2018 NHL Playoffs: Series Underdogs Worth a Wager

The NHL playoffs start this week, with 16 teams chasing Lord Stanley’s Cup. One of the interesting things from a sports betting perspective is the success that underdog teams have. For example, last year saw the Nashville Predators secure the second wild card in the Western Conference and then roll all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. We’ve given you some perspective here on some underdogs who may be worth a look in the NHL odds.

2018 NHL Playoffs: Series Underdogs Worth a Wager

It’s go time. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/EaHCpFLdRm

— NHL (@NHL) April 9, 2018

Eastern Conference

• Tampa Bay (A1) vs New Jersey (WC2)
• Boston (A2) vs Toronto (A3)
• Washington (M1) vs Columbus (WC1)
• Pittsburgh (M2) vs Philadelphia (M3)

Western Conference

• Nashville (C1) vs Colorado (WC2)
• Winnipeg (C2) vs Minnesota (C3)
• Vegas (P1) vs Los Angeles (WC1)
• Anaheim (P2) vs San Jose (P3)

The Columbus Blue Jackets are an intriguing upset pick in their series against the Washington Capitals. Even though the Caps eventually moved to the top of the division, goaltender Braden Holtby had a season that was out of character for him, and the Caps had to respond on the offensive side of things. Yes, Washington has the great Alex Ovechkin scoring goals for them, but they’ve never made a conference final with him. Columbus has a skilled blue line that can slow down games and force errors that end up in breakaways the other way, and if Washington isn’t patient, Columbus could make this series interesting in a hurry. The Philadelphia Flyers tangle with the Pittsburgh Penguins in an intrastate rivalry that has a lot of physicality to it. It’s been six years since these teams met in the postseason, as the Penguins have had a lot more success in recent years than the descendants of the Broad Street Bullies. The two teams had a number of high-flying games this season, but the Flyers lost all four matchups, giving up five goals to the Pens in every game. Two of the games were 5-4 results, but the bottom line is that they don’t have the defense to stop Pittsburgh over the course of a series. But what if they find ways to take advantage of the holes in the Penguin defense? The last time the two teams met in the postseason, the Flyers won in six, a bunch of games that featured buckets of goals (and penalty minutes). The Penguins have to hit postseason fatigue at some point. Will the younger Flyers push them over the edge?

What Other Teams Should You Take a Look At?

The Toronto Maple Leafs enter their series with the Boston Bruins as an underdog. However, Toronto has young skill up front in Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and company, and Toronto goalie Frederik Anderson has put up solid numbers against the Bruins in his career. But how will he fare under the klieg lights of the postseason? Mike Babcock has put together a terrific crew in Toronto, and if the veteran core of Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron can’t establish a rhythm in the first two games of the series for the B’s, youth might well have its day in this opening-round series. The Los Angeles Kings come in as a wild card against the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights. However, the Kings have top players who hoisted the Stanley Cup after the 2012 and 2014 seasons, such as Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. The Kings had the best defense in the league as far as goals allowed, and the top penalty kill unit as well. Vegas has put together a terrific offense this year, and starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has his name on the Stanley Cup from his time in Pittsburgh, so he has the experience to help calm the jitters of a group that is mostly new to the postseason.