NHL Playoff Odds: Betting Lines For Penguins-Lightning, Sharks-Blues
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to end a three-game skid against the Tampa Bay Lightning when they host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night as -170 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Pittsburgh has posted just one win over Tampa Bay in five meetings dating back to the first half of last season, but it has been nearly unbeatable during a torrid two-month run, winning 22 of its past 27 games heading into Friday night’s Lightning vs. Penguins betting matchup at Consol Energy Center.
The Penguins’ impressive pace has not gone unnoticed at the sportsbooks, where they are pegged as strong -180 chalk on the NHL series prices and currently hold the edge on the Stanley Cup odds as +165 favorites.
Tampa Bay returns to the conference final for a second straight year and for the third time in six years after claiming a pair of crucial overtime wins en route to a five-game second-round series victory over the New York Islanders.
The Lightning have needed just 10 playoff contests to reach the conference finals, halting a mediocre stretch run that saw them finish the regular season with just seven wins in their final 17 games, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
The absences of superstar Steven Stamkos and defenseman Anton Stralman, both sidelined by injury, had tempered postseason expectations. Tampa Bay opened the playoffs sporting long 20/1 odds of claiming its first Stanley Cup since 2004.
Despite their current playoff success and recent domination of the Penguins, the Lightning continue to trail the pack on the Stanley Cup odds at 19/4. They hit the ice Friday as +160 underdogs on the NHL series prices.
Out west, the St. Louis Blues enjoy a much-deserved break after punching their ticket to the Western Conference finals with a convincing 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in their Game 7 matchup.
Things won’t get easier when they open the conference finals at home against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.
San Jose needed seven games in the second round to vanquish the Nashville Predators and advance to the conference finals for the first time in five years, but it has enjoyed recent success against the Blues, winning two of three meetings this season and seven of its past 10 matchups.
