NHL Best Bet: Tuesday May 3rd

Day 2 of the NHL post-season will feature the opening games of 4 more playoff series after an exciting Monday night of action on the ice. Our resident puck predictor Ej Garr handed out another winner on Monday night to bring his hockey record to 8 – 3 and he has another play on the game between Florida and Washington to offer.

NHL Playoffs Best Bet May 3rd

Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals: Panthers Win in Regulation Time (1.80)

Odds as of 9 am May 3rd, 2022. Odds may now differ.

Florida Panthers vs Washington Capitals Best Bet

May 4th, 00:30 UK time

The Panthers and Capitals play game 1 of their post-season affair among the 4 games on the slate that also feature game 1 of a series. Monday night saw the opening of the NHL’s second season and the battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup is officially underway!

The Florida Panthers are certainly the favourites to take this series, and we know this because they are alongside Colorado as favorites to hoist the hardware in 2022. The Avalanche and Panthers are 1 – 2 on the big board although last I checked the team from Florida is the team that claimed the President’s Cup with the best record in the NHL’s regular season.

So, why isn’t Florida the favourite to win the Cup ahead of Colorado in the eyes of the oddsmakers? That’s a fair question and I can answer it for you if you like‽ Because neither of them is going to be carrying North America’s coolest trophy around the ice when the final horn blows to wrap up the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Oh, you heard me and when I tell you who I have winning this tournament you might go bonkers… Let’s just say that a whole bunch of people at a certain site think I am nuts for picking a certain team to win this year’s trophy. That’s all the hints you get because you didn’t ask me who I liked!

Oh, wait, we’re here to cover this game so let me get back to the point. So, Florida is going to win this game 1 at home and I really don’t think Ovechkin is healthy. The Great 8 missed the last 3 games of the regular season and he is only going because the second season is here despite not being 100%. I saw a few outlets talking about how good an 80% Ovy team is against a Florida squad that is loaded to score goals early and often.

I am sorry but I think Florida wins this game without any extra time involved and the line is showing 1.83 at a handful of sites and 1.80 at many more bookmakers for the Panthers to win in regulation time. I am suggesting we take that bet because the line on the -1 is only 1.95 anyway so what good is that?

If we had a better price featured on that -1? Well, maybe I would think about touching it, but for .15 cents I am not bothering moving any lines or touching the handicap line. I am certainly not suggesting the puck line because Washington has plenty of experience to keep this game 1 close. Or do they?

The 0 – 4 finish to the regular season is why the Caps are playing the #1 seed in the entire NHL Playoffs, and 3 of those 4 games had no #8 in the lineup. How healthy is he and what can we really expect from Ovy tonight? My concern is also regarding his ability to throw his body around when he really just needs to shoot the puck and put as much rubber on the pipes as he can/ I don’t expect Ovechkin to be a big, physical presence tonight even if he does play 15-20 minutes.

I see a 4 – 2 Florida win and yes, some may wonder why I wouldn’t just lay the handicap or puck line than? Because shit happens and if it was that easy vegas would be out of business, LoL Florida just to open game 1 of the series with a regulation-time win is all I ask at 1.80.

• Selection: Florida Win in Reg Time
• Best odds: 1.80 (10Bet)
• Stakes 4/10

Odds as of 9 am May 3rd, 2022. Odds may now differ.

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