Game 2: Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC)
3-way moneyline
BOS regulation win: +220
Tied after regulation: +320
FLA regulation win: +100
Since the Panthers upset the Bruins in seven games last postseason, Boston won all four regular-season games against Florida and then had a 5-1 victory in Game 1 of this series on the road. But Florida had a 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round following its only prior loss of this postseason to close out that series.
Three of the Panthers’ four playoff wins so far have come in regulation, with forward Carter Verhaeghe scoring the overtime goal (fifth OT goal of playoff career) in Game 2 against Tampa Bay. Two of the Bruins’ seven games against the Toronto Maple Leafs went to overtime, including when forward David Pastrnak scored the series-clinching goal in their Game 7 win.
Forward Pavel Zacha leads Boston with seven points (two goals, five assists) in five games against Florida this season, and Jeremy Swayman leads remaining NHL goalies with a .955 save percentage in seven games this postseason. Forward Sam Reinhart had a game-high six shots on goal in the series opener and is tied with Wyatt Johnston of the Dallas Stars for the most SOG (29) in the entire NHL this postseason.
Game 1: Edmonton Oilers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, SN360, ESPN)
Over 7.5 total goals: +230
Under 7.5 total goals: -330
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko will remain out for Game 1 against the Oilers because of an injury. Vancouver backup Arturs Silovs has two wins, a .938 save percentage and one shutout in three games this postseason. Edmonton is averaging the second-most goals per game (4.40) behind the Colorado Avalanche (5.33) and has the best power-play percentage (45.0). Four of the Oilers’ five games against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference First Round had totals of at least seven goals, but only one of Vancouver’s six games against the Nashville Predators reached a total of seven goals – even with Demko missing five of those games.
Vancouver won all four games against Edmonton in the regular-season series, but three of those games were played before the Oilers’ coaching change from Jay Woodcroft to Kris Knoblach, and elite forward Connor McDavid did not play in the final meeting. Three of the four games in the Oilers-Canucks regular-season series had totals of at least seven goals. Edmonton forward Connor McDavid is tied with Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar for the NHL lead in points (12 in five games for McDavid; Makar has played six games) this postseason, and Leon Draisaitl is tied with Makar for second in points per game (2.00; 10 in five games) behind McDavid (2.40).
