NHL Playoffs: Second Round Cheat Sheet
VegasInsider.com
Pittsburgh vs. Washington
Capitals: 55-19-8, 118 points
Penguins: 50-21-6, 111 points
Season series: The Capitals won the Metropolitan Division by seven points, winning the President's Trophy with 118 points. The Penguins finished in second place with 111 points. These two sides met four times during the regular season with each team winning on home ice. The most recent meeting on Jan. 16 featured fire-wagon hockey, as the Pens outlasted the Caps 8-7 in overtime. There were a total of 35 goals scored in the four meetings, with the 'over' going 3-0-1.
Previous playoff outcome: The Penguins topped the Capitals in six games in the second round last season en route to their fourth Stanley Cup championship. The Caps are hoping history doesn't repeat itself. The clubs also met in the Conference Semifinals back in 2009 with the Pens upsetting the Caps in seven games. The lower seeded Penguins were also victorious in 2001, topping the third-seed Penguins in six games, while the seven-seed Pens ousted the two-seed Caps in five games in the first round back in 2000. Pittsburgh also ended Washington's season in the 1995 and 1996 postseason, winning each series in the opening round. The Capitals topped the Penguins in 1994 in six games in the Conference Quarterfinals, but have lost six straight series against their Metro Division rivals since.
N.Y. Rangers vs. Ottawa
Senators: 44-28-6, 98 points
Rangers: 48-28-6, 102 points
Season series: The Rangers and Senators met three times during the regular season and Ottawa was victorious in two of the meetings. That includes a 2-0 win at Madison Square Garden back on Nov. 27, and a 3-1 win at home on April 8 in the penultimate game of the regular season. The home team has won four of the past five meetings, while the 'under' is 32-10-9 in the past 51 meetings. That includes a 16-6-7 'under' mark in the past 29 meetings in Canada's capital city.
Previous playoff outcome: The Rangers and Senators have met just one time before in the postseason with New York ending Ottawa's season in seven ames in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals back in 2012. The Senators have participated in the Conference Semifinals six times in franchise history, losing four times in the round. Meanwhile, the Blueshirts have won three of their past four appearances in the Conference Semis.
St. Louis vs. Nashville
Blues: 46-29-7, 99 points
Predators: 41-29-12, 94 points
Season series: The Predators and Blues hooked up five times during the regular season with Nashville coming away with three wins. St. Louis outscored Nashville by a 15-11 count during the span. The Preds haven't had a lot of success over the years against the Blues, going 8-18 in the previous 26 meetings, including 1-6 in their past seven trips to the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. The 'under' is 3-1-1 in the past five meetings in Missouri, and 52-22-8 in the past 82 meetings overall in this series. The home team has won five of the past six battles.
Previous playoff outcome: The Predators do not have a lengthy postseason history, and they have never meet St. Louis in their previous nine forays into the playoffs. Nashville has appeared in the Conference Semifinals on just three previous occasions, bowing out to the Canucks in six games (2011), Coyotes in five games (2012) and Sharks in seven games (2016). The Blues knocked off the Stars in seven games last season in the second round for their first trip to the Conference Finals since 2001.
Edmonton vs. Anaheim
Ducks: 46-23-13, 105 points
Oilers: 47-26-7, 99 points
Season series: The Ducks and Oilers hooked up five times during the regular season with Edmonton winning three of the outings. The two most recent meetings resulted in one-goal games, including a 3-2 overtime win by the Oilers on April Fool's Day, so you can likely expect a tight series between these Pacific Division rivals. The Oilers haven't had a lot of success over the years against the Ducks, going 8-27 in the previous 35 meetings, including 2-9 in their past 11 skates on 'The Pond'.
Previous playoff outcome: Anaheim and Edmonton have met just once before in the postseason and it didn't end well for the Ducks, as the Oilers won the series in five games in the Western Conference Finals back in 2006. The Ducks have been ousted three times in the past four appearances in the Conference Semifinals. It's been a long wait for the Oilers, as they hadn't been in the playoffs since that 2006 season until now. They ousted the Sharks in six games, and are making just their second appearance in the Conference Semis since 1998.
NHL Playoff Betting Cheat Sheet
Covers.com
The opening round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs provided plenty of drama and plenty of surprises. Will the upsets continue in Round 2? Monty Andrews is here to help you handicap all of the second round matchups like a seasoned pro.
Predators Eye Second Sweep
The Nashville Predators came into the Stanley Cup playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference - but bettors are taking them much more seriously after a stunning four-game sweep of the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1. Nashville (-138) is a slight favorite in the second round of the postseason despite opening on the road against the St. Louis Blues (-102), who were also impressive in rolling past the Minnesota Wild in five games. The Predators won three of five meetings between the Central Division rivals in the regular season, with those games going 1-3-1 O/U.
Can Ducks Avoid Oil Spill?
The Anaheim Ducks weren't seriously challenged on the way to a four-game first-round sweep of the Calgary Flames. The Ducks (-135) will look to make it 2-for-2 against Alberta-based teams as they open their second-round series against the visiting Edmonton Oilers (-103) on Wednesday night. The Oilers, who last made the postseason in 2006, are proving they're not just happy to be here, orchestrating a six-game victory over the San Jose Sharks despite not getting a multi-point game from league scoring champion Connor McDavid. Anaheim owned a 2-1-2 edge in the season series, with the teams going 1-2-2 O/U.
Best of the Best
The NHL's playoff structure is full of quirks - and a second-round meeting between the teams with the two best regular-season records in the league is one of them. The Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals (-121) host the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins (-116) in Game 1 on Thursday night after surviving a six-game battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs that included five overtime games. The Penguins had a much easier time of it in their first-round series with Columbus, cruising past the Blue Jackets in five games. The Capitals went 2-0-2 in the season series, with the teams going 3-0-1 O/U.
A Sens-ational Showing
The Ottawa Senators overcame long odds - and a painful injury to their best player - to get past the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Now the Senators (+109) look to make it two upset wins in a row as they entertain the New York Rangers (-152) in the series opener Thursday night. Ottawa is coming off a six-game triumph over the Bruins, but learned Monday that defenseman Erik Karlsson is playing with two fractures in his left heel. The Senators won two of three meetings with the Rangers in the regular season, with the teams combining to go 1-2-0 O/U.
Injury News
The Penguins might be getting some reinforcements up front for their second-round tilt with Washington. Winger Chris Kunitz (lower body) is considered a game-time decision for Game 1, while center Carl Hagelin (lower body) has resumed skating drills and could return sometime in the series.
The Ducks will have one of their most important players back in the lineup in time for Game 1 of their second-round series with the Oilers. Defenseman Cam Fowler is expected to return Wednesday night after missing Games 3 and 4 of the series against the Flames with a right knee injury.
Player Notes
The Capitals will need to be wary of the Penguins' firepower after Pittsburgh placed four players in the top 10 in scoring in Round 1. Center Evgeni Malkin leads all scorers in the postseason with 11 points in five games, while linemate Phil Kessel is tied for second with eight points. Sidney Crosby (seven) and Jake Guentzel (six) also had terrific series.
Don't expect much scoring in the Predators-Blues second-round series - at least, if first-round trends hold up. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and Blues netminder Jake Allen combined to allow just 11 goals in their nine games played, with Rinne recording a pair of shutouts against the Blackhawks. Game 1 has a total of 5.
Stanley Cup Futures
The Capitals remain the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +350, but the Penguins are right on their heels at +400. Whoever survives their second-round series will likely see those odds drop significantly, as both teams will be considered heavy favorites against either the Senators (+1,000) or Rangers (+750).
They aren't favored to win their second-round series against the Ducks, but the Oilers do have the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup among Western Conference teams (+500). The Ducks are a close second at +550, while both the Predators and Blues are installed at +650 to win the championship.
Over/Under Trends
It was a tale of two trends in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, during which teams went 13-20-9 O/U. The playoffs opened with an under bonanza, as teams went 1-9-2 O/U over the first three days of competition - but things stabilized considerably after that, as the league combined to go 12-11-7 O/U from the fourth day onward.