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Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Avalanche Are Strong Underdog Bet vs. Stars)

Breaking down the best bets to place for NHL Playoff action on Tuesday night including Game 1 between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche.

By Iain MacMillan

Feb 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) controls the
Feb 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) controls the / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
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I was on the wrong side of Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers as the B's scored five-unanswered goals to win in dominating fashion. That moves my NHL Playoff record to 25-21 for -0.39 units.

Let's see if we can get back in the green with tonight's two games. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will play the second game of their series while the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will get things started in their highly anticipated matchup.

Let's dive into my best bet for each game.

NHL Best Bets Tonight

  • Hurricanes -120 vs. Rangers
  • Avalanche +106 vs. Stars

Hurricanes vs. Rangers prediction

Despite losing Game 1, I'm still confident in the Hurricanes and I'm willing to bet on them to even the series in Game 2 tonight.

If you look at the advanced metrics, the Hurricanes outplayed the Rangers in the first game, with an expected goals of 2.67-2.16. A poor goaltending performance by Frederik Andersen ended up being the difference, but I expect him to bounce back with a strong start tonight.

The Hurricanes led the NHL in the regular season in advanced metrics like CORSI% and FENWICK% and in almost every stat you look at you'll find proof they're the better hockey team. I'll bite with them being a slight favorite in New York in Game 2.

Avalanche vs. Stars prediction

While the Stars may have been the better regular season team, I can't look past the performances by both teams in the opening round. The Avalanche were dominant against the Jets, having arguably the best performance among all teams in the first round. The Stars, while largely outplaying the Golden Knights, made enough mistakes to allow them to force a Game 7 and almost steal the series.

The Stanley Cup experience on this Avalanche team is going to make them a hard out for any opponent they face. I'll back them as underdogs in Game 1 and will re-evaluate if I have to once I get a feel for the series.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

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