The 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing! With 4 more epic games on the agenda today, we have spent the morning researching each fixture in depth to bring you the absolute best predictions. Have a read below for all our NHL picks.
Washington Capitals @ Boston Bruins (Game 4) – 6.30 PM EDT
The Capitals and the Bruins reach game 4 today following 3 tight matches which have all been decided past regulation time, the Caps took game 1 before the Bruins bounced back with back to back wins in games’ 2 and 3.
It is so far the tightest matchup of round 1, and with all 3 games so far going to overtime, the players would be feeling a physical strain. The most recent game on Wednesday was the most grueling yet, with the match going to a second overtime after no winner could be found in the first.
🎥 Craig Smith goes 1-on-1 with @erusso22 to look back on his double-overtime winner and his nifty pass to @hallsy09 in Game 3 last night at @tdgarden.#NHLBruins | @WarriorHockey pic.twitter.com/2QD1IS4dQm
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 20, 2021
After a goalless opening term it was Alexander Ovechkin that struck first, his power play goal marked the 70th playoff goal of his career, the second most of any active player in the NHL behind Patrick Marleau.
It took just a 1 minute after Ovechkin’s goal for the Bruins to reply, with a well worked effort from Taylor Hall finding the back of the net, the second of his playoff campaign so far.
Nic Dowd pulled the Caps ahead late in the second term, but once again the Bruins weren’t too far behind with the equaliser, this time in the form of their own power play goal thanks to Brad Marchand.
With no winner found in the first overtime period, it took over 5 minutes into the second when Craig Smith popped up with the game winning goal for the Bruins, an unassisted effort which he snuck past an out of position Ilya Samsonov, who had had a great night up until that point.
The overtime finish marked the 11th straight time a playoff game between the Capitals and the Bruins has gone past regulation time. The two teams were incredibly even across the board, but once again the Bruins looked that bit stronger, especially in the final term.
NHL Pick – Boston Bruins (-164)
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Carolina Hurricanes @ Nashville Predators (Game 3) – 7.00 PM EDT
With back to back wins under their belt in Carolina, the Hurricanes now hit the road to face the Predators in Nashville for games’ 3 and 4.
After a dominant 5-2 win in game 1, the Canes improved on their performance in the second, keeping the Predators goalless while putting 3 past them, the second shutout of round 1.
Sebastian Aho opened his account midway through the first, capitalizing on the man advantage and picking up his first point of the playoffs. It took over 50 minutes before another goal came, with Aho scoring again with less than a minute to play, and 30 seconds later Warren Foegele added another into an empty net for the 3-0 win.
Juuse Saros did well in net for the Preds, keeping the Canes to just a single goal up until the final minute of the game, but Alex Nedeljkovic was on another level for Carolina, saving all 32 shots that came his way for a man of the match performance.
This series has so far gone as expected, with the Predators now holding the home advantage they are in need of a win, but after two dominant performances from the Canes, and now that Aho has got the ball rolling, we don’t like their chances.
NHL Pick – Carolina Hurricanes (-152)
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Winnipeg Jets @ Edmonton Oilers (Game 2) – 9.00 PM EDT
The Jets shocked everyone on Wednesday, defeating the in form Oilers 4-1 on their home soil in game 1 of their playoff series. The win marked just the third time that the Winnipeg side have beaten the Oilers from 10 games throughout the season.
Jesse Puljujarvi got the Oilers off to a good start, opening the scoring midway through the second period, but that would be the last time the Oilers scored, and it took just 3 minutes for the Jets to tie the score up, thanks to a goal from Tucker Toolman.
The Jets went on to dominate the final term, scoring 3 unanswered goals, amongst the scorers was Blake Wheeler, who finished the game with 2 points, as well as Jets’ leading goal scorer, Kyle Connor, who also picked up 2 points in the win.
It was a huge win for the Jets, which has won just 3 of their last 10 regular season games, and had it not been for the heroics of Connor Hellebuyck in net, it would not have been possible. Hellebuyck showed why he is one of the top goalies in the NHL, allowing just 1 goal from 33 Oilers’ attempts.
JETS TAKE GAME ONE!
🚨: Tucker Poolman, Dominic Toninato, Kyle Connor, Blake Wheeler
#WeAreWPG | https://t.co/ZQ5ldRGsuL pic.twitter.com/9zudpXnAma— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) May 20, 2021
Mike Smith didn’t fare as well for the Oilers, keeping the Jets at bay for the majority of the game, but still conceding 2 goals from just 20 shots.
With 1 more home game to play before the series moves to Winnipeg, it is a must win for the Oilers today. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid were kept to just 6 shots between them in game 1, but that is unlikely to be the case for a second straight game, we are backing the Oilers to make it 1-1.
NHL Pick – Edmonton Oilers (-166)
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Colorado Avalanche @ St Louis Blues (Game 3) – 9.30 PM EDT
The Avalanche head to St Louis with their heads held high after wiping the floor with the Blues in games’ 1 and 2, putting 10 goals past them while conceding just 4.
Following their 50 shot, 4-1 victory on Monday, the Avs came out a little more subdued in game 2, however that didn’t correlate to the scoreboard, with the Avalanche netting 6 goals from 35 attempts.
Nathan MacKinnon improved on his 2 goal, 1 assist performance in the first game, scoring a hat trick on top of an assist, with 7 points from 2 games MacKinnon is emerging as an early favourite to take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Also amongst the scoreboard was Joonas Donskoi with 2 goals and an assist, while all 3 of Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews bagged 2 assists in the convincing win.
Power Plays had a big impact on the game, with the Avs giving away 10 minutes in penalties to the Blues, which were only able to convert into one goal. On the other hand, the Blues only gave up 4 minutes of penalties, of which the Avalanche converted with both attempts.
After painful back to back defeats, the Blues are missing the presence of David Perron, who remains out with injury. Perron finished the season leading the Blues for both assists and points. Blues’ leading goal scorer Ryan O’Reilly also hasn’t had the impact they would have hoped for coming into the playoffs, having taken 6 shots over the opening 2 games, O’Reilly has failed to score a point so far.
NHL Pick – Colorado Avalanche (-230)
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The 2021 NHL is well underway now! If you want to catch up with all the latest information, make sure you visit our NHL hub page.
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
