but hardly played the part through the first four games of its opening round series against the New York Islanders. With the best-of-seven series tied 2-2, the Penguins decided to turn to Tomas Vokoun in goal in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury and the move paid off with back-to-back victories to win in six games. Vokoun has posted a GAA of 1.28 and a .962 save percentage in three playoff starts in which Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 12-4.

Vokoun may have provided a necessary spark on defense, but the Penguins’ offensive attack has been on fire all season long. They led the NHL this season in scoring with 3.4 goals-per-game, but in seven playoff games this average has exploded to 4.14. The only time that Pittsburgh failed to score at least four goals was in a 4-3 loss to New York in Game 2. Sidney Crosby returned from an extended layoff due to a broken jaw and has scored three goals while adding six assists. The two biggest stars have been Pascal Dupuis with a team-high six goals and Evgeni Malkin with three goals and 10 assists.

Free NHL Playoffs Pick:

Ottawa did manage to get off 36 shot on-goal in Game 1 and it should be able to squeeze a few more pucks past Vokoun on Friday night, but it still will not be enough to outscore Pittsburgh to steal a win on the road in Game 2

Pittsburgh 4     Ottawa 3

Date/Time: May 16th, 7:30 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from WagerWeb Sportsbook

Moneyline: Bruins -135

Total: 5

Both the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers pulled off great escapes from the first round of the playoffs. Now, the two are going to collide at the TD Garden for the first game of a seven-game set in NHL playoff betting action on Thursday night.

The Rangers were down 3-2 to the Washington Capitals and had to win Games 6 and 7 on consecutive nights to survive and get into the second round. In those games, New York ended up posting back to back shutouts, making G Henrik Lundqvist the hottest goalie in the game over the course of that period of time. Lundqvist stopped all 64 shots that he faced along the way in this stretch, and he made some fantastic saves. New York also only allowed one power play goal in the last five games of this series, which is helping out as well. Of course, then there’s the question of LW Rick Nash. Where in the heck is he at this point? Nash played a heck of a lot better hockey than his stats suggest in the opening round, but he didn’t have a single goal in seven games, which is tremendously unlike him. However, we have to remember that this is the first time that Nash has been playing in the second round of the playoffs in his career, and this is only his third career series.

The Bruins should have put the Toronto Maple Leafs away a number of times in the first round of the playoffs, but they failed in both Games 5 and 6 in doing so. They fell behind 4-1 in the third period in Game 7, but they became the first team to ever erase a three-goal deficit in a Game 7 and ultimately won the game in overtime. The last two goals of regulation were scored with the goaltender out and less than a minute and a half left in the season. It was all the top line for Boston that did the massive damage in that series against the Leafs. C David Krejci, LW Milan Lucic, and RW Nathan Horton combined for 11 goals and 18 assists in the first seven games of this series, and those numbers are just absolutely insane. G Tuukka Rask played relatively well, but he only finished the series with a 2.49 GAA after allowing eight goals in the final three games.

Remember that New York only won one road game in that first series against Washington, though it was the biggest one in Game 7 that it managed to nail down. This is a much different situation playing at the TD Garden, and we don’t think that the Bruins are going to blow this first game against the boys from the Big Apple.

New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins Pick: Boston Bruins -135

Date/Time: May 15th, 8:00 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from WagerWeb

Moneyline: Blackhawks -200

Total: 5

The Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks are all set to start their second round series in NHL playoff betting action. The puck drops in Game 1 on Wednesday night at the United Center in the only game on the docket at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The Red Wings weren’t at their best in their opening round series against the Anaheim Ducks, but they got the job done and have now won a whopping six games in a row with their backs against the wall dating back to the last four games of the regular season, which all turned out to be must-wins to get into the playoffs. In the playoffs though, it was the rest of the team that picked up G Jimmy Howard, not the other way around, and that had to be considered incredibly encouraging for a team that just didn’t generate enough offensive last year. LW Henrik Zetterberg came alive late in the series against the Pacific Division champs, ultimately scoring three goals with five assists to lead the team in points in the series. C Pavel Datsyuk had a fantastic series as well, scoring two goals with five assists. Howard though, still has some work to be done. His 2.74 GAA definitely left a lot to the imagination, though he did win a pair of overtime games and managed to shut the door in Game 7 on the road, something that very few have the real gumption to do.

The Blackhawks are rolling at the moment, and they look every bit the part of the best team in the Western Conference, if not in all of hockey. They ranked second in the league in total offense at 3.1 goals per game in the regular season and first in total defense at 2.0 goals per game in that stretch. Here in the playoffs, they are averaging 3.4 goals per game and are conceding 1.4 goals per game, and there was never really a doubt that they were taking down the Minnesota Wild. It took five games to happen, but the only scary moment was perhaps when Game 1 was in overtime. Aside from that though, the other three wins in this series all came by at least three goals. C David Bolland and G Ray Emery both missed the whole first round series with injuries, and both are considered questionable to get back in the fold for this one. Emery would be on the bench regardless, knowing that he is definitively the backup at this point to G Corey Crawford, who had a stunningly good opening round series.

This is a major step up in class for Chicago, though. The Red Wings are significantly better than your average No. 7 seed, and they are worlds better than the Wild were without their top goalie. Don’t be shocked if Detroit ultimately comes to the Windy City and walks away with at least a split of these first two games.

Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks Pick: Detroit Red Wings +180

Date/Time: May 14th, 7:30 PM ET

Television: NBC Sports Network

NHL Betting Odds from BetOnline Sportsbook

Moneyline: Penguins -200

Total: 5.5

The second round of the NHL playoffs are about to begin, and here at Bang the Book, we are analyzing the NHL betting odds for the first game of the series between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It’s amazing to think that the Senators are the only team left in Canada in these playoffs. They were easily one of the most impressive teams in the opening round of the playoffs, beating up the Montreal Canadiens in five games. Included in that mix were three straight wins that came by a combined margin of 15-4 to close out the series. It was a great series for some of the stars and some of the lesser known names for the team RW Daniel Alfredsson scored two goals and had four assists to lead the team with six points, while D Erik Karlsson had a goal and five helpers. C Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his first three goals in his postseason career in Game 3, and he ended up with five points for the series. Karlsson is going to have his eyes wide open in this series, as he ended up tearing his Achilles at the start of the season thanks to a hit against the Penguins, and now that he is back on the ice, this is going to be his chance at vengeance.

Pittsburgh remains the favorite to win the Stanley Cup at the moment, and we really don’t see that changing any time in the near future. The team is the best in hockey for sure, though it does have some major problems at the back. G Marc-Andre Fleury was benched after allowing six goals in Game 4, and he hasn’t gotten his job back as of yet. G Tomas Vokoun has come in and allowed just three goals in two games, including posting a shutout in Game 5, his first postseason start as a member of the Penguins. No formal announcement has been made as to whether it will be Fleury or Vokoun in the pipes in this game, but most are making the assumption that it will be Vokoun who starts. The offensive numbers that the Penguins put up in their series win against the New York Islanders were absurd. C Evgeni Malkin had two goals and nine assists in just six games, while C Sidney Crosby, after missing Game 1, came back and scored three goals with six helpers. Six players finished with at least five points in the six games.

Many are assuming that the Penguins are going to get off to a hot start in this series, but we just don’t know about that. Ottawa is a good team, and it proved it against Montreal in the opening round. Don’t be surprised if the opening salvo is fired by the Senators to flip home ice advantage immediately.

Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins Pick: Ottawa Senators +180