NHL Bet of the Week: Playoff Edition

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are getting crazy with a ton of game sixes and the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons. However, this article is going to explain why the over 6.5 goals is the bet of the week in the NHL.

Leafs

The first line consists of Michael Bunting, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner, which is already one of the best top lines in the NHL. With Matthews not having quite the same season he did last year, Marner has done more than enough to make up for it, making himself a superstar this season.

The second line also has a player on the fringe of breaking into the superstar category, that being William Nylander. Nylander has all the puck skills in the world, and has used that to total back-to-back 80-point seasons. However, defensively he lacks fundamentals which is why you see him getting second-line minutes.

The addition of Ryan O’Reilly at the deadline make this top six one of the best in the NHL, and gives the second line the defense they needed to be able to match up with other teams in the East, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.

Captain John Tarves still is giving great minutes to round out the second line and the top six, and he will have to continue that as the Leafs will once again see the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.

What Happened to Vasilevskiy

The best goaltender of the last decade and two-time NHL Stanley Cup champion, Andrei Vasilevskiy, might be seeing his reign of terror come to an end. He is statistically the worst goaltender in the playoff right now.

It use to be that you would never bet the over in the playoffs if Vasilevskiy is playing, however, that time has come to an end, and you need to place the over bet for this game to make some money.

Previous Matchups

The first four games all having at least seven goals, and three of them having nine goals; the over has hit in every game. These teams also hate each other and usually result in over 20 penalty minutes each game.

Both teams also have dangerous power plays that can take advantage of these penalties, and that is all you need to know about the goal-scoring ability that can take place in this game.

Overall, do yourself a favor and bet the over 6.5 goals in this matchup to make some money. There is simply too much offensive firepower to not expect a 5-4, or 6-4 matchup this time around.