Mark Lammey
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The final 2 games of the first half of the NHL took place Wednesday night with some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Now we’ll get to see the best from both conferences on Saturday afternoon. If you’re unfamiliar with the setup, there are two 20-minute semifinal games among the 4 divisions — Pacific vs Central and Metro vs Atlantic. The winner of each matchup then faces off in the championship. It’s a mini tournament, and we’re here to provide our favorite picks for each side.
Along with our NHL All-Star Game best bets, be sure to check out all our upcoming NHL analysis for the All-Star Game as we approach the weekend.
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Pacific Division vs Central Division – Over 13.5 goals (-106)
The first of the 2 semifinal games will have the puck drop at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday afternoon with the 2 divisions in the Western Conference. Seeing such a high total may take casual fans by surprise, but it’s certainly warranted. Last year’s competition didn’t have the 2 divisions from the same conference facing off against one another, but the semifinal involving the Central Division saw 13 total goals. There’s plenty of reason to see at least 1 more goal than that total with the Pacific Division involved. Firstly, that means superstar Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are added to the mix.
McDavid is on pace to win his 3rd straight Art Ross Trophy for the most points in the league; his 92 through 50 games is 16 more than the next closest skater — teammate in Leon Draisaitl. Therefore it’s no surprise that the Oilers are scoring the 2nd-most points per game. Similarly, the Seattle Kraken have made a huge leap their 2nd year as a franchise. They are scoring the 5th-most goals per game and will also have skaters involved in this matchup thanks to the Pacific Division being included. There’s good reason this matchup finishes with a total that is 2 goals higher than the other, so I’m happy to back an extremely high-scoring game.
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Metro Division vs Atlantic Division – Atlantic ML (-134)
You won’t have to wait long for the 2nd semifinal game, as it takes place just an hour later. As expected, the Atlantic Division is the clear favorite; it likely would be against any of the Western Conference divisions, as well. First and foremost, the Boston Bruins have been an absolute juggernaut. Despite just enduring the worst week of their season, they are still on pace to set an NHL record for the most wins and points in a season. If not for them, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be leading either division in the Western Conference.
The depth doesn’t end there, as the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking strong in their quest for their 4th straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The firepower continues with Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres scoring the 3rd-most goals per game and last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners for the league’s best record in the Florida Panthers. To go along with all that dynamic offense, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are both top-5 goaltending teams. The Metro does have a red-hot Carolina Hurricanes team, but they are much more top-heavy. Therefore I will go with the depth of the skaters on the Atlantic Division side to make their way to the all-star championship game.
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