The second round of the NHL playoffs are slated to kick off on Thursday, and here is a look at the futures for the Stanley Cup in each matchup. The Stanley Cup odds are in parentheses.
Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets
The Jets took care of business by beating Minnesota in five games, with Dustin Dyfuglien (five assists) and Mark Scheifele (four goals, one assist) leading the way with five points each. The Predators needed six games to get rid of Colorado, getting seven points each from Austin Watson (four goals, three assists) and Colton Sissons (three goals, four assists). The Predators won three of five meetings with the Jets this season and this series could come down to goaltending as Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck had a much better first round than Nashville’s Pekka Rinne. However, we know what Rinne can do in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins
The Lightning have the edge in rest as they managed to beat New Jersey in five games, while the Bruins are coming off a hard-fought seven-game win over Toronto. Nikita Kucherov had a massive first round with five goals and five assists for the Lightning, while David Pastrnak had five goals and eight assists to power the Bruins. This is another series where goaltending could decide the winner as Tampa Bay’s Andreo Vasilevskiy was solid in the first round, while Boston’s Tuukka Rask had shaky moments. The Bruins won three of four against the Lightning during the regular season.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks
The Golden Knights swept their first-ever playoff series with four straight wins over Los Angeles, and the Sharks did the same to their rivals from Anaheim. Reilly Smith had three assists for the Golden Knights, who got one goal each from seven players. The Sharks were led by five points from Joe Pavelski (one goal, four assists) and Logan Couture (two goals, three assists). Martin Jones was fantastic in goal for the Sharks in the first round, and so was Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury, who has plenty of playoff experience. The Golden Knights won three of four over the Sharks this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals
The Penguins won in six games over their rivals from Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Capitals lost the first two of their series with Columbus at home, then won the next four. Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel had six goals and seven assists each to lead the Penguins. For the Caps, John Carlson had a goal and eight assists for the Capitals.
Braden Holtby came in during Game 2 of the first round and snatched the #1 spot back from Philipp Grubauer. For the Pens, Matt Murray was solid enough against the Flyers. The two teams split four regular-season meetings, and this will be the third postseason in a row in which they’ll go head-to-head. Both series came in the second round, with Pittsburgh winning in six games in 2016 and the Penguins won again in seven games in 2017.
Updated Stanley Cup Futures
Nashville Predators +450
Tampa Bay Lightning +480
Vegas Golden Knights +600
Winnipeg Jets +625
Pittsburgh Penguins +675
Washington Capitals +700
Boston Bruins +725
San Jose Sharks +850
*Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
