The 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing! With just the 2 games on the agenda today, we have had plenty of time this morning to research the fixtures in depth and bring you the absolute best predictions. Have a read below for all our NHL picks.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens (Round 1 – Game 6) – 7.30 PM EDT
With the series on the line, and having lost the last two games on home soil, the Canadiens travelled to Toronto to keep their playoff hopes alive and came up clutch with a 4-3 overtime win over the division champions.
After scoring just 4 goals across the previous 4 games the Habs made it click when they needed it most, scoring the first 3 goals unanswered to claim a comfortable lead.
However, not long after scoring the third the Maple Leafs mounted a comeback, scoring the next 3 to send the game to overtime, where it took less than a minute for Nick Suzuki to bury the decisive goal.
Is it Saturday yet? ❤️#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/25MtVxbHtJ
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 28, 2021
Joel Armia scored the Habs’ opening goal with an unassisted effort, and striked again 3 minutes later for his team leading 4th goal of the postseason.
William Nylander took a break from the goal scoring for the Maple Leafs, fortunately Jake Muzzin picked up the slack, burying their second goal, as well as the equaliser 5 minutes later.
It was a costly slipup for the Maple Leafs, which now have to redeem themselves away from home to prevent the series going to game 7, but after two convincing wins over the Habs in Montreal under their belt we can’t see them throwing away back to back chances.
NHL Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs (-186)
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New York Islanders @ Boston Bruins (Round 2 – Game 1) – 8.00 PM EDT
The Islanders and the Bruins are the first to tee off in round 2 of the playoffs, with the Bruins claiming the home ground advantage for their third place finish in the regular season.
The New York based Islanders surprised with their round 1 performance against the Penguins, progressing past the East Division champions 4 games to 2, and scoring 21 goals while conceding 16 at the other end.
Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson have both racked up 3 goals and 3 assists, but the unlikely duo of Anthony Beauvillier and Jean Gabriel-Pageau, who finished the regular season both on 28 points, top the scoring in the postseason with 7 points each.
After losing the opening game of their series against the Capitals the Bruins went undefeated for the next 4 for a swift progression into round 2. The Boston side got better as the series went on, taking the first 2 wins to overtime before winning the next 2 games 7-2 on aggregate.
Game ✌️ is set ⬇️ https://t.co/nYuZb8uhbp
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 29, 2021
From 5 games it is unsurprisingly Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron that lead the team for goals scored with 3 each, while David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy have done the bulk of the playmaking with 9 assists between them.
Tuuka Rask has started all 5 games in net, and has been mostly very consistent, posting an impressive save percentage of 94.1% and conceding an average of 1.81 goals per game.
The Islanders got the better of the Bruins during the regular season, but the Bruins have gotten stronger as the playoffs have progressed, and are yet to lose at home so we can’t see them dropping game 1.
NHL Pick – Boston Bruins (-184)
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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.
