NHL betting at West Virginia sportsbooks is heating up. The hockey playoffs are down to just eight teams in total as the second round gets underway.
Like in most years, the NHL postseason is nearly impossible to predict. The majority of teams feature similar talent levels, making a lot of these series very competitive.
The bizarre adjusted schedule for this season continued into the second round. Some teams began their new series, while others were still finishing up their opening-round matchup.
Now that the second round is completely set, let’s take a look at the odds posted at WV online sports betting apps. These include championship futures, as well as odds for each individual game and series.
NHL playoffs odds at WV sportsbooks
East Division Final
In the East final, the New York Islanders are tied with the Boston Bruins at one game apiece.
Boston took the first game at home by a score of 5-2, but the Isles rebounded in Game 2. New York won 4-3 in overtime to tie things up before heading back home.
Despite having its home fans for the next tilt in this series, DraftKings WV Sportsbook still favors the Bruins. The online sportsbook shows them at -139 to win the next game, while the Islanders are at +120.
Of course, this means that DraftKings also likes Boston’s chances of moving on in the series. It has Boston at -200 to move forward, compared to New York with odds of +160.
Interestingly, neither side dominated during the regular season. Both actually qualified for the playoffs as the bottom two seeds from the division.
During the year, the Isles beat Boston in five of eight matchups. The Bruins were victorious in their final three games of the season, though.
New York might be an underdog, but that doesn’t typically mean much during this time of year. If some of its key guys keep playing well, this could end as another successful series.
Mathew Barzal, the team’s leader in points during the regular season, has yet to score through eight postseason games thus far. The Isles are hoping he can find his groove and provide a boost for his side.
Central Division Final
The NHL’s Central Division final is set between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning. The defending Stanley Cup champions stole the first two meetings in this series, each by a score of 2-1.
Now they head home with firm control of the series, looking to finish things up quickly.
They’ll play Game 3 on Thursday night with plenty on the line for the Hurricanes. It is almost impossible to come back after falling behind in a series 3-0.
William Hill Sportsbook WV lists Tampa as a -160 favorite for the next contest. Carolina is available at +140 to win the third game.
Tampa also features a sizable advantage in the odds to take the series. William Hill offers the Lightning at -700, whereas Carolina is posted at +500.
Hurricane backers wouldn’t be crazy to double down on their team with these favorable odds. Even though they’re in a tough spot, the first two matchups were very close and resembled the season series that was split 4-4.
It obviously helps that they’ve taken the first couple of games; however, the Lightning are right at the top of the title contenders. They feature odds of +300 to win it all again, behind only Colorado at +125.
North Division Final
The North Division was the last to get started in the second round because of the extended opening-round series with Montreal and Toronto.
The Canadiens took their momentum from that series to this round and won the first game against the Winnipeg Jets. Montreal earned the victory 5-3, but most of the discussion directly after the game was about the hit in the final seconds.
The Jets’ Mark Scheifele flattened Montreal’s Jake Evans, who was forced to leave on a stretcher. This should mean an even more intense second tilt with lots of hitting throughout.
The betting odds for Friday’s game couldn’t get much closer, according to FanDuel WV.
Winnipeg is the slightest favorite at home, with odds of -118. The Canadiens are listed at +100 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The series price is leaning much more in Montreal’s direction, though. It has odds of -210, while the Jets are at +174.
Similar to Carolina’s situation, those who wagered on the Jets before the series can cash in on these updated odds. The Jets took six of their nine meetings this season and have lots of time to turn it around.
West Division Final
Colorado held the top position in terms of odds at most WV sportsbooks coming into the postseason. It’s done nothing since then to make anyone think any differently.
The Avalanche are an incredible 6-0 in the playoffs so far and look like the real deal. Following a first-round sweep of the St. Louis Blues, they’ve taken the first two in their matchup with Las Vegas.
The Knights return home for a pivotal Game 3 that they must have. Both teams totaled 82 points during the regular season, with each side winning four games against one another.
In spite of the venue change, BetMGM Sportsbook WV shows Colorado as the road favorite for the next contest. It’s available at -120, while Vegas is up at +100.
The online sportsbook’s series odds are quite lopsided. Bettors can take the Avs with odds of -900 or the Knights at +600.
For Vegas to at least make it a competitive series, it needs to find some magic from its goalies. Veteran Marc-Andre Fleury showed flashes of brilliance in the previous series against Minnesota.
If he can look like that again, Vegas certainly has enough skill on offense to get back into this series.
