NHL Playoff Odds: Ducks Favored To Finish First-Round Comeback Vs. Predators
The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs will conclude Wednesday night when the Anaheim Ducks host the Nashville Predators in Game 7 of their series as -155 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
After powering to the Pacific Division title, the Ducks opened the postseason as -170 favorites on the NHL series prices, but they struggled to take control of this first-round set after losing the first two games on home ice.
Nashville surpassed expectations since entering the playoffs sporting distant 25/1 Stanley Cup odds and now has a chance to win the first Game 7 in franchise history despite tallying just 12 total goals in the series ahead of Wednesday night’s Predators vs. Ducks betting matchup at the Honda Center.
Wednesday also marks the start of the second round of the NHL playoffs, as the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the New York Islanders as -150 betting favorites.
The Lightning sit as -143 favorites on the second-round series prices following their five-game win over the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, despite being without superstar Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman, who both remained sidelined with injuries.
The Islanders claimed their first opening-round series victory since 1993 by upsetting the Florida Panthers in six games and paying off as +135 underdogs on the series prices.
New York also takes a solid record against Tampa Bay into its upcoming matchup, emerging victorious in eight of their past 12 meetings, including a respectable 3-3 mark in its last six visits to Amalie Arena, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The Washington Capitals face a tough test in the second round as they take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins as slim -130 chalk on the NHL series prices. Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals also have company atop the Stanley Cup odds, where they now are joined by the Penguins as +375 favorites.
It has been seven years since Ovechkin and Crosby last faced each other in the postseason, when the Penguins claimed a second-round series win en route to their most recent Stanley Cup victory. Conversely, the Capitals have failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1998.
The St. Louis Blues, winners over the Chicago Blackhawks in their first-round matchup, follow on the Stanley Cup odds at +475, just ahead of their second-round opponents, the Dallas Stars, at +500, while the San Jose Sharks are pegged at +625.
The Ducks trail at +900, ahead of the Lightning at +1000, and the Islanders at +1400, while the Predators sit as +2000 long shots heading into their Game 7 matchup Wednesday night.
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
