NHL Action Tonight
New York Islanders vs Washington Capitals
The Islanders had a decent shot at sweeping the Capitals in the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round during Game 4, but they couldn’t take advantage of their chances and surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose by a 3-1 score. However, New York still owns a healthy 3-1 lead in the series and there would have to be a miracle for them to be eliminated by the Capitals. Washington, however, looked massively improved in Game 4 and Alex Ovechkin is coming off a two-goal performance, meaning the Islanders could be bound to deal against one of the best scoring threats in league history once again. The Islanders were outshot 29-26 in Game 4, and the trend might continue given the fact Washington must take risks offensively -- there’s no tomorrow for them since they’re down 3-1 in the series. Semyon Varlamov (Islanders) and Braden Holtby (Capitals) will start between the posts once again.
Dallas Stars vs Calgary Flames
The Stars’ calling card ahead of the 2019-20 NHL Playoffs was their defense and, even though they struggled at first in their first-round series against the Flames, they changed that in Game 5. Dallas limited Calgary to just one goal and 29 shots while earning a huge 2-1 win that lifted them to a 3-2 lead in the series. Dallas recorded 32 shots in Game 5 and, even though their offense doesn’t really stand out, it must be noted that the Stars have outshot the Flames in each of the last four games of the series, including a 62-shot rampage in Game 4 where they found the back of the net five times. Dallas has enough firepower to get past the Flames and the recent tendencies might suggest the Flames won’t last long in the playoffs, especially if star winger Keith Tkachuk is unable to play in Game 6. The Stars are likely to start Anton Khudobin once again, while the Flames will give Cam Talbot the starting nod.
Keep up with the most updated NHL spreads, odds, lines, picks and more with BetQL. Remember with BetQL you can always tell which side is the consensus pick and which side the pros are betting.
