Just a reminder (and disclaimer), folks: we are not experts and we are not guaranteeing these picks. Place your bets at your own risk and always remember to gamble responsibly. It’s serious business.
New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils
The first game of the night features two rivals squaring off in what may be the most exciting first round series. One of the biggest things to watch in this series is going to be the play of Devils goaltender Vitek Vanecek. He had a career year this season playing behind one of the most lethal offenses in the league. It will be interesting to see how he performs when the pressure is amped up and every save becomes the most important save of the game. The Devils had the Rangers’ number this year, winning three of the four games, but everything changes come playoff time. New York has more playoff experience and frankly I just trust them more this time of year.
Pick: Rangers Money line (+110)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Toronto Maple Leafs
This may be the most discussed playoff series given the Maple Leafs’ struggle the past couple of years. Believe it or not, I actually think Toronto makes it out of the first round this year, in large part thanks to their offense. Both of these teams ranked inside the top ten in goals per game this season, and combined to average 6.8 goals per game. Each team’s goalie was solid in the regular season, but at the end of the day there’s likely no stopping these two teams from scoring a lot of goals.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-132)
Running Tally of BSH Picks Results
Last Time: 1-1-1
All time: 4-3-2
