NHL Picks

The Florida Panthers had an opportunity to close things out on home ice in Game 5 in Sunrise, but they frittered away the opportunity. The Cats are still in decent shape, up 3-2 in the series, but going to TD Garden for an elimination game is not going to be an easy task. The Panthers have been here before, as they rallied from a 3-1 series deficit last season — eliminating Boston in its own barn in Game 7 in stunning fashion. Can Florida send Boston to the handshake line in its own building for a second consecutive season? That’s a nightmare scenario for the B’s, bench boss Jim Montgomery and the throngs of fans in New England.

The Bruins showed tremendous resilience in Game 5 at Amerant Bank Arena, winning 2-1. Jeremy Swayman was able to turn aside 29 of the 30 shots he faced to get the victory, keeping Boston’s hopes alive. He had coughed up nine goals in a 2-game span in Games 2 and 3 and the outlook was bleak, but he has snapped back into form. He has yielded 3 or fewer goals in 2 straight and 3 of 5 in this series. Brad Marchand, who has been dealing with an upper-body injury after getting blasted by Sam Bennett in Game 3, has missed the past 2 contests. He was on the ice for an optional skate at TD Garden on Friday and could return for Game 6. Officially he is game-time decision, but his inclusion would give Boston a huge bump.

Bruins ML at +130 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It’s Game 6 in Boston, and the crowd should be at full throat at TD Garden — looking to help the home side extend this series and get things back to South Florida for a decisive Game 7. The intensity has been ratcheted up in the past 2 games, with the hitting and physicality picking up, defensemen paying the price with tons of blocked shots and the goaltending better than its been all series. The past 2 have seen the first 2 under results, with an average of just 4.0 goals per game — including just 3 total scores in Boston’s 2-1 road win in Game 5 to get the series back to the Bay State.

Sergei Bobrovsky was amazing all throughout the postseason last year and he is doing his thing in these playoffs, too. Jeremy Swayman has tossed his hat in the ring to become one of the better young goaltenders in the NHL, allowing 3 or fewer goals in 8 of his 10 playoff games. The hitting should be fierce, the defense should be top-notch and the goaltending should be outstanding again. These teams will likely play a careful, close-to-the-vest game, as neither side wants to make a mistake that allows the other to either extend the series (in Boston’s case) or finish the series (in Florida’s case). Expect a low-scoring battle with goals at a premium.

Under 5.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Colorado Avalanche return home for Game 6 and are hoping to extend this series against the Dallas Stars. Dallas is a very deep team, but it will need everyone to play their part if they want to finish things off tonight. We know that the Stars can score goals, but Colorado has been deadly on home ice all year and tonight will probably be no different. The Avs struggled in Games 3 and 4 to score goals, but that is likely an aberration as opposed to the rule based on a season-long sample size.

There’s no secret that the Avalanche need their best players to be elite. When Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar are at their best, no one is able to slow them down. Dallas took away time and space from the Big 3 when they were last in Denver and need to do the same tonight. Alexandar Gerogiev has been a roller-coaster in the playoffs, but we know that he is better on home ice. He needs to have a strong game to give his team a chance to win. It’s hard to bet against Dallas because it is just so good on the road, but I think Colorado has what it takes to secure the win on home ice.

Avalanche ML at -120 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The total for this game opened at 6.5 but has since slipped to 6.0. It’s not usual to see the total drop for this game considering just how important this game is for both teams. Dallas is a very good road club and was able to limit Colorado to just 2 goals the last time in Denver. Goaltending in this series has been very inconsistent; that’s what I am banking on tonight.

Jake Oettinger had really good stars on the road this season, but Colorado is a machine on home ice. When the Avs’ best players get going, you aren’t going to be able to slow them down. Dallas has a deep roster and can get goals from any of the 4 lines, so the Avalanche need to make sure they win the puck possession battle if they want to win this game. Alexandar Georgiev has been good at times in the playoffs, but his overall numbers aren’t elite. Althoug he has been better on home ice, it’s just so hard to trust him. The total dropping means that most bettors believe that this will be a tight game, and for the most part that will be true. However, Colorado is lethal on the powerplay and the danger of an empty-net goal or 2 is very real in this crucial game. I’ll take the over and hope neither goalie steals the game for his respective team.

Over 6.0 available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.